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Cadillac Europe

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Cadillac Europe GmbH
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
FoundedMay 1, 1935; 89 years ago (1935-05-01)
HeadquartersGlattpark, Switzerland
Area served
Europe
ProductsAutomobiles
BrandsCadillac
List
Services
  • Vehicle financing
  • Vehicle insurance
ParentGeneral Motors
Websitecadillaceurope.com

Cadillac Europe (formerly General Motors Switzerland S.A.)[1][2] is the Swiss subsidiary of US-based company General Motors that imports and commercialises Cadillac vehicles for 25 countries across Europe. In the past, it was also active as a manufacturer, producing Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, La Salle, Opel, and Vauxhall vehicles in its Bienne factory.[1] As of 2024, the only two models imported by Cadillac Europe are the Cadillac Lyriq and the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

History

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General Motors was looking for a suitable location for an assembly plant in Switzerland in the 1930s.[3] Guido Müller, the then city president of Biel, offered a finished factory and tax exemption for five years.[3] On 2 May 1935, "General Motors Suisse" was founded in Biel/Bienne.[3] The company register derogates from 1 May 1935.[4] The first vehicle was produced on 5 February 1936.[3] Until the outbreak of World War II, about 2,000 vehicles were produced each year.[3]

Interior of the factory, c. 1937

After the end of the war, production continued and expanded.[3] At the end of the 1950s, annual capacity was 14,500 cars.[3] In the mid-1960s, more than 1,000 people were employed.[5] In 1970, 17,102 vehicles were created.[3] In addition, imported vehicles were sold.[3] At that time, problems started. Switzerland belonged to the European Free Trade Association, not to the European Union. A Free Trade Agreement of 22 July 1972 between the European Economic Community and Switzerland was in force from 1 January 1973. The plan was to assemble upper class cars such as the Opel Diplomat. The following oil crisis from 16 October 1973 caused the sales of such vehicles to fall rapidly, after which cheaper models were assembled again. The last vehicle, an Opel, was produced on August 14, 1975.[3][5] A total of 329,864 vehicles were manufactured.[3][5]

The company was then limited to imports and distribution.[3] In 1994, it was renamed "Opel Suisse SA",[3] later "Opel Svizzera SA" and "Opel Schweiz AG".[6] On 17 November 2003, the old company name was accepted again.[7] Alternative or translated names were "General Motors Schweiz AG", "General Motors Svizzera SA" and "General Motors Switzerland Ltd."[7] On 13 April 2004, there was a merger agreement with Saab Automobile Schweiz AG, which was acquired.[8] Saab belonged to General Motors at the time. On 14 April 2004, the head office was relocated to Opfikon.[9] On 24 May 2012, there was another merger agreement, this time with General Motors Europe AG.[10]

On 6 March 2017, Opel was sold by General Motors to the Groupe PSA. The next merger agreement followed on 30 June 2017. As a result of this, General Motors Suisse changed its name to Cadillac Europe GmbH in the legal form of limited liability. An alternative or translated company name was Cadillac Euope LLC.[11] On 16 February 2018, the headquarters was moved to Glattpark.[12] The obvious spelling mistake in Cadillac Euope LLC was later officially changed to "Cadillac Europe LLC".[13]

Brands

[edit]
Marque Since To
Buick 1936 1958
Cadillac 1938 1940
Chevrolet 1936 1938
LaSalle 1936 1937
Oldsmobile 1936 1958
Opel 1936 1975
Pontiac 1936 1959
Ranger 1970 1975
Vauxhall 1946 1971
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Some models produced by GM Suisse:

  • 1936 Buick Eight Special
    1936 Buick Eight Special
  • 1951 Chevrolet Styleline
    1951 Chevrolet Styleline
  • 1951 Pontiac Chieftain
    1951 Pontiac Chieftain
  • 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air
    1959 Chevrolet Bel Air
  • 1960 Vauxhall Victor
    1960 Vauxhall Victor
  • 1968 Opel Kadett
    1968 Opel Kadett

References

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  1. ^ a b They Built Buicks In Switzerland? by Ronan Glon on Motor1.com, 15 Aug 2017
  2. ^ General Motors Suisse SA on Bloomberg
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Christoph Zürcher: General Motors (GM) Auf: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz. 15 August 2016. (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  4. ^ Marcel Motzet: Montage Suisse Automobile. Katalog zur Sonderausstellung 75 Jahre General Motors Suisse SA. Swiss Car Register, Sektion Montage Suisse, 2009. PDF
  5. ^ a b c Marcel Motzet: Historie der General Motors Suisse in einem Clubmagazin Archived 2019-10-21 at the Wayback Machine (PDF; retrieved 26 October 2019)
  6. ^ Übersicht des Swiss Car Register Archived 2020-02-24 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  7. ^ a b Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 31 December 2003[permanent dead link‍] (PDF; retrieved 26 October 2019)
  8. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 26 April 2004[permanent dead link‍] (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  9. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 19 May 2004[permanent dead link‍] (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  10. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 20 June 2012[permanent dead link‍] (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  11. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 12 July 2017[permanent dead link‍] (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  12. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 6 March 2018 (retrieved 26 October 2019)
  13. ^ Änderung im Handelsregister, Mitteilung 8 March 2018[permanent dead link‍] (retrieved 26 October 2019)
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