Caddy's brand new bag

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

American motoring industry analysts are asking if Cadillac's move away from luxury saloons into all manner of vehicles will dilute or enhance the brand.

Cadillac was synonymous with big, bold America. Moguls, movie stars and presidents drove Cadillacs. Moguls drove Fleetwoods, movie stars drove convertibles like the 1959 Eldorado. Presidents rode in specially built limousines such as the DeVille and Fleetwood Brougham.

But demand for such "boats on wheels", as they were called, has declined in the face of top-notch models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus.

Over the past few years, Cadillac has repackaged itself under parent General Motors and turned its attention towards younger buyers.

The last Eldorado rolled off the assembly line last month. Its core sedans are the DeVille and Seville, and it is aiming its next-generation CTS sedan at a global market.

Last November, it came out with the Escalade EXT, a luxury pick-up truck powered by a 6-litre V8 and based on the Escalade, the first sport-utility vehicle in the Cadillac portfolio introduced in 1998. Cadillac says 36 per cent of Escalade owners are women.

Then there's the XLR roadster, a two-seat, retractable hardtop convertible, expected next year. Cadillac says it "brings a fresh perspective to the upper echelon of luxury roadsters".

Now Cadillac has released a drawing of its SRX, a luxury two- and four-wheel-drive sports utility it plans to launch next year into the medium luxury segment, one of the fastest emerging markets.

"This newest addition to the Cadillac family will demonstrate that we're unafraid to lead in styling, performance and functionality," says Cadillac general manager Mark R. LaNeve.

"The SRX will be another boldly designed product from Cadillac featuring unique product innovations that will allow us to expand our portfolio and attract new customers."

The SRX will come with the choice of two engines, a new 185kW V6 and an existing Northstar 230kW V8. Selling points will be power and handling, the optional third row of seats and the space afforded by its length of 4953mm.

Analysts are saying that the SRX is the vehicle with which Cadillac can rediscover its identity. It is big and bold in a new kind of way. Forget roadsters - the idea of a small Cadillac is nuts.

Consumers in America are still wondering what identity Cadillac will assume in the end. But it is agreed within the industry that Cadillac is too important to everything American to fail.

It has a splendid history of innovation since the first Cadillac appeared in October 1902. It was the first American carmaker to use a self-starter, the first with an independent front-wheel suspension and first with synchromesh transmission.

Cadillac offered the first mass-produced V8 engine and the first mass-produced vehicle stability system. Other major innovations include the modern overhead-valve V8 engine.

Cadillac's tradition of pioneering technological breakthroughs continues today, with features such as Night Vision, DVD-based navigation, XM Satellite Radio and next-generation MagneRide active suspension damping - known as Magnetic Ride Control.

Other achievements, in chronological order, include:

1908: Cadillac became the first American carmaker to win Britain's prestigious Dewar Trophy, given to the manufacturer making the year's most significant automotive advance. This happened after a demonstration during which three randomly selected Cadillacs were disassembled, their parts scrambled, and reassembled using only simple hand tools. An immediate 500-mile demonstration run proved the ready interchangeability of each car's 721 standardised components. Soon after, Cadillac adopted the slogan "Standard of the World".

1912: Cadillac was the first company to adopt a sophisticated Delco electrical system to handle self-starting, ignition and lighting functions. The Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain awarded Cadillac the Dewar Trophy for the second time, making it the first car company to win the award twice.

1915: Cadillac unveiled the first mass-produced V8 engine. The engine, multi-plate clutch and gearbox were combined in one bolted-together assembly.

1938: Cadillac offered the first sunroofs available in America.

1964: It offered the industry's first thermostatically regulated heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system. Sensors turned headlamps on at dusk and off at sunrise. Front seat belts became standard Cadillac equipment.

1975: Cadillac was the first American carmaker to use electronic fuel injection.

1985: Cadillac introduced America's first east-west V8, front-wheel-drive sedan.

1992: The Northstar engine was introduced as the first step in what eventually became the Northstar System. The 4.6-litre, 32-valve V8 was first installed in the Allante model and became available in other front-wheel-drive Cadillacs a year later.

2000: Night Vision, the first automotive application of infrared technology used by the military during the Gulf War, appeared in the redesigned DeVille.

2002: Cadillac became the first carmaker in the world to offer XM Satellite Radio as a factory-installed option. XM capitalises on direct satellite-to-receiver broadcasting technology to provide listeners with up to 100 channels with digital-quality sound.