Cadillac is one of the brands of GM of the United States and is known for producing premium luxury cars. This American luxury car brand with more than 100 years of history is famous for its outstanding products in every periods.
Cadillac was officially born in 1899-1906
The Cadillac brand was founded in 1899-1902
The predecessor of the Cadillac brand dates back to the Detroit Motor Company, which was founded in 1899. Shortly after the establishment of the Detroit Auto Company, it was reorganized in 1902 and officially changed its name to Cadillac Motor Company. The reason for choosing the “Cadillac” was to pay tribute to the French royal aristocrat, the explorer Le Sieur Antoine de la Nothe Cadillac, who founded the city of Detroit in 1701.
At the same time, Cadillac’s shield – shaped brand logo also symbolized the honor of the royal family and the nobility, and its shape was also taken from the badge used by Mr. Cadillac. Although the logo was officially used in September 1902, it was not officially registered as a trademark until 1906. This trademark has undergone more than 30 times of improvement in the hundred years of development.
In the early days of Cadillac’s development, the company was managed by Henry Martyn Leland. He was the manager of Rayland Foller AG company, producing precision parts for cars. Unlike Henry Ford, who worked at Leyland, Leyland is not interested in the “mass car”. He attached great importance to machining accuracy, manufacturing quality and interchangeability of parts, and believed that this is the key to rapidly increase production and expand the scale of automobile development.
Cadillac’s early products in 1902-1906 laid the foundation for future automotive development
On October 17, 1902, Cadillac produced its first car, which used a 10-horsepower horizontal bar engine and priced at $750 at the time. It looks like an old-fashioned carriage, but at the time it was one of the best cars. In 1905, Cadillac launched the world’s first two-person closed-body car, Oceola, which laid the foundation for future car development.
1907-1972 Early Cadillac brand development
The Cadillac brand was officially incorporated into GM from 1907 to 1909.
In 1907, Cadillac was acquired by GM shortly after its establishment, but Leyland and his son Wilfer remained to continue to develop and operate Cadillac. In 1908, Cadillac became the first American car company to be awarded the Dewar Medal by the Royal Club of London for its successful standardization production, and has a reputation as a “world standard.” In 1909, Cadillac joined General Motors. Since then, Cadillac has paid more attention to the luxury and comfort of the car when designing the car.
Cadillac products made breakthroughs in technology from 1912 to 1949
In 1912, Cadillac was awarded the Dewar Medal once again for it was the first car manufacturer to equip the car with electronic start-up, lighting and ignition. In 1914, Cadillac introduced the first 8-cylinder engine in the United States. In 1918 Cadillac made the Victoria Coupe. This car was equipped with a Delco electronic system, which was the first model in the world to use a mass-produced V8 engine. And it It has 70 horsepower.
In 1929-1930, the synchronous gear system as standard equipment and safety glass were mounted on Cadillac products. Also during this period, the world’s first 12-cylinder and 16-cylinder engines were also produced by Cadillac. In 1930, the V16 engine was used for passenger cars for the first time. In 1931, the milestone 16-cylinder engine was first used on a large scale in V16 Sport Phaeton.
In 1941, the Sixty Special model was designed with a fully automatic conveyor, and Cadillac became the second largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmission vehicles. By the end of 1949, Cadillac has produced one million Cadillac cars, and in the same year developed a historic, high compression ratio, overhead valve, light V8 engine.
Cadillac products are more luxurious in 1950-1972
After half a century of development, Cadillac’s premium car brand image has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Its products were also more suitable for the US premium car market, the body was bigger and longer, and the addition of more advanced configurations maked the Cadillac brand more popular. The 1953 concept car was the absolute celebrity of the GM’s Road Show – Dream Car. It was 4 inches lower and 400 pounds lighter than the standard folding car. The Eldorado in 1957 reflected the true Cadillac style, with a new headlight and a pillarless 4-door design. Standard equipment includes low-level tires, self-opening luggage, air suspension, air conditioners and a small private storage room. With a brushed steel roof, Eldorado would made people have a love-like impulse at first sight.
Cadillac had several innovations in the late 1950s and early 1960s that improved its quality. The 1959 low-pressure Freon shock absorber, the 1960 automatic adjustment brake, the first set of automotive air-conditioning systems used in 1965. In 1966, electronic warm seat units and stereo radios became one of the optional configurations.
For the first time in 1967, Eldorado adopted front-wheel drive, becoming a model of luxury and private cars that are both elegant and dynamic. When the “longer, wider and lower” cars became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, Cadillac also produced a world-famous luxury car. At that time, Cadillac Ville was weighing over 3,000 pounds and was over 230 inches in length. The engine used 8.2-liter cylinders.
From 1973 to 1979, in line with the market, Cadillac brand products developed to miniaturization
After the 1970s, in response to the 1973 oil crisis, Cadillac developed to miniaturization. Launched in May 1975, Seve is a smaller, internationally sized Cadillac. In 1977, Cadillac’s new Ville and other products were 8 to 12 inches shorter than their 1976 models, with an average weight of 950 pounds. The products of this period represent Cadillac’s first generation of miniaturized products.
The Seville sedan was originally launched to cope with the oil crisis and rising prices. At the time, the car used the Chevrolet Nova sedan platform and was widely welcomed. Since then, Seville has been in the top five in the sales charts. In 1979, Eldorado also changed. The model introduced in 1979 is 20 inches shorter and 1150 pounds lighter than in 1978.
