Why Cadillac thinks it won’t be seen as a newcomer in Australia

American luxury brand Cadillac is making a long-awaited return to Australia this year after several absences.

But entering one of the world’s most competitive markets, General Motors (GM) executives aren’t worried about the brand getting lost in the crowd.

“The market here hasn’t had much exposure to Cadillac through driving these cars, but the brand is very well known despite not being sold here,” said Jess Bala, managing director of General Motors Australia and New Zealand.

“We did some research last year and it definitely showed a high level of familiarity and awareness.

“We still have work to do and we will definitely do it, but at least the brand is clearly recognizable when you see the car in person.”

Although Cadillac has sold cars here before, its last Australian operations ended in 1969 – some 55 years ago.

When Cadillac returns to Australia, it will bring a very different line-up to what it has had or planned to bring here before.

The Lyrics At least for now, it’s the company’s only model, and it’s a luxury electric SUV… not a V8-powered full-size sedan like the de Ville and Fleetwood luxury cars of yore.

Cadillac had intended to bring the Seville sedan to local showrooms in the late 1990s before the plan was scrapped, before once again launching the CTS sedan in Australia in 2008 – but the plan was scrapped at the last minute due to the Global Financial Crisis.

As reported last weekCadillac said it will make further announcements about additional models in its local lineup next year, with deliveries likely to begin in 2026.

It’s expected that the Cadillac Optiq and Vistiq or even both could appear in local showrooms alongside the Lyriq, although so far only the first model has been confirmed to be produced in right-hand drive.

Miss Bala also refuses to rule out gasoline-powered Cadillacs For example, the Escalade V8 will eventually join the lineup, but there’s no official confirmation yet.

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