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Cadillac (pronounced /ˈkædɨlæk/
or, "à la française":
pronounced: [kadiˈlak])
is a luxury vehicle
marque
owned by
General Motors. Cadillac
vehicles are sold in over 50
countries and territories, but
mainly in
North America.
Cadillac is currently the second oldest American
automobile manufacturer behind
Buick and among the oldest automobile brands in the
world. Depending on how one chooses to measure, Cadillac
is arguably older than Buick; however, upon the demise
of
Oldsmobile, Buick is generally accepted to currently
be the oldest American make still in production.
Cadillac was born in 1902, at the dawn of the
twentieth century. Its founder, Henry Leland, a master
mechanic and entrepreneur, named the company after his
ancestor,
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of
Detroit. It was purchased in 1909 by General Motors and
within six years, Cadillac laid the foundation for the
modern mass production of automobiles by demonstrating
the complete interchangeability of its precision parts,
also establishing itself as America's premier
luxury car. This is also the inspiration for the
company’s crest, which is based on the Cadillac family’s
historic coat of arms. Cadillac pioneered many
accessories in automobiles, including full electrical
systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel
roof. The brand developed three engines, one of which
(the
V8 engine) set the standard for the
American automotive industry. As a result, Cadillac
is the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar
Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England and
adopt the slogan “Standard of the World”.
Above courtesy of
Wikipeda
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Cadillac
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