While speaking to the media, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson revealed plans to expand Cadillac production outside of North America by the end of 2012 as part of the Detroit firm’s efforts to make its premium brand a “true global marque”. According to Akerson, building Cadillacs in other areas of the world would safeguard the company from foreign-currency fluctuations and allow GM to better handle its supply chain.
Currently, the only Cadillac model assembled outside of North America is the China-market SLS, which is a stretched version of the STS sold in the States. Akerson did not reveal where GM plans to build the Cadillac models.
“We’re going to try to define a slightly different brand and product strategy by having a global premium brand, Cadillac, and a global value brand, Chevrolet,” Akerson told reporters before GM’s annual shareholders meeting.
Of course, what constitutes a “true global marque” can be debated all day, but in our book, production location is not the first thing that pops into mind. We’d say a true global brand is one that is not only recognized all over the world, but is also available and has a substantial market share in its segment / niche in all countries. And truth to be said, like its Lexus counterpart, Cadillac has a long way to go before it can truly compete against its German rivals in the premium segment, namely Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, on a global scale.
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