 | |
| Formerly | Cadillac Automobile Company |
|---|---|
| Company type | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessor | Henry Ford Company |
| Founded | August 22, 1902 in Detroit, U.S. |
| Founder |
|
| Fate | Acquired by General Motors in 1909[1] |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Europe (excl. Russia and Belarus), Middle East (excl. Iran and Syria), China (excl. Hong Kong and Macau), South Korea, Japan |
Key people | Steve Carlisle, President, Cadillac |
| Products | Luxury vehicles |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | cadillac.com |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (/ˈkædɪlæk/), is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China. Cadillac models are distributed in 34 additional markets worldwide. Historically, Cadillac automobiles were at the top of the luxury field within the United States, but have been outsold by European luxury brands including BMW and Mercedes since the 2000s.[3] In 2019, Cadillac sold 390,458 vehicles worldwide, a record for the brand.[4]
Cadillac 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), 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.[5]
- ^ a b 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". General Motors. General Motors Company. February 15, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- ^ Keith Bradsher (January 13, 2000). "Luxury Wheel Turns to Europe; On U.S. Premium Car Sales, the Continent Sets the Pace". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
European-brand luxury cars as a group managed for the first time last year to accomplish what once seemed impossible: beating American luxury brands in sales in their home market
- ^ "GM Reports Earnings and Provides 2020 Outlook" (Press release). General Motors. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Cars That Built GM: An Album of Historic General Motors Cars" (PDF). General Motors. 1954. pp. 10, 12, 14, 16. Retrieved June 12, 2014.