Cadillac's Proposed Exciting New Coupe

Automaker Cadillac has a rich tradition of building exciting, highly regarded sedans as well as coupes. However, changes made to its line up over the past decade have resulted in a fleet of vehicles that now consists exclusively of sedans, crossovers, and sport utility vehicles. Gone are the days of the super size Eldorado and the Coupe de Ville, vehicles that long stood for Cadillac quality and excess. Today, plans are underway to bring in a coupe to compete against European rivals Mercedes, Audi, and BMW. Please read on for more information about the proposed CTS derived coupe.

The proposed CTS coupe being planned by Cadillac will not be an Eldorado nor will it be an updated version of the Coupe de Ville. As a large midsize two door model, the CTS coupe will be larger than its European competitors, but vastly smaller than preceding Cadillac coupes.

A 2008 Calendar Year Introduction

Slated for an overhaul for the 2009 model year, the CTS sedan will be the basis for the new coupe, thus virtually all of the parts will be shared between the two cars with the majority of the differences showing up in the roof pillars. Cash strapped General Motors wants to produce the car badly, but they don’t want to go overboard with development costs. Thus, the coupe and sedan would share an overwhelming majority of the same components.

Downsides to the New Coupe

The CTS coupe does have at least two downsides to it. First of all, the luxury coupe market isn’t that large and it has been shrinking. Second of all, the CTS will be larger than its European competitors more along the lines of the biggest cars from Mercedes and BMW. This could cause confusion for buyers, especially if the CTS is aimed at smaller cars but is sized with the larger models.

Upsides to the New Coupe

On the positive side, the CTS coupe throws open an important and profitable area of the car market to Cadillac. As part of its ongoing appeal toward harnessing younger buyers, the CTS will do for Cadillac in 2008 and beyond what the Escalade did earlier in the decade: lower the average age of Cadillac owners. The younger the buyer is, the better the chance that Cadillac will have them as customers for the long haul.

GM’s Money Woes Could Scuttle the Project

Of course, GM’s financial woes could cast doubt on the new model even though the CTS sedan is a go. Plus, it isn’t certain yet just how many coupes Cadillac would have to sell in order to turn a profit. Yet, if the car is built it could further signal GM’s commitment to building cars that buyers really want, a complaint that some consumers have voiced as reasons why they have left the general behind.

The smart money says the CTS coupe will be given the green light. Cadillac needs this car and consumers want a luxury coupe to light up their world. Who better than Cadillac?

By Matthew Keegan.

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New Cadillac BLS Wagon in Detail

General Motors' Cadillac division has recently presented a fresh new product at the European crowd in the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show. GM's luxury brand is adding up a new variant on its current BLS compact executive car model. Cadillac has unveiled the BLS Wagon, and announced that it will roll out in markets throughout Europe in the last quarter of 2007.

According to Jim Taylor, General Manager of Cadillac brand: “The Cadillac BLS Wagon is an appealing addition to the Cadillac portfolio for customers preferring dramatically designed luxury vehicles that offer versatility and performance along with outstanding ride and handling characteristics. "

"This is the first Cadillac wagon in our 104-year history, and we think it will do well in many European markets where consumers desire a high degree of versatility and functionality in their performance luxury vehicles." he added.

Just like any other Cadillac luxury vehicle, the new Cadillac BLS Wagon embodies the company's signature styling like the sharply designed contours, wedge shape, tapered lines, vertical tail lights, and Cadillac's V-shaped chrome-plated grille that marks the vehicle's distinction. The Cadillac designed team said that they are very excited because this is the first time for them to create Cadillac designs cues for a station wagon. A host of other exterior components are included in the new Cadillac BLS Wagon including jewel-like headlamps, bumper integrated fog lamps, body-colored bumper, a wide air intake, narrow chrome strip in the side windows, and rear spoiler. As expected for a GM branded vehicle, the Cadillac BLS Wagon is also equipped with quality GM parts like GM mufflers. The Cadillac BLS Wagon also comes with the latest LED lighting technology for the vehicle's high-mounted stop lamp.

On the inside, customers should expect nothing for the BLS Wagon but luxury, elegance, versatility, and comfort. Aside from the standard interior auto parts like three-spoke leather steering wheel, steering wheel-mounted remote controls, analog clock, and easy to read circular instrument panel, the station wagon is also equipped with a host of interior amenities and entertainment systems including Bose high-quality audio system, touch-screen DVD navigation system, and the latest hands-free Bluetooth mobile phone system, to name the few. The Cadillac BLS Wagon has also a spacious luggage compartment and increased payload capacity.

Now on the technical side, specifically the suspension, chassis, and powertrain system, Cadillac engineers have installed front MacPherson struts on the BLS Wagon along with four-link rear axle. Under the hood of the sleek station wagon comes a wide range of engine options – one diesel and three petrol engines to choose from. Leading the engine range is the 1.9-liter 150-hp engine featuring common-rail direct-injection system and particulate filter for an improved fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions. For performance oriented drivers, two 2.0-liter petrol engines delivering 175 hp and 210 hp are available, plus the monstrous twin turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 petrol engine that pumps out 255 hp. These engines are coupled with a choice of six-or five-speed manual or automatic gearboxes powering the front wheels.

Watch out for the Cadillac BLS Wagon when it rolls out in European markets later this year.

By Noah Scott.