Cadillac has invaded enemy territory. It’s one thing to launch in Europe, but to take the latest luxury offerings and strike the country that has birthed the luxury sedan, and luxury sport sedan, is much different.
But, Cadillac is daring greatly. The brand announced the 2017 Cadillac XT5 and 2016 Cadillac CT6 have officially launched in Germany. Cadillac states both vehicles were presented in Berlin, Germany, a city that captures the spirit of the brand’s recent move to New York City. Specifically, both the CT6 and XT5 made their debut at Eiswerder, an exclusive island and former factory from the 17th century.
“Berlin is a hotspot for fashion, design, music and art and the location reflects Cadillac’s new brand positioning perfectly. Cadillac’s Dare Greatly theme represents the unapologetic creativity and relentless drive at the core of our brand”, said Uwe Ellinghaus, Chief Marketing Officer of Cadillac.
Cadillac has recently scaled back its plans for a European invasion, as it waits for in-house diesel powertrains to finish up development, and maybe even some right-hand drive support. However, September will see the CT6 and XT5 enter locals German dealers.
The 2017 XT5 will start at €48,800, and the 2016 CT6 will arrive with a starting price of €73,500.
Comments
By starting off with only the top trim levels and biggest/most powerful engines available on their respective models is the wrong toe in for this market.
Cadillac already sells in miniscule numbers in the Old Country and this will not change that.
If they are going to go back in and try to compete with the Germans on their home court then Cadillac can not do a half-hearted attempt.
Look at where that’s gotten them over the years.
If You offer a product only on a few markets (max.6) out of 46, it’s not an expansion it’s a parody!
Availability of one engine choice only proves my point.
The CT6 begins a bit expensive price ( is vital Cadillac needs one diésel engine for the European Customers, like a 2.0 with 150-170 horses )
Here in Europe the drivers not want to run, they want quality comfort and reliability, and not outrageous gasoline consumption.
The XT 5 has a just price
Mate, “diesel” and “comfort” don’t go very well together unless you’re Mercedes.
And no, I don’t think 9.5 L / 100 km combined consumption is bad for this class. But maybe my view is somewhat skewed, heh.
diesel and comfort, or luxury or sport go very well together .
and sale numbers are not important to. thats nice than cadillac not so many on streeet
If the CT6 become available in September, then it should be ’17 instead of ’16, correct?
I’m a little surprise that Cadillac did not offer the 2.0T model there including the XT5 with it also. Perhaps lack of dealership allocation could be the reason?
To play on ” their ” turf the CT6 needs a V-8 ! They may not consistantly want all the power but it is a big part of the image . Even though the twin turbo 6 may be fine here in the states it will enter that market without all the goods of the top German nameplates . And the music of a V-8 is much better than the TT-6 .
“2016 Cadillac CT6 And 2017 XT5 Launch In Germany”
Hahahahahahahahaha.
That was great, made my day.
Is anyone at GM really that delusional that they think this will sell?
Granted, a handfull of GM-Europe executives may be forced to drive one, or else they get fired.
But retail sales? Hahahahahahahahaha.
Also, there are no dealerships, so do they sell them out the back of a truck, or one of those cheap crappy filthy opel dealers in a slum?
You are right that there seems to be a lot of holes in this strategy.
Wrong models, wrong powertrains and lack of dealer support.
Well you have to look at this in context.
#1 neither of these models are of the present management. But they are the only new product they have so they have to work with what they have.
#2 This is not an all out assault and is not intended to be. It is just to get something back into the market.
#3 The CT6 is not cheap and even a base model sent to Germany would not impress many and would not be much cheaper.
This is just mostly for marketing to keep the name alive. There is no great expectation to sell a ton of cars but but just to keep the market alive till they have the other models ready.
While this is not the big splash some want it is a start and you have to start some place. Give the time and as the new products arrive it will get better and better.
Just look at some of the early BMW models that were mass marketed here and some of them were odd and not really in tune with the market but over time they gain ground and gained fans.
The key here is just to be seen and get people talking. It would be like seeing a car from there here that they do not normally sell.
How much red-ink do you think this will spill? It’s surely not for profit – so Cadillac and GM are willing to lose, what, $4-5 million for some name recognition? $8m? Shipping, import fees, unveiling party, give one to the German MVP if they win he Euro?
Dare Greatly, indeed.
10 years ago I would have agreed with You. But currently we cannot call this a ‘start’ for Cadillac. They have been pretending they exist here in Europe for the last 15 years! At that time Lexus despite not being very successful cared for their prestige by investing in marketing and customer service. (they didn’t have many products many years after they started) and Infiniti recently built high-class standalone dealers all over Europe (in Poland there are 4 and not a single Cadillac one!) .
Agreed that Cadillac’s efforts and their long term planning has been lackluster.
Cadillac seems only to see in the near term.