1997 - 2001 Cadillac Catera - European Handling Meets Domestic Luxury
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| 1999 Cadillac Catera. (Photo: General Motors) |
Do you remember the Catera? If not, chances are you'll remember its marketing campaign. Touted as the Cadillac that 'zigs' when introduced in 1997, the rear-wheel-drive sport sedan partially derived from GM's European division Opel, lived up to its performance-oriented marketing pitch.
But it wasn't all about driving dynamics. The Catera was of course being sold within GM's most premium domestic brand and therefore needed to offer top-tier luxury appointments. Leather and woodgrain were featured as were all the expected power accessories, making the new model fit for North American tastes.
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| 1999 Cadillac Catera. (Photo: General Motors) |
Cadillac did a nice enough job that the car received the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's (AJAC) Best New Luxury Car for 1997. So why didn't it face off as well against Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz as GM hoped it would?
While European car aficionado's questioned the new model's unknown quality and reliability, and others were simply not willing to be seen in a domestic vehicle, the main reason it wasn't a runaway success came down to styling. From the front end the Catera looks a little too Chevrolet, not unattractive but not quite in the same league as other luxury cars, or other Cadillac models for that matter.