New CT6 spotted testing in Geelong: Is Cadillac headed to Australia?

The prestige American brand has been long rumoured to make its way down under and now the brand’s new luxury sedan has been spotted outside Melbourne.

Cadillac CT6 spied in Geelong. Picture: Alex Gentiluomo

The Cadillac CT6 has been sighted testing in Geelong.

Spotted by an eagle-eyed reader, the Cadillac was sporting heavy camouflage and bearing Victorian plates.

The CT6 is a big beefy sedan that is longer than the current Commodore and comes with a range of engines including a 3.0-litre V6 turbo that makes a hearty 300kW and 542Nm.

The Ct6 is about 20cm longer than a Commodore. Picture: Alex Gentiluomo

Holden says it isn’t uncommon to see Cadillacs tested around Melbourne and that, after recent modernising of facilities at the Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria, there are plenty of engineers doing emissions and engine calibration work for a range of GM brands.

The CT6 is a big luxury sedan.

The return of Cadillac to Australia has been tipped for many years. Cadillac was extremely close to launching here in 2009 but, in the wake of the global financial crisis, expansion plans were shelved. Holden had reportedly already brought in 90 vehicles and signed up 16 dealers to sell Cadillacs.

But now Cadillac is now keen to expand its presence in Europe. This bodes well for Australian fans as it would require engineering right-hand drive versions for the UK.

Holden imports US-built and rebadged vehicles including the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Acadia.

Holden boss Dave Buttner has previously stated that the brand is looking at every part of the General Motors portfolio in its strategy to recover from the loss of the Commodore.

The sharp decline in large car sales is working against bringing in the likes of the CT6 — but Cadillac has a wide selection of SUVs.

Australian engineers have worked on the Cadillac XT6.

The XT6 family SUV, revealed at this year’s Detroit motor show, is designed to take on the might of the German luxury SUVs. Holden has also had input, with its proving ground engineers helping to fine tune the engine and transmission.