Cadillac's new vice president talks about a roadster

This week Cadillac filled a new position created by General Motors for the luxury brand: global vice president. The role goes to Robert E. Ferguson, a former AT&T executive (and the third person with that background to end up at GM), who until now was the group’s vice president of global policy. His new duties will be leading Cadillac’s global advertising and taking responsibility for its sales. In addition, he will report directly to General Motors CEO Dan Akerson.

Far from being overwhelmed by the appointment, Ferguson has already started talking about his plans for Cadillac’s future. Perhaps it’s because he now drives a CTS-V Coupé or because the brand is entering a sweet spot, but he is not short on ambition. The fact is the new vice president says they are studying the development of a two-seat roadster.

According to his statements in an interview he gave on Tuesday, Ferguson says General Motors executives are considering bringing back a type of product that had little success in Cadillac’s history. And what makes them head back toward the same stumbling block? The brand’s plan is to differentiate itself from the competition again by 2015. Beyond recovering sales that have been falling sharply since the STS and DTS disappeared.

The necessary renewal of the lineup will take place in the coming years. The ATS and XTS are good starts, but work remains, such as updating the veteran Escalade. And the production Converj is also in the picture. Likewise, Ferguson has confirmed they are also thinking about another saloon that would sit above the XTS. In his words, “it would be a car that everyone sees and says: Wow, Cadillac is really hot!”

For now, nothing is decided, so followers are better off staying calm. Still, given that Ferguson has experience convincing the Capitol that what GM does is good for the country, he will have no trouble persuading people from Cadillac.

Via | Detroit News