It's no secret GM wants Cadillac to be a global brand, and its plan to do so many say involves aping BMW's moves. Now, AutoWeek claims to have uncovered a secret plan for a rear-wheel-drive, entry-level Cadillac to meet the BMW 1-Series head on in Europe. The model would supplement the brand's front-drive, 3-Series-sized BLS, which debuted on the continent last year, and take on such standard bearers as the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class. Of course, launching such a model would involve building a new platform, considering GM doesn't have a small rear-drive architecture to grab off the shelf. Another idea might be to use a shortened version of the Holden-designed Zeta platform, which will make the small Caddy a close cousin to the next Chevrolet Camaro, though Viceroy Bob Lutz told AW that going downward from a large platform is a bad engineering decision. Either way, we'd imagine this may end up being another job for Opel, if it wants it.
Bold Move for GM [AutoWeek]
Related:
Over the Back Fence: Cadillac BRX Coming in 2009; BLS to the US [internal]