Friday, January 29, 2010

Cadillac ATS Concept to Debut This Year

Cadillac ATS Concept

With the Cadillac CTS having grown in size considerably since its inception, a true entry-level rear drive luxury sports sedan has been an on-again/off-again project for General Motors. Since emerging from bankruptcy, GM reconfirmed its commitment to the vehicle, likely to be called the ATS.

Now a recent report suggests an ATS concept will debut some time this year, with a possible launch at the Paris Auto Show in the Fall. A more likely debut, however, will be at the LA Auto Show in December, where a new Cadillac model will get the most media coverage.

Cadillac to present C-Class competitor

C-Class competitor

It was back in 2008 when we reported Cadillac is preparing a four-door competitor for models like Infiniti G37 and Mercedes C-Class. The car is supposed to be called ATS and will be revealed, in concept form, by the end of the year. It is still unclear if will be in October in Paris or December in Los Angeles.

According to an Inside Line source: "We’re finalizing the four-door showcar of the ATS first. Then we’ll follow quickly after with a wagon, a coupe and a convertible."

The ATS will replace the BLS on the European market and in the USA will be placed below the CTS. It will be built on the "Alpha" platform and will feature a rear-wheel drive system.

2010 Cadillac CTS4 3.6L Sport Wagon

You would have to have lived your entire life in a cave in the farthest deepest recesses of the Sahara Desert to have never heard of Cadillac. If you are 50 years old or older, you clearly remember the status that carried the family coat of arms of the aristocrat who founded Detroit in 1701, Antoine de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac. If you owned and drove a Cadillac, you had made it to the top.

The present CTS is paving the way for the future of Cadillac and for the Cadillac of the future.

Oh, how things can change! Without going into full details on the history of Cadillac, suffice it to state that when the times were good, the times were good and when things went sour, well, you get the point. The 80s and 90s were riddled with poor decisions, awful cars and a lack of vision for the storied brand. Only in 2003 did Cadillac have a breakthrough; the CTS was born. I am purposely overlooking the Catera and never mind the Escalade...

The new beginning
In actuality, the CTS came into its own for the 2008 model year. Totally redesigned, reconfigured and reengineered, the present CTS is paving the way for the future of Cadillac and for the Cadillac of the future. Bold and dynamic are only two of the adjectives that can be used to describe the new face of Cadillac with its oversized grille, lights and generous servings of tasteful chrome. Although the sedan could have stood alone in showrooms, Cadillac did the German thing: the multiplication of body styles.

And one of them is the wagon (there’s a coupe in there somewhere, too...). In case you did not know, I love wagons, therefore the CTS wagon is my favourite of the lot. I think that this brave move is indicative of Cadillac’s intentions: they’re not backing down from the competition, they will plainly stick to ’em!

I am all over this car’s hyper-extended taillights, tight narrow hatch and nearly flush roof rails like bees on honey. Where I’m concerned, the wagon is the perfect expression of the CTS’ sporty front end and choppy character lines. Yes, she’s a beaut!

The 3.6L is powerful and willing to get the 1,900-kg (4,200-lb) car up to speed.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Cadillac Shows Off New 2010 CTS-V Coupe

2010 CTS-V Coupe

There are few Cadillac models that I would care to own. Honestly, there is only one that I would want to own and that is the CTS-V. That car moves me in many ways, but I am not a fan of four door sports cars. I am sure there are many out there like me and Cadillac has answered with a new 2010 CTS-V coupe.

Those doors are massive and the car is dead sexy with more than enough muscle under the hood to back up its good looks, the CTS-V Coupe is certainly not all show and no go. The car packs a massive American V8 under the hood throwing down 556 hp mated to either a 6-cepss auto or a six-speed manual transmission.

Other features include magnetic ride suspension and Brembo brakes. Autoblog figures that the coupe version will tip the scales at about 100 pounds lighter than the four-door. I like, I just need to hit the lottery so I can own one.

Cadillac CTS Coupe Wins Top Honors in The Detroit News Readers Choice Awards

Cadillac CTS Coupe

Cadillac CTS Coupe

Two Cadillacs and a Chevrolet won three of The Detroit News Readers Choice Awards on January 15, including the top honor of Best in Show for the Cadillac CTS Coupe.

"Each year, the Detroit News takes 100 readers to the North American International Auto Show at Cobo and then asks them to pick their favorites in a variety of 11 categories along with Best in Show, according Nolan Finley, Editorial Page Editor of The Detroit News," GM said.

The CTS Coupe and the other award winners were announced today during a Detroit Economic Club luncheon. The dramatic CTS Coupe is slated to arrive in Cadillac showrooms in the spring of 2010.

Cadillac also claimed the Best Future Fantasy Award for the Cadillac Platinum XTS Concept car. Finley said that each of the categories were close calls with the exception of the Future Fantasy/Concept award. "Our readers overwhelmingly voted for the Cadillac XTS as best Concept. They were really impressed by the vehicle," he said.

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

The Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

During his speech at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Cadillac General Manager Bryan Nesbitt confirmed that all Cadillac models in the future will feature a V or Platinum Series model.

“In luxury segments where overwhelming luxury performance is the primary desire we will apply our V Series design and technical capabilities to create a dominating presence,” said Nesbitt. “And when gracious comfort, elegance and an extra measure of hand crafted materials are expected, Platinum will be our offering.”

At the 2010 NAIAS, Cadillac showed its new CTS-V Coupe and the XTS Platinum Concept. Of course, we’re hoping that the production XTS gets a V series variant very soon.

Detroit Motor Show 2010: Cadillac XTS

Cadillac XTS
The Cadillac XTS is large but handsome
The unveiling of a new big Cadillac should be one of the highlights of any show, but at this year’s Detroit Auto Show 2010 big was not necessarily beautiful.

Instead the Cadillac XTS played up the extent of its interconnectivity, touch-screen instruments and entertainment options for the passengers.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Cadillac unveils powerful 556-horsepower CTS-V Coupe

CTS-V Coupe
CAPTION
By GM, Wieck
Cadillac unveiled the hot-rod version of its new coupe, the CTS-V, that raises the question of how much horsepower is enough. In the CTS-V Coupe's case, the answer is 556 and we're sure buyers would take more if they could get it.

Despite all the hoopla about gas mileage, the CTS-V coupe, arriving next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, underscores how automakers are still using their new engine technology to make cars faster, even though speed limits haven't changed, rather than more gas thrifty. How powerful?

The CTS-V coupe employs the LSA 6.2-liter V-8 engine also found on the CTS-V sport sedan. It is most powerful engine offered in Cadillac's history and propels the CTS-V coupe from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.

The LSA engine features an intercooled Eaton supercharger system, premium aluminum-alloy cylinder heads. The supercharger has a unique, four-lobe rotor design that enhances quietness.

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Set for Detroit

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe The 556-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be unveiled to the press at the Detroit auto show next Monday.

With the Detroit auto show just around the corner, General Motors released photos of the forthcoming Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, a supercharged version of the luxury coupe introduced a few weeks ago at the Los Angeles auto show.

The announcement may not be the greatest of timing. Oil rose to above $81 on Monday. And in India, Toyota and Honda unveiled subcompact concepts at the New Dehli auto expo. The release of a new gas-swilling muscle sedan will not warm the hearts of Americans who feel that G.M. is living off borrowed money (and time).

Of course, the CTS-V Coupe has been in the works for a while. It is a natural derivative of the CTS brand, which already includes the highly rated V-Series sedan. The coupe version features the same 556-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine and a choice of two 6-speed transmissions: a dual-disc clutch Tremec TR6060 manual and a Hydra-Matic 6L90 automatic with paddle shifters. The coupe also comes with Magnetic Ride Control suspension and Brembo brakes.

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.
The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

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