With around 34% of the world's population driving on the left hand side of the road, in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Japan, any automaker that aspires to go global needs to produce right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles. With only a few exceptions like the fifth generation Seville (built from 1998 to 2004), Cadillac has for the most part shied away from RHD markets. But this is about to change as the wreath and crest brand is getting more serious about increasing its presence in markets outside of North America. Aside from the product presentations like the new BMW 3-Series rivaling ATS sedan that will eventually be offered with a diesel option as well, Cadillac is also getting ready to introduce right-hand drive models.
“We’re geared up for right-hand drive now. We’re working on it," says General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick, according to a report from Autocar magazine.
One of the first models to get a RHD version will be the Cadillac CTS-V that sports a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine with 556-horses.
Ewanick also reiterated Cadillac's newly found commitment to global markets during the interview.
“There wasn’t a commitment to the product before and we didn’t design cars to the market demands,” he said. “The Germans do this very well. There is now a full resource commitment and a vision to get this right. Bankruptcy refocused GM.”
But it's not all good news for Cadillac fans as when asked about the well-received Ciel Concept shown at Pebble Beach last summer, Ewanick said that it's not among the company's top priorities:
“The Ciel reaction was very good. But we’ve got lots of other Cadillacs to do. It’s the busiest time in our history for all our GM brands. It was a strategic time to introduce a luxury concept to the brand, but you need to remember where we are with Cadillac at the moment; the Ciel is a much higher type of luxury.”
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