Apparently our American friends have listened to us, it's just a start, but the future looks promising. They've already been here in 2006 with the Cadillac BLS, but is this where Cadillac returns to Portugal for good?
The GM group, responsible for Opel and Chevrolet, is considering the introduction of Cadillac in the Portuguese market with only one model under discussion, the new Cadillac CTS, which was presented in Cascais last March. But by our accounts, other models in the range of the American brand may land on Portuguese soil very soon.
We can already find Cadillac dealerships in countries such as Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, among others. It may be time for the Portuguese market to welcome our American friends with open arms, regardless of the personal tastes of each one of us.
The model above is the new Cadillac CTS and is equipped with a 2.0 liter turbo engine with 276hp and 400Nm of torque. Consumption is much more moderate than what we are used to in American cars, a "reasonable" 8.7 liters per 100 km travelled, values that could be much nicer if they used an 8-speed gearbox, like their European competitors, instead of the elected automatic 6-relation box.
With 1640Kg, it reaches 100Km/h in 6.8 seconds, interesting numbers and thanks to an almost perfect weight distribution (50.1% at the front and 49.9% at the back) give us the idea of a very sporty driving dynamic.
Prices for the rear-wheel drive Cadillac CTS start at 62,000 euros for the Elegance AT base version and go up to 70,000 euros for the Premium version. These are two of the four available equipment levels, including Luxury and Performance levels. There will be the option of all-wheel drive, which will equate to an increase of around €5,000 and a few more “drops” in the consumption averages.
It only needs a diesel block to make this recipe a little more nutritional, a “saladinha” to accompany this “hamburger”. Because “chips” no matter how succulent they are, they can carry our wallet against our weight. (and this analogy?)
We will only know in a few months whether or not this will be a recipe for success, as the market for this particular car is small. It will be an audience that will value the exclusivity of a model, to the detriment of a German economic competitor.
Comfort shouldn't be lacking either, but these attributes and many others we can only assess when we get behind the wheel of a Cadillac CTS.
When asked if American cars could succeed in Portugal, I would say yes again, but of course, if they want to win, they will have to be accompanied by a “saladinha”.
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