Cadillac BLS

Caddy lowers sights

Slower-than-expected sales of the new BLS luxury car have forced US giant Cadillac to think again about its forecast of future success

Auto Express Car Reviews

After slow start, Cadillac hopes models such as SRX will boost sales

05th March 2007

Originally, the company claimed it was confident of shifting 10,000 models across Europe every year by 2010. But with only 600 examples of the BLS finding homes in the UK in 2006, that ambitious target has now been dropped.

"Sales are set to increase," a Cadillac spokesman told Auto Express. "And with the launch of the new SRX SUV, plus the arrival of other cars in the range such as the Escalade off-roader, we are confident the business will grow." However, he conceded: "It's been tougher than some people anticipated."

As well as revising sales forecasts, it's thought bosses are planning major changes to the way in which Cadillac cars are sold. At the moment, they are distributed by the large dealer group Pendragon, but it's understood Caddy parent company General Motors will bring this area of the business in-house.

Cadillac top brass are also drawing up proposals aimed at boosting the number of sales to fleet buyers, in addition to looking into ways of improving customer support.