Detroit, NOV. 18, 1992 — Cadillac Motor Car Division will stop building its two-seat Allante roadster at the end of the 1993 model year because of tough market conditions and a need to concentrate on core volume products, the luxury car division’s manager said Wednesday.
‘The Allante has been an outstanding vehicle for Cadillac,’ said John O. Grettenberger, general manager and General Motors Corp. vice president. ‘For the past seven years it has been Cadillac’s technology testbed, spawning innovations in suspension, body and powertrain systems.’
Technological innovations introduced on the low-volume Allante have been transferred to other Cadillac models, he said. Grettenberger said the Northstar System — including the world’s most powerful front-wheel-drive engine, specially designed four-speed electronic transmission, road-sensing suspension, speed-sensitive steering and full-speed traction control — were first introduced on the Allante in April 1992. The Northstar System strongly contributed to the Seville Touring Sedan and Eldorado Touring Coupe as world-class prestige luxury competitors which are among the finest performing and handling passenger cars available, he said.
Grettenberger said Allante’s contributions will continue. He said technical sophistication introduced in the Allante established and solidified Cadillac’s ability to market lead technology vehicles — a role to be fulfilled by Seville and Eldorado models. The international style of the Allante was conceived by the Pininfarina design house of Turin, Italy. Pininfarina now builds the Allante body, which is mated to the Cadillac-engineered chassis at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center.
Cadillac will honor current and future orders for Northstar System- equipped Allantes throughout the 1993 model year, Grettenberger said. The current production rate is 13 per day. The 62 employes assembling Allantes at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center are expected to move to other positions when the plant adds a second shift next summer to become the exclusive assembly plant for Cadillac front-wheel-drive vehicles.
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