I want my Cadillac!

"DO not drive the way you drive back home," Henry Wong advises. "Remember that you're driving a left-hand-drive vehicle and you will be on the right side of the road," the executive in charge of General Motors' international communications points out helpfully.
"Do not stop along the freeways. Do not stop anywhere to take pictures. Do not break speed limits. The roads are heavily patrolled.
"When cutting into a lane, do not suddenly slow down. You will get hit from the back.
"Once on the freeway, the Pacific Ocean will be on your right. If it's not, you have taken the wrong turn.
"Have a good drive, ladies and gentlemen."
The Cadillac ride and drive assignment in the US last month was part of a General Motors programme to introduce the company's products and activities to a visiting seven-member Malaysian party of Hicomobil Sdn Bhd officials and news media representatives.
Hicomobil, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd, was set up to distribute Chevrolet cars. The Malaysians were invited to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and then on to Los Angeles to get a first-hand feel of the new Cadillacs.
Divided into two teams, the first comprised Hicomobil chief executive officer Norzahid Mohd Zahudi, and writers KP Lee and Abdullah Hassan; the second, Hicomobil's sales division head Arba Abdul Rahman, TV3 senior general manager Datuk Chamil Wariya, DRB-Hicom senior manager Faridah Idris and I.
One minor problem: I do not own a driver's licence. Yup, I don't drive.
"No worries," says DRB-Hicom executive Zurina Sarwan when making arrangements for the trip. "You don't really need to drive on this assignment. But those who have a driver's licence, we can get it converted into an international one to enable them to drive in Los Angeles."
Norzahid and Lee, on the one hand, and Arba and Chamil, on the other, were the designated drivers for their respective teams. Abdullah and Faridah also drive but opted not to as they felt uncomfortable handling a left-hand drive, and actually getting on American highways.
The assignment was simple enough. We were to drive ourselves south from the St Regis Monarch Beach Resort at Dana Point to Temecula, have lunch at the Winery, then head north through the mountains to get back to the hotel.
It was to be a leisurely drive although we do have to get back to the hotel in good time as we had a flight home to catch.
The name Cadillac is appropriately that of Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, the French military commander who founded the city of Detroit in 1701. The Cadillac Automobile Company was formed in Detroit by Henry M. Leland, a precision manufacturer of automotive components.
General Motors bought Cadillac in 1909, and in time made it into an icon of American culture.
But in recent years, the GM division, reportedly, had been sleepwalking while European and Japanese luxury brands stole their customers, prestige and pride.
It is now bouncing back, spearheaded by no less than a trio of hard-charging, eye-catching offerings: the XLR luxury roadster, the SRX medium luxury utility vehicle, and the 400-horsepower CTS-V sports sedan.
"The complete Cadillac lineup today is more compelling than at any time in the past 50 years. The product renaissance we began several years ago is now in full force," declares Cadillac general manager Mark LaNeve.
Designs of the new Cadillacs have been described as "bold and edgy, yet elegant and refined". The "sharp edges" are maintained but in more of chiseled look.
Don't bother watching out for the marque on Malaysian roads though. The cars won't make it to our shores just yet, not until a right-hand drive version is made available, which naturally would have to be preceded by firm signs of sufficient demand.
So if the sleek and sexy XLR proves to be pretty close to your dream car - as I would expect it to be for a whole lot of Malaysians - well, you will just have to dream on.
The US$75,000 car with a retractable hard top (push and hold a single button, and the XLR converts from coupe to open roadster in less than 30 seconds) epitomises luxury on wheels. The gauges on the dashboard were even designed in conjunction with Italian luxury brand Bvlgari.
Its performance-oriented chassis and structure, and an all-new 4.6L Northstar V-8 VVT rear-wheel drive engine make it the lightest, most powerful vehicle in its class. Its key competitors? Mercedes-Benz SL500, Lexus SC430 and Jaguar XK8.
Sadly however, none of the Malaysian drivers got a chance to take the car for a spin. The Cadillac officials had called in an XLR after it was involved in a slight accident when driven by a Korean team.
Yes, apart from Malaysia, teams from South Korea, Thailand and India were invited as well.
So we had to be happy with the SRX and CTS, and who can blame the Hicomobil guys for gushing with excitement over the new Cadillac range? Earlier in Detroit at the Auto Show, they had already been treated to GM's new models and concept cars.
I personally have never quite understood why men make such a big fuss over cars. For me, if it can take me from point A to point B, it has served its purpose.
Then again, I know of some women who actually have pet names for their cars.
"Listen," Arba says, as we head into San Diego. "Nothing. You hear nothing. Listen how quiet the engine is." He was driving the SRX in the first of the two-leg journey south.
I can tell the engine sound of a Harley motorcycle from that of a car but between different makes or even genres of cars?
The SRX is a mid-size, front-engine four-door luxury sport utility, which comes in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions. "It's better than the X5," Arba enthuses. The BMW X5, Lexus RX 330, Volvo XC90 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class are among the SRX's direct competitors.
Marketing director for the SRX Jay Spenchian describes the SUV as "a true driver's utility."
"SRX is unlike any of the luxury utilities out there. It offers great looks, precise road manners and unprecedented utility.
"It is exactly the vehicle Cadillac and customers shopping for luxury utilities need," he says.
Arba cajoles Chamil: "Give it a try, Datuk. The handling is good."
Chamil, though designated a co-driver, was initially hesitant, then decided: "Well, if Arba can drive, I surely can."
He got behind the wheel of the CTS when the two teams changed cars at a marketplace that was the first checkpoint of the trip.
The first team had arrived a little later than us.
"We had a cigarette and coffee at a rest area," Lee explains. It is not by chance that the two smokers in the group, Norzahid and Abdullah, were on the same team.
The Cadillac design team gave the CTS a look all of its own, one that is said to be "uniquely Cadillac."
"The design adopts the sharp forms, angular shapes and crisp edges of the Stealth aircraft, along with other American high-tech geometric influences," the CTS brief says. It has a "taut, lean body that's long from dash to axle, with short overhangs."
It is in the same market segment as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Audi A4 and Lexus ES 300.
The CTS, Spenchian says, is attracting new, younger customers to Cadillac showrooms on a daily basis. He is confident that the marque's traditional supporters will be happy with it while other buyers will be won over.
Its interior provides all the amenities that luxury car buyers have come to expect, with the emphasis on comfort and convenience. It makes use of warm hues and rich materials to contrast with the cool, high-tech cockpit appearance of the interiors, hence balancing contemporary feel with touches of traditional luxury.
As we were the first car to leave the checkpoint, we had to follow a lead car all the way to the Winery in Temecula.
The drive was a breeze although the route instructions mindfully warned drivers of speed limits in certain zones such as near schools.
A quick lunch at the Winery and we were set to go again. "You guys ready?" a Cadillac official asked.
"We can?" asks Arba, surprised.
We had been told during lunch of some minor incidences involving ride and drive teams from other countries, and that we might have to convoy with the lead car all the way back.
"You guys Malaysians, yes? Sure you can. You can leave first. Just be careful in the mountains."
That was something of a vote of confidence for Malaysian drivers; a reputation hard earned in the streets of KL having preceded them, perhaps.
We arrived at the hotel with time to spare for our airport transfer. And the men couldn't stop chattering about the cars they had driven.
"Boss, can we bring one of the cars home," Arba asks Norzahid. Yes, I want one too. Here's a little secret: I've always had a weakness for the chiseled look. The driver's licence can be sorted out later.