Cadillac said the CTS Sport Wagon was designed to lead its assault on the European market, where BMW 5 Series Tourings and Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagons sell like luxury crossovers. Cadillac expected to sell just 4000 per year in the U.S., mostly to GM's own employees, like Bob Lutz, and the well-heeled enthusiast friends of automotive journalists.
Finances have since put the brakes on the European foray. No more diesel program. No more right-hand-drive CTS. The Sport Wagon has to sell here on its own merits, which are considerable.
Styling alone should make it a sales breakout. Cadillac has transformed perhaps the best-looking modern luxury sedan into the best-looking shooting brake. Its roof extends to a very fast D-pillar and power tailgate. The "finlike" taillamps are exaggerated into vertical light pipes that run nearly to the cargo roof rails. As with the CTS sedan, the Sport Wagon's tail ends in that signature Cadillac vee. It's not the most efficient use of station-wagon space. It's the sleek kind of styling that has defined the luxury wagons from BMW, Audi, and Alfa Romeo.
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