UK-specific Cadillac CTS-V planned

Cadillac is planning to offer the Cadillac CTS-V in right-hand drive as part of a renewed commitment to taking markets outside North America more seriously.

General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick said the 556bhp V8-powered CTS-V was a “car designed for Europe, but one we haven’t treated seriously in Europe”.

The CTS-V is currently only available in left-hand drive, meaning the UK – potentially one of the most popular markets for the car – is denied the chance to get it in its ideal set-up for the roads.

“We’re geared up for right-hand drive now,” said Ewanick. “We’re working on it.”

The new BMW 3-series-sized Cadillac ATS saloon is the first global Cadillac under the firm’s renewed commitment to success outside of North America. Ewanick is confident of success in Europe this time, as “we’ve signed in blood.”

Read Autocar's first drive review of the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

“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.”

All new Cadillacs would be developed similarly with global markets in mind, but Ewanick said there was no rush to get new models to market and they would be replaced under normal lifecycles.

Cadillac revealed a luxury concept, the Cadillac Ciel, at Pebble Beach last summer, but GM design chief Ed Welburn was quick to play down its production chances, despite a desire to build it.

“The Ciel reaction was very good,” he said. “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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