When you bill yourself "the standard of the world," you have a lot to live up to. And during the dark days of the 1980s and early 1990s, that claim certainly stretched thin for General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division. The now-departed Cimarron did not come close to meeting the challenge of import competitors such as BMW or Lexus, something that became sadly obvious in the steady decline of Cadillac's sales and market share.Now Cadillac is striking back. At the 1999 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Cadillac pulled the wraps off a new concept car, appropriately named Evoq-as in evoke-designed to suggest the direction the division will take in the future. This radical product revolution will start rolling into Cadillac showrooms around 2002. But if you're not inclined to wait, there's still good reason to stop by your Cadillac dealer today, especially if you're looking for a premium, high-performance sedan. The Seville is not only attractive, and muscular, with one of the best powertrains on the market, it's also a technical tour de force. Some of this technology might fall into the gizmos and gadgets category, like Seville's computer-controlled adaptive seating system. But other high-tech features qualify as hands-down winners. The Stabili-Trak system is smart enough to respond to a skid before you're even aware there's a problem. While Seville's distinctly domestic styling may not win over the truly hardcore import buyer, we found this sedan clearly deserving the term "luxury."
|