Cadillac Logo

Brand History

The Cadillac Story

Cadillac was founded in Detroit in 1902 by engineer Henry M. Leland from the remains of the Henry Ford Company, and was named after the French explorer who founded Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. It won the Dewar Trophy in 1908 for demonstrating fully interchangeable parts and joined General Motors in 1909, becoming the group's flagship luxury marque under the slogan 'Standard of the World'. Cadillac introduced innovations including the electric self-starter (1912) and the mass-produced V8, and its tailfinned cars of the 1950s defined an era of American design.

Logo History

Evolution Of The Cadillac Logo

1. 1900s–1990s

   Cadillac's crest was adapted from the coat of arms of the explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, featuring a quartered shield with heraldic birds (merlettes) and a crown, and for much of the century it was framed by a laurel wreath.

2. 2000–2013

   A major 2000 redesign removed the birds and crown, simplifying the crest into a streamlined mosaic of coloured quadrants within the wreath.

3. 2014–2020

   The laurel wreath was dropped in 2014, leaving a wider, cleaner shield as the sole emblem.

4. 2021–present

   A monochrome version of the crest was adopted for the brand's electric era, with the coloured shield retained on some combustion models.

Model Evolution

Cadillac Through The Years

8 milestone models from 1902 to 2022.

1902

1914

1930

1940

1953

1975

1998

2022