Cadillac selling more in China than US. How times change…

SHANGHAI—Of all the world’s booming premium-car companies, the biggest surge is happening for a brand many American buyers long passed by.Cadillac sales are growing at the fastest clip since the Reagan administration.

The buyers are half a world away, in a place where it’s supposed to be hard for U.S. companies to sell.Shanghai entrepreneur Zhenyu He sees Cadillacs as a symbol of American grandeur. A calendar of vintage Caddys pinned to the wall of his boyhood bedroom inspired his recent purchase, a $120,000 metallic-black Cadillac CT6 with night-vision mode and an air ionizer.“It sets me apart and represents American heritage,” said Mr. Zhenyu, 40 years old, most of whose friends drive BMW s.Cadillac’s global sales this year through July were up 23%, beating its premium-car peers.

In China, the world’s biggest auto market and site of one of every four sales, Cadillac through July sold 69% more vehicles than a year earlier. It was the first time Cadillac sold more vehicles abroad than at home.By tripling its China sales in five years, Cadillac has vaulted past Lexus, Land Rover and Volvo to become the country’s No. 4 luxury player, according to research firm LMC Automotive.

Source: Cadillac, After Years of Struggle, Has Found Its Sweet Spot: China – WSJ