Cadillac is coming to Australia – report

General Motors is poised to make a spectacular return to Aussie roads with the Cadillac brand, if fresh reports out of America are to be believed.

Rumours that Cadillac is planning to build its cars in right-hand drive have been building for some time, with several electric models apparently earmarked for Australia and other key markets like the UK and New Zealand.

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According to GM Authority, company insiders have confirmed the project is focused on EVs and will not include any petrol-powered models, which crushes hopes that performance sedans like the CT5 Blackwing might be coming our way. Bummer.

Instead, it seems the all-electric Lyriq SUV is the most likely candidate to come Down Under.

GM filed a trademark application for the Lyriq name in Australia in December 2022 and a right-hand-drive Lyriq prototype was spotted testing earlier this year.

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GM filed a trademark for the Escalade IQ (pictured) earlier this year

And in July this year, GM also filed Aussie trademarks for the Optiq and Escalade IQ SUVs, suggesting Cadillac will launch with a three-strong line-up of electric SUVs should the new venture be confirmed.

Adding further fuel to the speculation is the fact that a senior GM exec is currently visiting Australia.

GM’s senior vice president and president of GM International, Shilpan Amin, visited the Chevrolet Silverado assembly line in Melbourne yesterday. Amin joined other high level GM execs to watch the new MY24 Silverado come off the assembly line at the Premoso facility in Dandenong.

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GM executives (left to right) Ernesto Ortiz (General Motors President and Managing Director of Strategic Markets, Alliances, and Distributors - SMAD), Shilpan Amin (General Motors Senior Vice President and President, GM International), Jess Bala (GM ANZ Managing Director) and Sanjiv Gupta (Vice President and CFO, GM International) at the Premoso Chevrolet Silverado remanufacturing facility with a right-hand drive MY24 Chevrolet Silverado HD

Unlike the Silverado, however, which is converted here by GM’s local partner, it’s understood Cadillac’s EV models will be made in right-hand drive from the factory.

This isn’t the first time Cadillac has been rumoured to launch in Australia. The brand last officially sold vehicles here in 1969 but in 2007 it came perilously close to returning with the second-generation CTS.

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Sadly the Cadillac CT5 Blackwing won't be coming to Oz

That program was officially announced and even had several dealers ready to sell the CTS, alongside Hummer and Saab models, before the plug was pulled at the last moment due to the Global Financial Crisis.

Wheels Media contacted GM for comment and received the following statement about Cadillac's potential Aussie launch:

"GM participates in select right-hand-drive markets around the world. We have previously said that the modular Ultium platform and EV architecture offer greater flexibility in vehicle configurations. We do not have any product announcements to share at this time but stay tuned."