Cadillac Seville

The Seville, introduced in 1975, was Cadillac's answer to the fuel crunch of the early 1970s, and the rising popularity of luxury imports in the USA from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. At one time, Cadillac toyed with the idea of bringing back the LaSalle moniker for its new car, but chose Seville (a name attached to the pricey Eldorado hardtops of the 1950's) when it was decided that it would command a premium price in the Cadillac model range.

1956

The first use of the Seville name was on a coupe version of the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado.

1976

Although commonly thought to be the same GM X-body platform that underpinned the Chevrolet Nova, Pontiac Phoenix, Buick Skylark and Oldsmoblile Omega, the Seville's body & chassis were so extensively re-engineered and upgraded from that humble origin that the development costs alone forced the MSRP to increase nearly 50% and it was awarded the unique designation of 'K-body'. Cadillac stylists added a crisp, angular body that set the tone for GM styling for the next decade, along with a wide-track stance that gave the car a substantial, premium appearance. Under the hood went an Oldsmobile based 350 in&sup3 (5.7L) V-8, fitted with Cadillac's electronically controlled fuel injection. This system gave the Seville a smooth drivabilty and performance sadly lacking in most other cars of the mid-seventies. Introduced in the mid-'75 and billed as the new "Internationally-sized" Cadillac, the Seville was almost 1,000 lb (450 kg) lighter then the hulking DeVilles, nimble, easy to park, attractive and loaded with the full compliment of Cadillac gadgets. More expensive than all but the Fleetwood, the Seville was a smash hit, and spawned several imitators, such as the less-than-successful Lincoln Versailles, and, later, the Chrysler Imperial.

1980

In 1980, Cadillac moved the Seville to the E-body platform shared by the Eldorado, Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado. Stylists created a graceful but controversial bustle-backed body intended to invoke Daimlers of a past era, and engineers gave it front wheel drive and independent rear suspension. Again this spawned stylistic imitators such as the Lincoln Continental and Chrysler Imperial. Sales were strong at first, but disastrous flirtation with diesel engines and the ill-fated V-8-6-4 variable displacement gasoline engine, coupled with poor quality control, began to erode Seville's standing in the market-place. In 1986, an all-new much-smaller body attempted to combine the crisp angularity of the original Seville with the rounded edges of the new aerodynamic aesthetic. The result was just bland, and customers stayed away.

1992

Finally, in 1992, Cadillac delivered a new, much more European flavored Seville with looks that attracted rave reviews, and customers. The 1993 addition of the Northstar quad-cam, 32-valve aluminum V-8 to the attractive, understated, STS touring edition helped put Seville back on the best seller list.

The Cadillac Seville was discontinued for 2004, but the Cadillac STS will be reintroduced into rear-wheel drive. Production of the front-wheel drive STS ended on May 16, 2003 and the SLS ended on December 5, 2003. All FWD Seville's were built in Hamtramck, Michigan.