The Cadillac Seville was a mid-size luxury sedan manufactured by General Motors' Cadillac division from 1975 to 2004. The vehicle was traditionally second in the Cadillac lineup after the Deville and was more focused on performance than the larger Deville.
History
The Seville, introduced in 1975, was Cadillac's answer to the rising popularity of luxury imports in the US from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Historically, these imported luxury cars had been cheaper, less luxurious and significantly smaller than Cadillacs, but over time they had evolved, and had become quite luxurious and even more expensive than competing Cadillacs, and yet the market share of these imports continued to climb. It became obvious that the traditional American automotive paradigm of "bigger equals better" was no longer in full effect in the marketplace. So, the Seville was to be simultaneously the smallest and the most expensive Cadillac in the lineup, turning Cadillac's traditional marketing and pricing strategy on its head.
Fifth Generation (1998)
The Seville was updated for 1998 on a new revision of the K-body platform based on Oldsmobile's G-body Aurora. In 1997, the Cadillac Catera took over from the Seville as Cadillac's small car, and the Seville switched competitors to the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The wheelbase was up to 112.2 in but the overall length was down a bit to 201 in. The car looked similar to the outgoing fourth-generation model that was plagued by build quality problems, but was considered a leap forward and featured numerous suspension and driveablity improvements. The Seville STS (and companion Eldorado ETC) became the most powerful front wheel drive cars on the market at 300 hp (224 kW). The fully-loaded STS model delivered at an MSRP of $52,075.
The cars got a new Magnaride adaptive suspension system in 2003. The fifth generation Seville was discontinued for 2004, replaced by the rear wheel drive Cadillac STS. Production of the front wheel drive Seville STS ended on May 16, 2003 and the SLS ended on December 5, 2003. All front wheel drive Sevilles were built in Hamtramck, Michigan.
History
The Seville, introduced in 1975, was Cadillac's answer to the rising popularity of luxury imports in the US from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Historically, these imported luxury cars had been cheaper, less luxurious and significantly smaller than Cadillacs, but over time they had evolved, and had become quite luxurious and even more expensive than competing Cadillacs, and yet the market share of these imports continued to climb. It became obvious that the traditional American automotive paradigm of "bigger equals better" was no longer in full effect in the marketplace. So, the Seville was to be simultaneously the smallest and the most expensive Cadillac in the lineup, turning Cadillac's traditional marketing and pricing strategy on its head.
Fifth Generation (1998)
The Seville was updated for 1998 on a new revision of the K-body platform based on Oldsmobile's G-body Aurora. In 1997, the Cadillac Catera took over from the Seville as Cadillac's small car, and the Seville switched competitors to the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The wheelbase was up to 112.2 in but the overall length was down a bit to 201 in. The car looked similar to the outgoing fourth-generation model that was plagued by build quality problems, but was considered a leap forward and featured numerous suspension and driveablity improvements. The Seville STS (and companion Eldorado ETC) became the most powerful front wheel drive cars on the market at 300 hp (224 kW). The fully-loaded STS model delivered at an MSRP of $52,075.
The cars got a new Magnaride adaptive suspension system in 2003. The fifth generation Seville was discontinued for 2004, replaced by the rear wheel drive Cadillac STS. Production of the front wheel drive Seville STS ended on May 16, 2003 and the SLS ended on December 5, 2003. All front wheel drive Sevilles were built in Hamtramck, Michigan.