When this car debuted in the fall of 1966, many Cadillac loyalists were no doubt puzzled. Not only was it the sportiest Cadillac in many a year, it was also the division's most technically daring effort in recent memory, featuring that most unusual feature: front-wheel drive.
THE SLEEPING GIANT
Since at least the 1950s, General Motors has tended to lag well behind its rivals when it comes to product development. With a few exceptions, every time GM has entered a new market segment, it's had to be dragged kicking and screaming into it by a handful of determined executives -- usually after watching the competition sell hundreds of thousands of cars.
The corporation's reticence to innovate was not entirely illogical. When you control nearly 50% of the market, with some models selling more than a million units a year, the need to explore niche markets is not nearly as strong as it would be if you were a scrappy independent. If your bread-and-butter cars are selling so strongly, why divert resources to low-volume "specialty" models?
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