General Motors will begin exporting Cadillacs to South Africa in the fourth quarter of 2006, along with a small number of models to Australia in late 2007, according to The Car Connection (TCC) website.
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The report said vehicles exported to South Africa will be built with right-hand drive at the GM assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan.
Some RHD models from the US are already shipped to the UK, supplemented by the Saab-built, 9-3-based, BLS which is also built LHD in Sweden for Europe. The UK also takes some LHD models but these are banned in Australia and, just-auto understands, also in South Africa.
Cadillac general manager Jim Taylor told TCC the expansion is part of a continuing effort to build up sales in markets in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the world.
Cadillac sales in China, where GM started selling its luxury brand in 2005, reportedly have more than doubled this year while sales in Russia have picked up significantly.
Taylor told The Car Connection GM is making a concerted effort to re-establish Cadillac as a global brand. Its expansion into South Africa is being helped by GM’s decision to build a South African assembly plant for right-hand versions of the Hummer because new Cadillac dealerships there have dual showrooms as part of GM’s strategy to sell both brands at the same outlets outside of North America.
