Cadillac Catera
| Cadillac Catera | ||
|---|---|---|
Mid-size /
Curb weight 3,897 lb (1,768 kg) | | |
| Chronology | ||
| Successor | Cadillac CTS | |
The Cadillac Catera is a four-door, five passenger, rear-wheel drive luxury sedan marketed from 1996 until 2001 by
History
The Catera was previewed at the Detroit Auto Show in 1994 as the Cadillac LSE concept, proposed by Cadillac as an entry-level model that would compete with sedans from Acura, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Jaguar, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz.
In 1996, an early-production model was shown at the Detroit, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto auto shows.[1] Cadillac began marketing the Catera in the United States in the fall of 1996 as a 1997 model with a base price of $29,995 (equivalent to $58,300 in 2023).
Some of the standard features on the Catera included a
A Sport model was offered beginning in 1999 with eight-way power adjustable seats, heated front seats, 17-inch wheels, driver's seat memory, audible theft-deterrent system, three-channel garage door opener, high-intensity discharge headlamps, and a rear spoiler.
The Catera received a facelift in 2000 with revised nose, tail, wheels, interior trim, mirrors, optional HID headlamps, stiffer suspension settings, and side airbags.[2]
The model's engine was a 200 hp (149 kW)
Marketing
Catera launch marketing used the tagline "the Caddy that zigs," with advertising featuring supermodel Cindy Crawford and a small animated bird named "Ziggy," a reference to the heraldic merlettes (adaptations of the martin, without legs or beaks) featured in the various iterations of Cadillac's logo from its inception through 1999.[3] Ziggy was featured in Catera marketing through the 1998 model year, with Cadillac saying:
- "Like Catera, Ziggy was hatched in Le Sieur Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac's Family."
- "Like Catera, Ziggy was hatched in
In 1997, John Tinker, a producer of television medical drama Chicago Hope, was inspired by an inadvertent pun in a Catera commercial, saying "Who is Lisa Catera?"—in response to the Catera tagline "Lease a Catera." He introduced a character named Dr. Lisa Catera, played by Stacy Edwards. Coincidentally, the main demographic of Chicago Hope viewers were exactly the same demographic Cadillac hoped to attract with the Catera, and Cadillac/General Motors management responded extremely positively to the reference, becoming the main advertiser on the show and giving Edwards a complimentary three-year lease on a Catera. In one episode, Edwards' character said "when you can't zig, you zag," a reference to the Catera's original marketing tagline.[4][5]
Related vehicles
In Europe, the platform underpinned the
A relative of the Catera, utilizing modified version the same Opel
Yearly American sales
| Calendar Year | Total sales |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1,676 |
| 1997 | 25,411 |
| 1998 | 25,333 |
| 1999[6] | 15,068 |
| 2000[6] | 17,290 |
| 2001[7] | 9,764 |
| 2002 | 244 |
| 2003 | 15 |
| Total | 94,801 |
References
- ^ a b c "2001 Cadillac Catera". GM Media Online. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011.
- ^ "Cadillac Catera 2000". Cars evolution. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ McNessor, Mike (1 February 2012). "Cadillac's Wreath and CrestCadillac's Wreath and Crest". Hemmings Motor News.
- ^ "'Lisa Catera' Comes to Life on Chicago Hope".
- ^ Rechtin, Mark (13 December 2005). "CADILLAC SAYS NAME GAME IS NO PLOT". Automotive News. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ a b "GM Sales news". Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "GM Sales news". Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- John Phillips. "Cadillac Catera Sport". Car and Driver (May 2000): 120–125.
