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General Motors Vice President John O. Grettenberger knows what Cadillac buyers want when he sees it. So do Cadillac dealers.

What the buyers want is not a small automobile, and the 1992 Cadillac Seville isn’t. The ’92 Seville is 14 inches longer than the model it replaces, and the wheelbase is 3 inches longer.

With the whole package designed to provide additional rear-seat legroom, a better ride and improved handling characteristics, Indianapolis Cadillac dealers figure they have a winner.

“This is what the people (Seville buyers) have been waiting for,” said David Moll, sales manager of Tutwiler Cadillac-Peugeot. “That’s been the biggest complaint, lack of rear-seat room.

“I think it’s going to be a great success. We’re due for a change, and with new styling and all that power it’s going to be a dynamite car.”

The new Seville is based on an exclusive platform, and it is powered by Cadillac’s own 4.9-liter 200-horsepower V-8. The 4.9 and the car’s 4T60-E electronic four-speed automatic transmission were introduced in the 1991 Cadillacs. The rest of the automobile is 1992.

“The Cadillac buyer in the Seville likes a car that has performance, comfort and power, and also a unique body design,” said Lynn Kimmel, vice president of Lockhart Cadillac. “The ’92 Seville meets all of that, and it’s definitely the kind of a car our customers want.”

To date, the new Seville is a rare bird. Existing models are show cars displayed at the recent Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, which closes today.

The custom-colored four-door is designed to catch the eye and whet the appetite. The front-drive stands on a 111-inch wheelbase and has 204.3 inches of overall length. That’s almost the same size as the original 1976 model, a nice-sized automobile before GM got on a downsizing kick. Bigger really is better.

This automobile was designed just for the Cadillac Motor Car Division. The car is a result of General Motors’ executive management shifting gears between their ears and letting the division determine its own engineering and styling parameters.

The new interior and exterior were developed with input from consumers. According to Richard Rizzin, head of Cadillac’s design studio and the design chief on the Seville, “Everyone involved in the design of the car wanted to make a statement and position Cadillac where it belongs.”

It should be regarded as an international luxury automobile, an image battered somewhat in recent years by the rise of domestic and foreign competition. That image will be further enhanced now that Cadillac has received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Grettenberger, general manager of Cadillac Division, discussed the award in depth at the L.A. exposition and showed a videotape of the presentation of the award by President Bush. Cadillac is the first automaker to win the award, which first was given in 1988.

The quality i n the ’92 Seville translates into significant engineering upgrades, starting with the 4.9-liter engine and the 4T60-E transaxle. The 4.9-liter displacement is an increase from last year’s 4.5-liter V-8. The electronic four-speed 4T60-E automatic transmission, which features a Cadillac-exclusive viscous torque converter clutch, offers exceptionally smooth gear shifts.

Rear quarter panels have been shaped to accommodate larger 16-inch wheels and tires. Dampening characteristics of the Computer Command Ride system have been refined to match the body, wheels and tires, front frame and revised power train mounts. New analog instrumentation is controlled by dual microprocessors.

The new four-door still is a five-passenger, and Moll says, “That’s been kind of a sore spot on that car. Seville buyers want a full bench (front) seat so you can carry six passengers.”

Availability and pricestill are undecided. Depending upon whose calendar you’re looking at, the car will app ear in midsummer or in the normal September/October new-car introduction period.

“Everything we’ve been told thus far indicates we should have it for the normal new-car introduction, ” Kimmel said. “They may try to bring it out early, but I would be pleasantly surprised if they did.”

In the interim, Seville devotees can contemplate what will be coming on line. There is every indication the car will be worth the wait, with Cadillac again striving to enhance its image as a manufacturer of large, luxury American automobiles.