Melbourne Cadillac CT6 sighting hints at Australian future

One of the world's most iconic car brands could be poised for a surprise Australian launch, with eagle-eyed witnesses snapping pictures of a range of Cadillac CT6 sedans being unloaded at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne.

Rumours of Cadillac's plan to enter Australia's congested new-car market are growing stronger, with what appears to be a pair of evaluation vehicles hitting the ground in Melbourne.

The cars - different trim levels of the brand's flagship CT6 sedan - were spotted by keen-eyed travellers earlier this week, and were snapped being loaded onto the back of trucks ready to be shipped out of the airport.

Pictured in left-hand-drive guise, the CT6 sedans appear to be a base-model, equipped with a 2.0-litre turbo engine that sends its power to the rear wheels, along with a top-spec, all-wheel-drive Platinum model (powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine).

The Cadillac brand has long been planning a post-Commodore launch in Australia.

The latest images join a number of Melbourne sightings throughout 2016, covering everything from the Cadillac CT6 to the CTS-V.

Holden contests that the cars are here as part of GM's global work share program, with its local engineers testing US-only products with no plans for an Australian launch. However, Cadillac's international bosses have repeatedly talked of plans to enter the Australian market by 2020.

If confirmed, The CT6 would join the recently revealed 2018 Holden Commodore, the Opel Insignia-based sedan. But while the Opel range lacks a true full-size luxury trim level, the void could be easily filled by the CT6, which markets itself as a 7 Series and S-Class competitor in the USA.

The Cadillac brand has long been planning a post-Commodore launch in Australia, with the brand's marketing boss confirming a plan for right-hand-drive vehicles back in 2014. The move was again confirmed by the brand's global marketing director, Jim Vurpillat, in 2015.

Speaking from the floor of the 2014 Detroit Motor Show, Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer, Uwe Ellinghaus, told CarsGuide: "we want to turn Cadillac into a global brand" and confirmed Australia is "part of our globe".

"Yes there are plans for right-hand-drive cars, but I can’t confirm timing and models and who will get them first," he said at the time.

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