GM returns to Europe: vanity or key strategic move?

In October 2023 after an absence of six years GM (which had sold Opel/Vauxhall to Stellantis in 2017), returned to Europe, albeit in a small, almost unnoticed way. It launched the Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV in Switzerland, positioning it against the Mercedes-Benz EQE and the Audi Q8 e-tron. Sales were on-line only, and soon after the Swiss launch, on-line sales were added in France and Sweden. In May this year, Germany was added, and the UK will offer electric Cadillacs in future; a second, smaller model called Optiq was confirmed in June. Both models should be launched in the UK by the end of 2024. Also by the end of 2024, the two Cadillacs will be sold in Australia and New Zealand, a move which will help justify the investment in right-hand-drive models; the UK alone would almost certainly not have justified the move.