By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

General Motors underwent an unprecedented “engineered” bankruptcy this summer. As it is sheds divisions right and left, historic nameplates are being discarded and the company that once had over 50% of the new car market has lost the recipe. So what’s to become of Cadillac in the future? It needs to compete with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and the relatively new upstart from Japan, Lexus.

A new commercial, titled “Reignition” is a great start, but you really can’t run a luxury division with three body styles of what are essentially the same car, and an upscale clone of a Chevrolet crossover. The two-seat XLR sports car will be discontinued shortly, as will the STS and the DTS. The Escalade will live on though as pointless as it may be seen by many because America can’t seem to get enough of these rolling excesses. It has, over the last decade, been a very successful product in terms of sales for what was once the Standard of the World. But does it send the right message? Read more of my article at Automotive Traveler, and see if you agree with me.

Continue reading "The Standard of the World: How to Reinvent Cadillac" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

If you are, don’t worry, I’m just working through the last photos on my camera today (though I’m sure John and Jen will have a few more to write about when they roll into the office tomorrow). On Wednesday, we’ll start our Best of SEMA voting, where you get to pick your favorites rides at SEMA in ten categories (we only have nine categories right now since hi risers were MIA this year, but I’m sure we can come up with one more). Anyway, here’s the Top Tuner Cadillac CTS in the PASMAG booth. It has an LS7 with twin T-66 turbos, 22 inch wheels and is fully bagged. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Are You Sick of SEMA Yet?" »

GM has not ruled out a supercharged V8 version of the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the V6-powered version of which is due to hit showrooms in mid-2009. Cadillac’s position is that the infrastructure is already there, since its upcoming CTS-V will pack the 556 hp blown V8, and its drivetrain and hopped-up running gear could be easily swapped into the wagon. So all that remains to be asked is, why wouldn’t Cadillac offer a truly hot wagon? Read more at Edmunds.

John has gone off to Florida again. This time his sister is graduating. Or something like that. So anyway, you’re stuck with my version of the news for the next two days.

• New pics of of the 2010 Nissan Cube have surfaced. Looks cool in a dorky kind of way. Jalopnik.
• The convertible CTS Coupe is a no go. I think GM is high. Can we get a petition going? Autoblog.
• The Volt prototype is already going 40 miles in electric-only mode, and all signs are pointing to GM actually hitting their 2010 launch goal. Motor Authority.
• Some jackass rear ended Drew Barrymore and then tried to get away. Barrymore chased down the driver, got the license plate and turned it over to the cops. Nice work! UGO.

While we’re not entirely sure of the year nor the designation — we’re pretty sure what we’ve got here is what we’ve been talking about for quite some time now. Yes, that appears to be a wagon-ized version of the already popular Cadillac CTS. We are going to hazard a guess that if it’s being built starting next spring it’ll have to be a 2010 CTS Wagon. Of course, with the current guess of the Cadillac CTS coupe bear a designation of "CTC" we’re thinking maybe the General could name this big-in-the-rear and blade-edged Caddy the "CTW." Whatever. Seriously, the boys and girls at the General can name whatever they want to because all we know is that is surely some seriously pants-tightening Cadillac Style going on under that camo cladding. We likey. More pics and a full report on the Cadillac CTS Wagon from the spy monopoly of Brenda Priddy over at Jalopnik.

While I was ogling the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept in New York, I got a chance to chat with Jim Taylor, the General Manger of Cadillac. Given the reception the concept got in Detroit, and the fact that the CTS was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, the dude is obviously pumped about Caddy. He was also pretty forthcoming about the lackluster styling of the previous-gen Cadillacs. "Cars are a fashion business," he explained, "people buy them for the same reason they buy cloths, to look good, and to feel good about themselves." He went on to say that the makeover Caddy launched back in 2002—remember the Led Zeppelin spots?—was intended as a shock to the system, and that the over-corrections made during the process are responsible for Caddy’s renaissance. Along with the Coupe, Taylor was clearly excited about the high-performance CTS-V sedan which will drop in 2009. With 550 horsepower and a six-speed manual available, it should be pretty ferocious. Check out a 360 view here. What do I have to do to get a test drive?

Ok, so cars don’t have flesh. Or at least none of the ones in New York do—that would be creepy. But after spending 15 miuntes gawking at the Caddy CTS Coupe Concept this morning, I can see why this sweet machine drew so much attention in Detroit. The back end looks even better in person. Let’s hope the General builds this baby!

GM has proven with its revitalization of Cadillac, that when their designers, stylists, and engineers are unleashed, they can produce world class products. Nowhere is that more evident than with the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS. In one fell swoop, Cadillac has gone from a bit player in the under $40,000 sport sedan category, to a world class competitor to the leading brands from Germany (Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz) and Japan (Infiniti and Lexus). It’s a game-changing paradigm shift. More…

The base 3.6-liter Cadillac CTS, while priced to be competitive with the BMW 335 benchmark, is sized somewhere between the benchmark 3-Series and its larger 5-Series stable mate, the 535. If you measure such things by the pound or in inches, this is certainly an advantage to Cadillac, but unfortunately buyers in this segment put more stock in the cache of the propeller or three-pointed star on the hood. This certainly sells the new CTS short.

Our test vehicle was the CTS DI performance sedan with a base price of $34,545, but it was packed with options bringing the final line of the window sticker up to $46,695. It is motivated by a direct-injection 304-horsepower V6 mated to a smooth shifting 6-speed automatic. (The base CTS is powered by a non-direct-injection 258-horsepower V6.) The premium luxury package, which added $8,165, included a Bose 5.1 surround sound system with 40GB of MP3 storage space and XM satellite radio, and a fully integrated navigation system with XM Nav Traffic, which gives real time traffic information on-screen, heated and cooled front seats with leather seating surfaces throughout the cabin.

Our tester also included 18-inch performance wheel/tire package, sport suspension, HID headlights with fog lights integrated into the front fascia, all for another $1,740. The last two options were $995 for the Thunder Grey Chromaflair premium paint and $250 for the compact spare which replaced the standard tire inflator kit.

On the outside it’s sharp and chiseled, certainly not Teutonic with a front grille inspired by the Cadillac Sixteen concept from 2003. The new CTS certainly won’t be mistaken for anything else on the road, with the possible exception of the last generation CTS which was a strong effort overall but not able to generate the kind of conquest sales that GM originally envisioned.

Where the new CTS excels is in the area of fit and finish and no where this is more apparent than at the base of the A-pillar. Here you’ll notice panel fit that rivals Lexus, which is the acknowledged leader in the class. The chrome vent, which looks so out of place on many current vehicles, seems just right here; maybe it’s because the vent appears to be honed from a billet of steal rather than plastic injected into a mold. From front-to-rear the CTS is a stylish execution that exudes class from every angle.

The interior is where GM has made measurable strides, just as they have done with the new Chevy Malibu, which has gone from also-ran to top tier when it comes to measuring overall interior quality. The last-gen CTS was clearly deficient in this area, to the degree that even GM product czar Bob Lutz admitted so, as soon as the original CTS was introduced back in 2003.

The CTS interior on our featured the full length glass sunroof which gave the Light Titanium leather interior a spacious, open feel, taking full advantage of its extra length. Competitors, such as the Mercedes-Benz C350 feel cramped in comparison. And at night, this feeling, and that of the interior’s class-leading quality levels is reinforced by the ambient lighting system which provides a line of soft light running A-pillar to A-pillar beneath the sumptuous sapele wood trim. Instantly, the CTS moves from mediocre to head-of-the class in terms of interior quality and appointments.

Nowhere is this more evident than the fully integrated 300-watt, 10-speaker Bose cabin surround sound system with its XM Nav Traffic-supported navigation system with pop-up screen. The sound was rich and full, pushing the sense of the sound stage out beyond the confines of the cockpit, providing the illusion that the interior was even larger than it was. The rock solid center channel image provided by the centrally located front-middle speaker added to the sensation. And the intuitive, easy-to-use navigation system was a joy to use; its re-routing function was welcomed in our week-long evaluation here in traffic-choked Southern California.

On the road the CTS feels rock solid but even with the performance suspension it seems that the settings are bit biased towards ride comfort. We’re sure that this was a point of contention with the engineering team; just how far does one deviate from Cadillac’s traditional core values? This is not a bad thing, it’s just illustrates that the priorities of the CTS suspension team were different from its competitors at Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz.

While the CTS certainly feels substantial it carries around more weight than we’d prefer to see, almost 4,000 pounds. So even with 304-horsepower on tap, 0 to 60, which comes up in 6.5 seconds by our stopwatch, falls a bit short of its two closes competitors, the BMW 335 and the Infiniti G37, which reach the same benchmark in a heartbeat more than six seconds. Conversely, 6.5 seconds is nothing to be ashamed of and only whets our appetite for the 550-horsepower Nurburgring Nordschliefe-bred V-version coming in the fall. For the very first time, the M3 and the AMG C-Class will have a true domestic competitor.

Conclusion

Clearly it was very difficult to hand the keys back to Cadillac after our week-long evaluation drive. With the exception of the Corvette, no car in GMs rapidly improving inventory is so clearly focused at its mission as the all-new CTS. In an extremely competitive category populated by an outstanding group of cars, the CTS now needs to make no apologies for its inclusion. While it approaches the performance benchmarks set by its leaders, it takes a back seat to no one with regard to its levels of quality and the execution of its class-leading interior, thus moving to the head of the class.

What’s more, if you’re willing to swap two doors for swoopy coupe styling, you’ll only have to wait about 12 to 18 months for the stunning 2-door version that was shown in concept form to universal acclaim at this past January’s North American International Automobile Show. When the car was unveiled, even the jaded automotive press corps was stunned with its drop-dead proportions, looking like no other coupe on the planet. And when the car was moved to its permanent display for the show, a near riot broke out as the scribes and shooters put nose prints on the glass trying to get a closer look. 2010 promises to be a great year for Cadillac.

Given the wicked reception the concept got at NAIAS, it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that the General is going to bring the CTS coupe into production. Of course, they’ll be some slight sheet metal tweaks, but the design should be pretty close to what everyone was drooling over in Detroit. More at Winding Road.

Caddy has been on a roll lately, and if this CTS concept is any indication of things to come, look for them to stay on it. After GM Global Design Chief Ed Welburn spoke this morning, the car was literally mobbed with people ogling the sexy lines of the General’s latest offspring. But it doesn’t just look good. In addition to the 3.6L V6, customers will have a 2.9L turbo-diesel option, and a six speed manual will also be available. Way to go Caddy! I’d love to see these sleek machines running bio-diesel! Check out the complete specs here.