Cadillac has prepared for a global relevance with the 2016 CT6 flagship sedan, and the this product is a very important one for the brand. Not only does it bring the brand home to its humble beginnings in large-luxurious vehicles, but it finally gives the brand something to contend with in the ever important Chinese market.
The Chinese love their large cars, where they prefer to be chauffeured rather than behind the wheel. Cadillac President, Johan de Nysschen, understands this, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The German rivals have had a major head start it snatching up marketshare in the world’s largest automotive market. Sales of premium German vehicles topped 1.8 million units last year, and own a 72 percent piece of the market, something Cadillac is gunning for with the introduction of the 2016 CT6.
Knowing this, de Nysschen says to expect minor differences between U.S. and Chinese markets vehicles.
“I can’t afford to build one set of cars for the U.S. market and another set of cars for the Chinese market,” said de Nysschen. Though, he’s confident with the proper branding, Cadillac will speak for itself in tons.
“Our [GM] engineers have a 10-year head start over the marketers,” he said. In other words, the advertising—not the vehicles—is the problem.
So what will that mean for incoming Cadillac product? It means to look for features more suited towards Chinese tastes, and larger backseats than Americans are used to in today’s modern vehicles. Honestly, something we can get behind easily.
Cadillac hasn’t had a product this important in a long time, and its relevancy depends on the introduction of the 2016 CT6 with great weight placed on the Chinese market. Americans understand where Cadillac has been, and de Nysschen is looking to reignite that love affair. On the opposite end, Cadillac is a foreign idea to the Chinese, and de Nysschen seems like just the man to paint the proper picture of what true American luxury really is.
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“Thank you, China.”
– Tall Americans