Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac, is the luxury vehicle division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China; Cadillac models are also distributed in 34 additional markets worldwide. Historically, Cadillac automobiles were at the top of the luxury field within the United States, often competing with Lincoln, but have been outsold by European luxury brands including BMW and Mercedes since the 2000s.[4] In 2019, Cadillac sold 390,458 vehicles worldwide, a record for the brand.[5]
Cadillac, founded in 1902, is among the first automotive brands in the world, fourth in the United States only to Autocar Company (1897) and fellow GM marques Oldsmobile (1897) and Buick (1899). It was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), the French explorer who founded Detroit, Michigan. The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms.
By the time General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac had already established itself as one of America's premier luxury car makers. The complete interchangeability of its precision parts had allowed it to lay the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles. It was at the forefront of technological advances, introducing full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, with its V8 setting the standard for the American automotive industry.
Cadillac had the first U.S. car to win the Royal Automobile Club of the United Kingdom's Dewar Trophy by successfully demonstrating the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World". It won the trophy again in 1912 for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile.[6]
GM positions Cadillac as the luxury vehicle brand in its portfolio, above the mainstream Chevrolet and the premium Buick and GMC marques, although many vehicles share underlying platforms.
History
Founding
Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company. After a dispute between Henry Ford and his investors, Ford left the company along with several of his key partners in March 1902. Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment in preparation for liquidating the company's assets. Instead, Leland persuaded the pair to continue manufacturing automobiles using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. A new company called the Cadillac Automobile Company was established on August 22, 1902, converting the Henry Ford Company factory at Cass Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It was named after French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who had founded Detroit in 1701.[7][8]
First automobiles
Models
- Current
Assembly plants
- Global Technical Center, Warren, Michigan, U.S.
- Cadillac Celestiq
- Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly, Michigan, U.S.
- Cadillac Escalade IQ
- Lansing Grand River Assembly, Michigan, U.S.
- Cadillac CT4, Cadillac CT5
- Arlington Assembly, Texas, U.S.
- Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV
- Spring Hill Manufacturing
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Awards
Cadillac has won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award five times:[19][41]
- 1949 Cadillac Motor Division—for innovations in overhead valve V8 engine design
- 1952 Cadillac Motor Division
- 1992 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan
- 2008 Cadillac CTS
- 2014 Cadillac CTS
Motorsports
Before the outbreak of World War II, Cadillac (like most manufacturers) participated in various motorsports. Many Allard automobiles used Cadillac engines.
In the 1950s, Cadillac (like all American manufacturers at the time) participated in the NASCAR Grand National Series, but stopped taking part by the 1960s.
Cadillac powered the Cadillac Northstar LMP, a Le Mans Prototype, in the early years of the American Le Mans Series from 2000 to 2002, but withdrew when it proved unsuccessful. Cadillac's most successful venture into motorsports in the 21st century has been its use of the CTS-V in the SCCA World Challenge Grand Touring class. Cadillac returned to prototype racing in 2017 with the Cadillac DPi-V.R in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with considerable success.
In 2023, Cadillac entered its Cadillac V-Series.R into the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship. An official manufacturer entry was entered with Chip Ganassi Racing in both FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship as full season entries. Cadillac also provided customer cars to
See also
- Cadillac Northstar engine
- Cadillac V-Series
- Cadillac V8 engine
- LaSalle (automobile), companion make to Cadillac, 1927–1940
- List of Cadillac vehicles
Further reading
- An image gives the history of the marque's logo.
External links
References
- Agora é oficial: Cadillac chega ao Brasil este ano com três SUVs elétricos^
- General Motors buys Cadillac on History.com^
- Form 10-K Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012 Commission File Number 001-34960 General Motors Company