GM's European Cadillac/Hummer/Vette Distributer Folds
Kroymans Corp of the Netherlands plans to file for bankruptcy and shame the General, reports Automotive News [sub]. GM’s importer for Cadillac, Corvette and Hummer in European Union markets will “transfer” the distribution business to GM, “a process it expected to complete by next year.” Har. Har. By the way, has everyone filed their taxes already? It’s best not to wait until the last minute with these things. Your money is urgently needed to allow the CTS sportwagon roam free in its natural environment.
Meanwhile, AN [sub] also says Daimler will drop $300m on its Alabama Mercedes plant. To “position ourselves for future products” say spokesfolks. As in not the R, M and GL classes they currently build at Vance. Investing in America’s luxury market? What’s in the weißbier? Oh right, recessions are the best time to invest. Because they don’t last forever. Maybe in 20 years Mercedes plans on making ads that boast of its patriotic employment of Americans during the Great Carpocalagasmalypse of 2008/09.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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@John Horner: Because it didn't make sense to do so earlier. And it didn't make much sense afterwards, anyway. The Chevrolets selling well in Europe were formerly know under the name of Daewoo. Cadillac is an American icon. In Europe, the brand was, is and will always be in a niche the size of Coney Island - if you imagine the surface of the U.S.A. as the whole European market. Europeans just don't dig the brand - except for the Swiss, maybe. I think you'll find more Cadillacs in Switzerland than in the rest of Europe. With Saab it is just the other way round. The boys in Detroit just didn't understand that brand. They bought it like an exotic animal you want for a pet, and then wondered why it wouldn't want to grow. It was a strange idea to "invent" the Cadillac BLS - which is nothing but a redesigned Saab 9-3 and doesn't sell anywhere. The money would have been well invested into a better Saab marketing - or whatever. It's just one more example of GM's nonsensical strategies.
FYI IN 2008, Cadillac sold 4600 units Europe-wide. They registered (not necessarily sold) 1,294 BLS Wagons. They were talking smack about 100k in '07. No, seriously.
This experiment has form. My wife was smitten by the STS in '99 when it was offered here in RHD. She especially loved the "oh fugg" (I think thats what she said) feeling when she floored it - she was driving an S40 at the time. Luckily we avoided the caddy, but unfortunately bought a V70 and were subsequently ripped off by Volvo for 5 years. Fast forward to today and I live 2 miles from a Hummer/Cadillac/Vette dealership. Its not a large dealer but obviously didn't shift enough of them so started selling used Jaguars from a related dealership across town as well, to keep busy one assumes. The Escalade in there has remained unsold since last may, the yellow vette probably even longer. There are a few BLSs around but I have more chance of spotting Elvis in Tesco that someone driving a Hummer. Why bother when an X-5/6 can be had for similar money when 12 months old and is capable of cornering. Although owning an X-5/6 singles you out as being a tw...