As American As Smorgasbord
by David Finlay (03 Apr 06)

The increasing presence of Cadillac in the European market is part of the effort being made by General Motors to rescue itself from financial meltdown. This isn't perhaps the way that GM people would like you to see it, but there's a hint of the big issue behind the introduction of the BLS in the way the car is being promoted. The advertising slogan says that this is "more than a car - it's a Cadillac". Journalists at the UK press launch were told that the new range is designed for customers who "dare to be different". For a luxury brand, it's all slightly forced, slightly lacking in confidence.

Perhaps slightly unnecessary, too, because there are two other points which seem more likely to help the sales figures. One is that the BLS, though aimed quite explicitly at BMW 3-Series customers, is available for Mondeo money. The other is that Cadillac is an American brand, and American cars are still, thanks to their rarity, something of an exotic option for UK buyers.

If people are indeed tempted by the US connection, it will be more than somewhat ironic, because the BLS has almost no American relevance. It was developed specifically for Europe, and there are no plans to sell it back home in the States because there isn't a place for it in that market.

Furthermore, it's made largely of European bits. It would be stretching things only a little too far to say that this Cadillac is the result of Saab putting a Fiat engine into a Vauxhall. More accurately, the BLS is built at Saab's factory in Trollhattan, it uses the GM Epsilon platform shared by the 9-3 and the Vectra, and the engine in the car tested here - the first turbo diesel ever fitted to a Cadillac - is the 1.9-litre TiD unit co-developed by GM and Fiat.

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