Cadillac Catera
The ’90s were tough times for Cadillac. Foreign competition dominated the market, and Cadillac products needed to be updated and faster. Something had to be done, and Cadillac decided to downsize and attack the BMW 5 series with a smaller and more modern-looking car. But such a car didn’t exist in the USA, so Cadillac turned to GM’s European division Opel for assistance (via CSC).
In those days, Opel had an executive mid-size sedan called the Omega. It had a modern design, rear-wheel drive, and an excellent selection of optional extras. Someone at Cadillac thought it would be a good idea to import Omegas from Germany and sell them as Cadillac Cateras to fight Mercedes and BMW on the American market. The plan just might have worked except for one thing. Omega couldn’t fight Mercedes and BMW because it wasn’t a good car. Importing it to the United States didn’t make it better, either. Unfortunately for Cadillac, that is precisely what buyers thought, and despite the good initial sales, the Catera sank and was discontinued in 2001.