Cadillac
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About Cadillac
The Cadillac Automobile Company was founded in 1902 by two former Henry Ford Company investors, Williams Murphy and Lemuel Bowen. With the help of engineer Henry Leland, the maker’s first automobiles were manufactured in the old Henry Ford Company factory in Detroit, Michigan. Its first two vehicles, a pair of two-seat horseless carriages with a 10-horsepower, single-cylinder engine, debuted in October of 1902. Consumers viewed Cadillac’s early vehicles as a higher quality product than anything else on the market. Cadillac would trade on that reputation of quality for decades to come.
In the century since its forming, Cadillac has undergone several changes. It merged with Henry Leland’s Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing to form the Cadillac Motor Company in 1905, before being purchased by General Motors in 1909. GM positioned Cadillac as its premier brand and one which focused on a high level of luxury for each of its vehicles. It also became the first automaker to use an electrical system in its vehicles, which facilitated the first production push-button ignition and onboard lights.
Cadillac continued the tradition of delivering dependable luxury vehicles, and in the mid-century, released some of the most iconic vehicle body types in history. From the unmistakable tail fins on the 1959 Cadillac to classic Cadillac DeVille, the automaker has a long line of noteworthy releases. As the 1970s dawned, Cadillac models grew to unprecedented proportions and the interiors more baroque, making them worthy of the “land-yacht” nickname coined during this period.
Today, Cadillac continues to be synonymous with luxury vehicles, but in recent decades upped its performance credentials with the seriously competitive V-Series sport sedans. Its hugely popular Escalade SUV introduced an entirely new generation of buyers to the brand, and its line of smaller XT SUVs has helped it remain relevant in a changing marketplace.
