The first Cadillac Station Wagon will soon roll out of General Motors' Swedish plant , making it the first estate car manufactured by the car giant in its 100 year-plus history.

Vauxhall and Saab, are two other varieties from General Motors, with the latter also being based in Sweden where the Cadillac is made.

The new Cadillac Station Wagon is based on the Caddy BLS saloon with a longer and higher size that ensures a carrying capacity of 420 litres up to the rear window. It can be stretched further to a high of more than 1,200 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Interestingly, the new estate model does not carry a price premium over the saloon equivalents and is being introduced at a time when the auto maker is rationalising the range.

The new Cadillac estate is designed with a trim elegance and includes leather-clad heated seats with power movement, a superior Bose surround sound system with a dozen speakers, DVD navigation, parking sensors and bluetooth.

Its price range varies from £21,495 for the 150 bhp diesel to £28,845 for the V6 auto. Metallic paint finish costs an extra £500 and a sunroof a further £650.

Besides the 150bhp 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine, the vehicle now has a more powerful version generating 175 bhp plus a two-litre unit that can run on pure petrol or a petrol and bioethanol mix, known as Flexpower E85.

This engine line up is available in addition to the petrol pair of 173bhp and 207bhp units plus the 250bhp 2.8-litre V6.

Transmissions are six-speed manual as standard for all except the Flexpower versions, which use a five-speed box, with optional automatic for an additional £1,350.