Right now, it’s very possible that someone at Cadillac HQ is writing a thank you note in Chinese.
That country was the main driver of Cadillac’s 20.9-percent global sales increase in July. The brand’s sales in China almost doubled last month, going up 89.7 percent. For the year as a whole, Cadillac sales are up by 23.9 percent to 54,575 units.
U.S. sales haven’t been as hot. Despite a 1.3-percent increase in July sales to 14,341 vehicles, Cadillac’s year-to-date U.S. figures are down almost eight percent.
The good news is that Cadillac has new models to potentially snag customers. Worldwide, Cadillac dealers moved 8,130 units of the XT5, which replaces the aged SRX. Cadillac’s new flagship, the CT6, was sold 1,234 times last month. Year-to-date, 4,825 have found homes garages.
People are still buying the Escalade, sending its global sales up 1.9 percent for the month of July and more than four percent for the year.
However, last month Cadillac’s hottest model was the ATS, whose sales figures jumped from 3,776 units in July 2015 to 4,983 units – a 32-percent increase. Unfortunately, its sales are down 5.3 percent for the year. The CTS is in even worse shape.
It’s an ironic shame that Cadillac is more popular in China than it is in the U.S. lately (at least in terms of percentages). Cadillac makes some luxurious versions of quintessentially American vehicles: big SUVs and fast cars with Corvette motors in them.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
