New Cadillac VP John Roth to meet with dealers as he shapes vision for brand

Prior to taking charge of Cadillac, Roth led GM’s Customer Care and Aftersales business since 2020. Before that, he held leadership posts in the company’s Africa and Middle East operations and with GM Canada as well as other roles.

Roth takes the helm of the brand as sales are growing. Cadillac said Friday that total U.S. sales are up 26 percent this year and retail sales are 17 percent higher through May. The brand said it has seen a boost from crossovers, with sales in the first five months of 2023 up 20 percent from a year earlier.

Cadillac also is preparing to debut three electric vehicles this year that should enter production in 2024, Harvey, Roth’s predecessor, told reporters in February. Cadillac has identified the first of the three, the Escalade IQ, which follows both the Lyriq and the ultraluxury Celestiq sedan, which will start in the $300,000s and is slated to start production in December.

Just 122 Lyriqs were sold in the U.S. in 2022. Roth said deliveries have reached 3,000 so far this calendar year, although a spokesperson said not all may have reached customers yet. He said the rollout was intended to be measured, with plans to scale up production this year. The brand has not disclosed the size of its Lyriq order bank, but Roth called it “very large,” adding that “we get fresh leads all the time.”