1998 CADILLAC
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).
