Former Audi North American boss and later CEO of Infiniti, now turned Cadillac CEO, Johan de Nysschen, will bring about significant changes to GM’s luxury arm. Firstly, the company’s finances will be treated as a different entity to the rest of GM, thus allowing for more freedom and (hopefully) models more exciting than the usual crop of sedans (and the ELR).
Speaking to Automobile Magazine, de Nysschen answered several highly eloquent questions about everything from the fate of the ELR plug-in to the possibility of adding some proper sports cars to the range.
In regards to the Volt-based range extender, he said he was “fascinated by the technology and completely convinced of the long term potential.” He did, however, explain that its successor, if it gets green-lit, has a high likelihood of not being a rakish two-door coupe like the current model.
His task at Cadillac is to “get the brand restored as a pre-eminent global premium brand,” but he does not want to merely mirror what the Germans are doing, but rather to adopt “modern, contemporary, progressive American luxury.”
He went on to say that with only two crossover/SUV vehicles in the range, the brand is currently handicapped compared to rivals. A proposed model is one that would slot in between the SRX and new Escalade.
Cadillac plans to release its Merc S-Class-rivaling sedan in 2016 (pictured), but after that’s dealt with the company could concentrate more on creating a halo model. Apparently, the flagship sedan would not necessarily be the pinnacle of the range, as that title could be given to one of the two proposed sports cars that de Nysschen sees room for in the range.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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