Cadillac Reportedly Pulling Out of Half of Europe

[Andy]

There's more bad news for Cadillac fans in Europe. Yesterday it was reported that GM had stopped plans to introduce a much needed V6 turbodiesel for Cadillac in Europe. Today it looks like GM has decided to pull Cadillac out of half of Europe. GM has decided to halt Cadillac sales in half of Europe following the collapse of its regional distributor, Kroymans. The issue obviously has to do with the collapse of auto sales. “We will take it down to less than a dozen markets,” a GM Europe source told Automotive News Europe. As of right now Cadillacs are sold in 25 European countries. Cadillac has been struggling to gain traction in Europe. A much needed diesel engine, which would have made Cadillac more competitive in Europe has now been canceled. Cadillac was expected to receive a 2.9-liter V6 turbodiesel that was developed with and was to be manufactured by Italian diesel-engine expert VM Motori S.p.A. According to division spokesperson Joann Krell the diesel has been "indefinitely delayed." A source states that the design and development of the engine has been completed. The cancellation of the V6 diesel now effectively means that Cadillac is going to have a hard time increasing market share in Europe, since 54 percent of all light vehicles sold in Western Europe are diesel powered. Currently the only diesel powered Cadillac is the slow selling front-wheel-drive

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