General Motors Company (GM), Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (TM)…Can This Really Compete With Mercedes and BMW?

Meanwhile, GM is already laying the groundwork for that moment in other areas.

A new global organization for a very American brand
GM announced on Friday that it had promoted Don Butler, the well-regarded U.S. marketing chief for Cadillac, to a new position as vice president of Global Cadillac Strategic Development. In that role, GM said, Butler will “drive the next phase of Cadillac growth internationally, including new market development and strategic global planning.”

GM also said it had hired Steve Majoros away from ad agency Campbell-Ewald to be Cadillac’s global marketing director, reporting to Butler.

These moves may sound like the auto-industry equivalent of inside baseball, but they show that GM is preparing to make a big global push for its suddenly up-and-coming luxury brand.

What does “global” mean? It certainly means China, where Cadillac is a tiny presence now — but where GM has said that it expects to have 10% of the luxury-car market by the end of the decade. That won’t be easy, as the German “Big Three” of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are already dominant players in China, with about three-quarters of the market. Bbut it’s critical to GM’s long-term goal of making more money out of its leading position in the world’s largest auto market.

GM is also expected to make a significant push to establish Cadillac in Europe. That may sound like a futile mission, but GM Europe executive Susan Docherty said in February that GM’s research suggests that “validation” in Europe may be key to wider acceptance in Asia.

So can Cadillac really compete with the likes of BMW?
I think the brand can get compete, given two things: patience, and cars that are That Good.

Akerson isn’t known for his patience, but the GM executives leading the Cadillac revival have been careful to speak in terms of long-term goals. I think the company is willing to give this effort the time it needs.

As for the cars, already the CTS looks to be a step forward from last year’s very good ATS. If the next Cadillacs continue that trend, the brand might very well find itself worthy of its old tag line: The Standard of the World.

The article Can Cadillac Really Compete With Mercedes and BMW? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends BMW and General Motors.

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