Significant growth in China propelled Cadillac to its second-highest annual sales tally in the brand's 115-year history.
The General Motors luxury brand on Friday said it delivered 356,467 vehicles worldwide in 2017, a 16 percent increase over 2016. Cadillac's global sales peaked at 360,825 in 1978, with most of the volume in the U.S.
China, which overtook the U.S. as the brand's top market in 2017, led the way with a 51 percent increase in sales, to 175,489 vehicles, followed by a 10 percent increase in other international markets. In the U.S., volume dropped 8 percent to 156,440 units last year.
"Our objective of rapidly establishing a second volume hub for the brand to complement our U.S. operations has been attained, as our Chinese business grew exponentially, leaving us well-positioned for sustained growth going forward," Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said in a statement.
Cadillac, the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S. for years, through 1997, has been overshadowed by Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus in recent years. The three German luxury brands each now sell over 1 million light vehicles a year worldwide.
