Sullivan gets back Cadillac dealership

New London - Christmas came early at M.J. Sullivan's Automotive Corner Monday when the owner signed a contract with General Motors to restore the Cadillac line at the dealership.

As General Motors went into bankruptcy in June, it had informed car dealership owner Bill Sullivan that the dealership would no longer be allowed to sell the luxury model as it always had. But after persisting in arguing to GM that this was a mistake, Sullivan got word last week that GM would reverse that decision.

Sullivan signed the paperwork for the change Monday and could have up to 30 new Cadillacs, in addition to the ones purchased for sale at auction, on his lot in a week-and-a-half, he said.

"It's very exciting for us," he said. "We're very happy. Certain people want to buy luxury vehicles. If you don't have it, there's a certain amount of people you can't cater to."

The New London market right around the corner from M.J. Sullivan's includes BMW and Mercedes Benz dealers, so removing the line from Sullivan's Chevrolet dealership never made sense, he added. In addition, M.J. Sullivan's had been ranked fourth in sales out of 16 Caddy dealers in the state, he said.

GM reviewed the decision and reversed it once they were assured that M.J. Sullivan was located in a competitive luxury car market, he said.

The Caddies are priced from $38,000 for a Cadillac CTS to $75,000 for an Escalade, Sullivan said.

Before June's corporate decision, the dealership had sold Cadillacs since 1989.

General Motors would not say how many Cadillac dealers this may have happened to across the country.

"We are not commenting on any confidential relationships we have with our dealers," said GM spokesman Tom Henderson. "We're working through issues on a case by case basis."

Sullivan still has had to wind down its Buick franchise after GM's June decision. The Pontiac franchise had to meet those terms as well since the brand has been discontinued.

No employees have been laid off as a result of the changes, Sullivan said.