Ousting Of Cadillac CEO May Signal A New Start For The Brand

The ousting of Johan de Nysschen as Cadillac chief executive appears to mark a shift in strategy for General Motors.

During his tenure at the head of the historic brand, de Nysschen pushed to distinguish Cadillac from GM and radically expanded its presence in Europe and China in a bid to rival BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.

However, according to Automotive News, de Nysschen’s bold revamp of Cadillac may have been too radical for General Motors.

“There’s no question Johan is a visionary automotive leader, but given GM’s conservative culture, he may have pushed things a step too far,” said executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds, Jessica Caldwell.

“It feels like Johan spent too much time chasing the German brands instead of embracing Cadillac’s unique heritage.”

Cadillac may adopt a slightly more conservative approach

Taking over from de Nysschen will be Steve Carlisle, the head of GM Canada.

Like GM President Dan Ammann, Carlisle has championed mobility and technology as areas where GM can grow. The conglomerate appears to think that Ammann is the best man for the job moving into a future potentially dominated by mobility and autonomous technologies.

“Looking forward, the world is changing rapidly, and, beginning with the launch of the new XT4, it is paramount that we capitalize immediately on the opportunities that arise from this rate of change,” Ammann said.

With Carlisle in charge, GM appears to want to bring Cadillac back under a unified corporate vision, rather than having it chase its own targets and objectives.