Cadillac

Cadillac (or the Cadillac Motor Car Division) is a luxury car manufacturer and subsidiary of the General Motors Corp. Founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1902 by investors William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen and engineer Henry M. Leland, Cadillac is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world, just behind Buick.

The Cadillac brand was formed from the remains of the Henry Ford Motor Co. General Motors didn’t formally purchase the company until 1909, by which time Cadillac had already established itself as a trusted luxury brand. One of the pioneers of the smooth new manual transmission, steel roof, and full electrical structure, Cadillac was at the cutting edge of technology.

Key achievements included the first fully automatic heater and air conditioning system and wide-production incorporation of the automatic transmission. Its prowess in and focus on interchangeable parts set the precedent and framework for the mass-production of automobiles we see today.

Through the years, Cadillac has produced several specialty vehicles. Some of those included a staff car for the United States Army in 1917 and an army tank entitled the M41 Walker Bulldog during the Vietnam and Korean wars in the 1950s. They also have manufactured ambulances, hearses and limousines.

Cadillac sits atop General Motors line of luxury vehicles, considered higher-luxury than Buick. Over the years, Cadillac has claimed numerous awards for its innovative designs and features. They won the first ever “Motor Trend Car of the Year” award from the then-new magazine, Motor Trend. Cadillac has also won U.S. Car of the year five times, most recently in 2014 for their Cadillac CTS.

The name Cadillac has interesting roots. It is taken from Antonio de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit, Michigan. In fact, the Cadillac crest is formed to match the man’s coat of arms.

Boasting manufacturing plants in Oshawa, Canada, Ramos Arzipe, Mexico, and Shanghai, China, Cadillac has become a renowned international brand, focusing primarily on larger vehicles, first utilizing the V8 engine and later incorporating the V12 and V16.

Cadillac sponsors numerous car shows across the nation, and was the former sponsor of the World Golf Championship. In the 1950s, Cadillac participated in the NASCAR grand national series.