Top-of-the-line Cadillac to be added at Detroit plant

© General Motors

DETROIT — Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant will be adding a new vehicle to the line late next year. General Motors has announced that they will begin building a new, top-end Cadillac sedan.

General Motors has invested more than $1 billion in its Detroit-Hamtramck plant over the last five years. In order to prepare for the new top-of-the-line Cadillac, GM is currently retooling and investing an addition $384 million in the plant, which was announced in April.

Making its debut in the first half of 2015,  This new car will feature rear-wheel drive. However, GM is not revealing any more details as of yet. They plan to reveal the name of the new model soon.

"The objective for this upcoming model is to lift the Cadillac range by entering the elite class of top-level luxury cars,'' Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said in a news release.

Over the past six years, GM has released three new Cadillac models: the XTS, Cadillac's biggest sedan; the ATS entry-level luxury car; and the ELR, which hit the market at the beginning of this year.

The new Cadillac is part of a $384 million investment GM announced last spring in the assembly plant. That plant also makes the Opel Ampera, the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac ELR, a luxury version of the hybrid electric Chevrolet Volt. The carmaker said the factory is capable of building five models on one production line.

GM named the former Infiniti executive to head its Cadillac division in July as the brand lagged against other luxury brands.

While sales of rivals like Audi, Infiniti and BMW rose by double digits during through June of this year, U.S. Cadillac sales fell 1.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Cadillac is still selling strong globally, rising 12 per cent through June.

SOURCE Cadillac