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GM Authority

Cadillac Sold Way Better In This Overseas Country Than In The US

Cadillac sells its vehicles all around the world, offering a variety of different luxury models in more than 30 international markets. However, some of those markets buy substantially more vehicles than others, and in fact, the U.S. isn’t the brand’s highest-volume market. That title belongs to China, where GM sold way more Cadillacs than in the U.S.

The refreshed Cadillac CT5 in China.

During the course of the 2023 calendar year, GM sold 183,600 Cadillacs in China. That’s substantially more than the 147,214 units sold in the U.S. during the same timeframe – 36,386 more, to be exact. A similar gap was recorded in 2022, with 194,100 units sold in China as compared to 137,703 units sold in the U.S., while an even-wider gap was recorded in 2021, with 231,800 units sold in China as compared to 118,032 units sold in the U.S.

Of course, that impressive sales volume shouldn’t come as a surprise. In fact, back in 2016, Cadillac predicted that it would increases its Chinese sales by 25 percent to more than 100,000 units. That same year, GM began producing the first-generation CT6, the luxury marque’s full-size flagship sedan, in a new Chinese factory. Now, eight years later, the second-generation CT6 is a Chinese exclusive following the discontinuation of the CT6 in North America.

In order to avoid hefty import tariffs, Cadillac manufacturers all models sold in China locally. As GM Authority covered previously, China implemented new tariffs on U.S.-made goods in 2019 that included an additional 25-percent tariff on cars exported from America, which, in addition to existing tariffs, brought the total duty on American-made cars to just under 50 percent. As such, it was the launch of Cadillac’s Chinese production that jumpstarted the brand’s rapid growth.

Unsurprisingly, the vehicle lineup between Cadillac’s Chinese portfolio and its U.S. portfolio differs substantially. In China, for example, customers are offered the second-generation CT6 (as mentioned previously) and the GT4, both of which are not available in North America. However, the North American Cadillac lineup includes a few models not available in China as well, such as the Escalade, the V-Series lineup, and the V-Series Blackwing sedans.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. Don’t count on it lasting. China is starting to become like South Korea – only domestically-made vehicles sell in big numbers.

    Reply
    1. Not to mention Taiwan. Wait till they invade (and like I said, its not a matter of IF but WHEN), and the US intervenes by protecting them or like Ukraine, supplies them with weapons (because we are the US and everyone else first then the US people comes second if at all), and the CCP reacts by nationalizing US owned assets in the mainland and all those eggs GM pulled out from everywhere else to put into Chinas basket gets taken from them by force. Then we’ll see how much they will embrace China then. But hopefully they do this with Trump as president so they can be told to go scratch when they want another bailout. If the pandemic, Ukraine, and increasing aggression from the PLC hasn’t been enough to warn companies to start de-risking their operations by diversifying then at some point Darwin needs to step in and do his job. Go ask Xi Jinping for a bailout instead.

      Reply
      1. Ah isolationism, works so well. I hear we also plan to drop out of nato. China is the second largest economy in the world. We must find a way to work with them. Take a look around your house. We depend on them for an enormous amount of goods, and fortunately, they depend on us/eu for other goods. I get what that they are, but go watch the interview with kushner where he continues to defend the Saudis for cutting up the journalist. Both left & right look the other way for strategic ties. Be it oil, cobalt, or goods at big box retailers and amazon.

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        1. That’s all grand and all and I totally agree in that nations should set differences aside and work together as one human race. But there are two problems. 1) That is banking on the US not feeling the itch to have to intervene in an incident with Taiwan. And you know very well, that at any US intervention, the CCP will respond in kind. That response could mirror what Russia did when they invaded Ukraine and nationalize US owned assets which GM has alot of with SAIC. I would love for the US to simply condemn the action and back-off to avoid a wider conflict and focus more on our internal problems, but unfortunately, I don’t see it happening that way. 2) You completely missed the point of my comment. This isn’t about isolationism and trying to cut ties with China. Its about a poor business decision of abandoning all other markets for one that can’t be taken for granted just because $$$. The point of my comment is GM foolishly abandoned other vital markets (EU, Australia, India, etc.,) to focus all their attention on China and what’s left of that attention in the US. At no point am I insisting they abandon the Chinese market. Tesla is doing things the right way by de-risking their operations by building in China for China, EU for EU, and North America for North America. Should a geopolitical incident occur Tesla will take a hit but they remain competitive in other markets and have production capacity globally to be able to make quick shifts. But GM, has abandoned all their other markets for one market above all else. Now, only recently with this EV push they are trying to re-enter these markets they abandoned probably because they are now realizing the disaster that awaits them should China invade Taiwan and things sour between US and China. But the decision to abandon these other markets (rather than invest in being more competitive in those global markets) to focus on one market that can’t be taken for granted was short-sighted and completely foolish.

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    2. I would take that trend with a grain of salt. There have been several videos showing dumping of brand new EVs in fields in China. The CCP is notorious for generating GDP for show out of no demand by building apartment buildings that don’t get sold or finished (think Evergrande), building high speed rails to places with little or no demand, 8 lane highways in the same manner, and the same with EVs now apparently. They build them, register them (because they do have plates on them), and then get dumped but the build numbers are there to show. I have a colleague from Guandong and he will tell you the same thing. I mean come on. You don’t really believe they only had a few thousand COVID deaths when they have 1.4 billion people?

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    3. Sir Lopez, is it possible to write a more obvious “can’t see the forest for the trees” headline, was this intentional?

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    4. The Chinese like, because they think they are high quality vehicles compared to the junk they are used to. Just like most of the junk they send over here, that usually ends up in a landfill in short order!

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    5. You mean like Japan where foreign imports are less than 8% of all new vehicle registration?

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    6. And just like the Japanese. Start 50/50 manufacturing agreements with them, then the domestic company takes the IP and sells it all over the world. Think TVs, cameras, and cars. The Chinese even pulled the same crap with Boeing and the 737 MAX. Plus the domestics in China, Korea, and Japan are subsidized by their governments. That is why I’ve said multiple times on this website that investing in GM is futile. The stock price is so low because the money makers think they will go out of business next decade. I actually believe they’ll merge with someone like Honda.

      Reply
  2. maybe because CT6 is still available in china and updated too

    meanwhile the US gets no true full size sedan. CT5 is not it! if you want a sedan you cannot go with cadillac.

    well done marry msrp barra!

    Reply
    1. Laughable, ct6 never sold in large numbers here, lesser numbers than the ct5 which also barely moves the needle. SUV’s sell well in the US, and that is primarily what sells for caddy in the US. And I’ve said it before, and will again, without the slade profit generator, Caddy would be where Lincoln is, an afterthought.

      Reply
      1. it never sold because the interior was\is garbage. it also has aged horribly.

        due to design or incompetence GM basically killed the large sedan in NA, same as ford..

        i guess we still have the malibu… which has insane interior space.

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      2. MkAtx:

        It may not be available in China much longer either. Sales there are less than half what they were in 2022

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      3. Still outsold BMW 7 Audi 8 Lexus LS all Genesis cars. Only in GM world is that a failure…

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    2. Lol:

      No. Look it up.

      The CT6 contributed about 9-10K in China last year.

      Also, none of the V series or Blackwings are sold there. Neither is the Escalade.

      China’s population is far greater than ours and therefore their Market is far greater. Nothing too complicated to understand.

      Reply
      1. ok but what is the relevance of the V series here.. they arent high volume seller in the US either. GM sells in china via a local brand, and buicks were also popular. cadillac branded cars were never huge sellers there in the context of the overall market.

        the ct6 should have remained on the market or moved to a chevy badge. the thing im mostly whining about is how all the domestics killed their full size offerings in the US. germans still have 7 series and s class, toyota has the avalon (i think, tell me it is still a thing), audi has the a8… so there is a market still.

        and escalades etc are exclusively a NA thing. the full size american SUVs have always been a one off3rd party import abroad for the few that want them. GM is trying to make some headway with GMC in australia next year but i doubt they will succeed vs the patrol and landcruiser which are staple aus darlings since forever for 1\3 – 1\4 the price of a denali.

        Reply
        1. Lol:

          I was replying to your assertion that Cadillac sales are so much greater in China because the CT6 is sold there, which simply isn’t true.

          As for your comments on the Vs and Escalade, it only serves to illustrate my point that the 2 markets are different. Escalades are enormously popular here, but would find only a handful of buyers in China.

          Reply
  3. I’d also point out to those unaware, China sold 30M vehicles to the US 15. So why would high sales in China be a surprise. They sell 2 cars for every one in the US.

    Reply
  4. Automakers in USA don’t care what people want… just build whatever will bring the most money

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    1. Ric::

      Your post is my nomination for silliest of the year.

      Reply
  5. The reason Cadillac doesn’t sell very well in the US is simple…THEY DON”T ADVERTISE!!! Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus all advertise contently. But I don’t see very many Cadillac TV spots and the ones that I see are just terrible. If Cadillac wants to survive, it needs to hire a VP of Advertising that understand ADVERTISING and the AUTOMOTIVE Market. I suggest he or she spend some time studying competitive TV spots. Most of them are creative, exciting and interesting. The few Cadillac spots I’ve seen are just dull and boring.

    Reply
  6. Where’s the surprise in this?

    Reply
  7. BRING BACK THE A REAL CADDILAC A ROOMY SEDAN

    Reply
  8. I own 2-CT6’s, a 2017 Premium and a 2020 Premium Luxury. These are a great FULL-SIZED luxury sedan. They get decent fuel mileage, I can drive either one for 10 hours a day and not be tired and am able to get out of them. We still have a 2002 Cadillac DHS that has just over 100K miles on it.

    Not all buyers want/need an SUV, CUV, EV or a mall crawler pickup. Many drivers still want a full-sized luxury sedan and that is not a CT5 or a CT4. These are compact cars that cannot fit 4 normal sized adults, ride horribly, are anemic power wise unless you get a V-Series or a Blackwing and get crappy fuel mileage. Let’s see how the 4-cylinder turbo holds up…LOL!!!

    GM/Cadillac never promoted the CT6 but they certainly do with the CUV and SUV lines. The CT4 is on its last leg, and I expect the CT5 to follow suit. If GM/Cadillac would have advertised and promoted the CT6 it would have been more viable to the buying public. Other full-sized sedans are still aggressively marketing their sedans.

    I am considering replacing the 2017 CT6, but it certainly won’t be another Cadillac. They lost a loyal customer having purchased 6 new Cadillac sedans in 10 years. I’ll look at Genesis or Mercedes for my next sedan and it won’t be an EV.

    Reply
  9. I seriously believe there is still a market for a large luxury Cadillac sedan in North America.

    Reply
  10. Bring back the CT6 to the NA market!

    Reply

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