Search Results for cadillac Number Plates

Cadillac

Born in 1902, Cadillac was founded by Henry Martyn Leland, a manufacturer of automotive components. Leland helped create one of the company's earliest offerings -- the Cadillac Osceola, noted for being the industry's first concept car and the first closed-body car made in America.

Cadillac quickly gained a reputation for specializing in precise craftsmanship and for its build quality and dedication to its customers. The success of early Cadillac’s like the Model A and the "30" made the brand a sales success. The marque became GM's luxury car division, and its list of innovations grew. Cadillac was the first U.S. manufacturer to produce a V8, the first in the auto industry to use thermostatic control of a cooling system, and the first to offer dash-controlled headlights. During the 1930s, the brand earned a strong reputation for producing powerful and smooth V12 and V16 engines.

By the 1960s, Cadillac's flashy tailfins had given way to a new styling cue: vertical taillights. This attribute was in evidence on one of Cadillac's most successful new cars of that decade, the Fleetwood Sixty Special. This new style feature was evident in films of the era, which only helped to boost the success.

The gas crunch of the 1970s, however, hit the company hard when people began looking for smaller engines and fuel economy came into the picture. Cadillac responded to the changing times by down scaling the dimensions of many vehicles in its line-up. Despite this smart manoeuvring, the automaker's fortunes suffered in the late '70s when it unveiled a diesel engine that quickly earned a reputation for bad performance.

By the '90s, Cadillac's days as a top-selling trendsetter seemed to be over. However with styling cues that included sharp, almost severe lines and stacked headlamps, Art & Science was first seen on the Cadillac's 1999 Evoq concept roadster. By the 2000s, this bold new look had reinvigorated the company's sales, and spawned hits such as the Escalade (which holds the distinction of being Cadillac's first truck-based vehicle), a symbol for the R&B scene and the CTS.