Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors, has filed to trademark the marque’s name in the Philippines, Cadillac Society has learned. The filing could suggest a potential expansion of the luxury automaker to the Southeast Asian country.
Filed on July 2nd, 2021 with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, the application is assigned serial number 42021515529. Under its Goods and Services category, the application lists the following:
- Motor vehicles and parts thereof
- Maintenance, repair and servicing of motor vehicles, motor vehicle engines and parts of motor vehicles
Currently, Cadillac is available in only two Asian markets: China and Japan. The marque’s presence in China is fairly large, thanks in part to local manufacturing at the Jinqiao Cadillac assembly plant in Shanghai. This facility is responsible for the production of the CT4, CT5, CT6 XT4, XT5 and XT6 for the Chinese domestic market.
Cadillac Sales - H1 2021
| MARKET | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 | YTD 19 SHARE | YTD 18 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CANADA | -7.59% | 5,536 | 5,991 | 3% | 3% |
| CHINA | +7.15% | 111,207 | 103,791 | 57% | 55% |
| MEXICO | +4.16% | 551 | 529 | 0% | 0% |
| RUSSIA | * | 441 | * | 0% | 0% |
| SOUTH KOREA | +0.71% | 848 | 842 | 0% | 0% |
| USA | -0.28% | 75,734 | 75,949 | 39% | 41% |
| TOTAL | +3.86% | 194,317 | 187,102 |
Cadillac sales in China have grown substantially over the past few years. Prior to the existence of the Jinqiao plant, the luxury marque imported vehicles into China from North America, resulting in substantial import tariffs that priced Cadillacs out of the range of most luxury car buyers. With the start of production at Jinqiao, Cadillac gained the ability to offer its vehicles at price points comparable to those of its direct rivals, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW. Local production also enabled Cadillac to expand its vehicle lineup in the Chinese market, contributing to further growth. In fact, China is now Cadillac’s biggest global market by sales volume.
Cadillac’s presence in Japan is comparatively minimal to its popularity in China. All of the marque’s models sold in Japan are imported from the United States and feature a left-hand drive configuration in a right-hand-drive market.
Trademarking the Cadillac name in the Philippines opens the door for the marque to become available in the country, thereby expanding its international presence. In fact, Cadillac has not entered new markets for at least a decade, a circumstance that has limited its growth potential.
Currently, Cadillac is absent from Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Africa. The luxury marque has a limited first-party presence in several other international markets, including the Middle East, South Korea, and Russia, with an extremely limited presence in Europe.
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