Cadillac Catera Models & History 1998
- All Cadillac models offered the year previous were carried over to 1998.
- The all-new 1998 Seville, not available until December 1997, was designed to lead Cadillac into the �global� market, with exports to 40 countries
- Both left-hand and right-hand drive versions were built at Cadillac’s Detroit Hamtramck assembly facility.
- StabiliTrak was now offered on all front-drive Cadillacs.
- The Catera joined the rest of the lineup in offering the Onstar communcations system as optional equipment
The 1998 Cadillac had a 17-symbol vehicle identification number (VIN) stamped on a metal tag attached to the upper left surface of the cowl visible through the windshield. The code was as follows:
POSITION |
DIGIT |
MEANING |
1 |
1 or 4 |
manufacturing country (United States) |
2 |
G |
General Motors |
3 |
6 |
Cadillac |
4 & 5 |
car line series |
V/R |
Catera |
E/L |
Eldorado |
E/T |
Eldorado Touring |
K/D |
DeVille |
K/E |
d’Elegance |
K/F |
Concours |
K/S |
Seville (SLS) |
K/Y |
Seville (STS) |
|
6 |
the body style: |
1 |
two-door coupe |
2 |
two-door |
3 |
two-door convertible |
4 |
two-door station wagon |
5 |
four-door sedan |
6 |
four-door |
8 |
four-door station wagon |
|
7 |
the restraint code |
2 |
active (manual) belts w/dual frontal airbags |
4 |
active (manual) belts w/dual frontal and side airbags |
|
8 |
the engine |
Y |
LD8 4.6L V-8 |
9 |
L37 4.6L V-8 |
R |
L81 3.0L V-6 |
|
9 |
check digit |
– |
10 |
model year |
W = 1998 |
11 |
the assembly plant |
– |
12-17 |
the production sequence number |
– |
Cadillac’s model year production totaled 162,715 compared with 159,820 the year previous (this figure does not include imported Cateras).