Cadillac's Strangest Since The Cimarron

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

In the annals of Cadillac’s history, there is one vehicle that stands above them all as the biggest flop of all time. And it’s not the Cimarron.

The Cadillac BLS was based off of the GM Epsilon platform. Essentially a restyled Saab 9-3, the BLS was built in Sweden and never exported to America. Its sole intention was to give Cadillac a product optimized for the European market. Production averaged around 3,000 units annually, and sales were marginal at best.

But, there was a wagon.

N.B.: Title changed. I was made aware of the original song – I got the original from reference from a Kanye West song. No malice intended.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Sector 5 Sector 5 on Jan 10, 2015

    Cadillac's an enigma - a mystery to europeans. A representation of american excess. Like wise to GM executives trying to market it for there. New world meets old. It gets lost in translation.

    • See 1 previous
    • Mechaman Mechaman on Jan 10, 2015

      @28-Cars-Later It ought not to be ... I thought GM was on the right track with the Cad (and other models), maybe I was wrong? I thought the only reason GM wound up with Saab is because Saab was in trouble? Really, who needs a Saab now? I'm not being mean .. it's just that their uniqueness isn't enough, IMO, to keep them in the marketplace.

  • John Williams John Williams on Jan 11, 2015

    The best thing for GM to do is finally realize that in Europe, Cadillac is, at best, a niche curiosity that might be imported in the single digits by avid admirers of American sedans in their most stereotypical state (huge sedans with huge V8 engines and loads of decidedly non-European style and presence). Sort of how Europeans probably see the Charger/300 duo. Therefore, no more overt focus on marketing Cadillac overseas. Instead, make the luxury marque a purely American phenomenon that the rest of the world might be lucky to get as an expensive single import. That involves moving Cadillac away from fighting BMW and Audi with 3/5-series and A4/A6 clones and more towards distinctive offerings that actually offer something different from the norm. If GM still wants to market overseas luxury, it should go with Buick. It lacks Cadillac's baggage, offers conservative styling that can be modestly tailored to European tastes and it already carries the scent of success in an important overseas market (China). An Opel-Vauxhall/Buick pairing in Europe makes much more sense than marketing Cadillac and Chevy by their lonesomes. There's no shame in keeping Cadillac in the U.S. and making it as ostentatiously American as possible. At least consumers will respect it then, even if it means GM giving up dreams of Cadillac as a volume luxury seller.

  • ToolGuy Honda was robbed.
  • ToolGuy "Honey, someone is trying to cross the moat again"
  • Rochester "better than Vinfast" is a pretty low bar.
  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
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