The Cadillac Catera was a compact automobile that was, essentially, a rebadged version of the 1994 model year Opel Omega MV6 made in Rüsselsheim, Germany. It was marketed in North America as an entry-level Cadillac, although it had more softened suspension settings than the original Opel. Since the demise of Cadillac's top-of-the-line Fleetwood in 1996, Cadillac wanted a third sedan. The Catera was brought to North America, and the DeVille became a top-of-the-line sedan, moving the Seville as Cadillac's middle-class sedan. Also, it was the only Cadillac built outside of the United States to come to North America by that time.
The Catera debuted for the 1997 model year and was updated with a new nose, mirrors, HID headlights, and side airbags for 2000. Power came from a 200 hp 54° L81 V6 to the rear wheels, unlike all other Cadillacs of its day.
The Catera was marketed to younger people with a "Caddy that zigs" tagline. The advertisements featured Cindy Crawford talking to an animated duck liberated from the Cadillac crest and shield logo. The car was smaller and had less power than other Cadillacs of the time. Though the car generally received good reviews from the automotive press, sales were poor. The car was too small to appeal to the marque's traditional luxury car buyers and failed to attract buyers away from the European luxury brands. Some compared the Catera's short and disappointing production run to the disastrous Cimarron of the 1980s. The duck's disappearance from the company logo altogether in 1999 may have been a reaction to this failure.
The Catera, however, was dropped after 2001, replaced in 2003 by the larger American-made Cadillac CTS.[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Cadillac Catera ]
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