Automotive News Cadillac Sporting it up - Sporty Caddy’s in the future

2009 Cadillac CTS
Cadillac has a rather “sporty” outlook into the future all incorporated into most of the new car lineup. From the infamous side gills/vents to the sporty front once-was bling bling grill they have revamped some of the old stogie bland caddy look we grew to know years ago.
Excerpt from AutoWeek:
FUTURE PRODUCT PLANS
2008
CTS restyled, re-engineered
STS refreshened
2009
CTS-V restyled, re-engineered
CTS wagon possible
XLR refreshening
BRX crossover likely
2010
CTS coupe expected
CTS sedan refreshening likely
2011
Small rwd sedan likely
Large rwd sedan possible
Rwd flagship sedan or coupe possible
SRX re-engineering, restyling possible
Cadillac is convinced it has found a winning formula: sporty handling rear-wheel-drive cars that can compete with European luxury sedans. Gone are the luxo-barges of old - at least in Cadillac’s car lineup.

The bigger-is-better crowd can always buy an Escalade, a vehicle that has brought new meaning to the word “bling.”
Small Cadillac: Expanding the rear-drive lineup is a key to boosting sales in North America and abroad. GM executives have said Cadillac will get more products, but sources inside the automaker say the front-drive BLS sedan sold in Europe is not destined for the United States. The BLS shares parts with the Saab 9-3.
A small rwd sedan built on GM’s new Alpha architecture will join Cadillac’s U.S. and global lineup. That car probably will debut in the 2011 model year, at the earliest.
CTS: GM is getting serious about competing against BMW and Mercedes-Benz and may take on the Germans with a family of CTS-based Cadillacs.
The restyled, re-engineered 2008 CTS sedan will be in dealerships by year end. Styling and performance are greatly refined. The bold exterior has dramatic lines, a large grille, sculpted fenders and a wider track. Inside, an all-new interior mimics European luxury models.
The high-performance CTS-V will skip the 2008 model year. When it returns as a 2009, expect a big horsepower boost tied to GM’s six-speed automatic transmission.
Also for the 2009 model year, a wagon variant is being considered. For the 2010 model year, a coupe variant, called the CTC, is expected to debut. And GM likely will freshen the CTS sedan.
DTS: The current generation will be the last fwd Cadillac.
New sedan: With the eventual demise of the DTS, Cadillac likely will develop a large sedan on a premium version of GM’s global rwd architecture. The car could arrive as early as the 2011 model year; it will be priced to attract DTS and DeVille owners.
STS: Sales have been sluggish, and the more stylish 2008 CTS won’t help. GM insiders say the STS probably will be dropped. But the final decision has not been made, and no time frame was available.
For the short term, the 2008 STS will be freshened. Its grille, inspired by that of the 2007 Escalade and adopted for the 2008 CTS, features a detailed chrome treatment that includes subdued mesh housed within individual grille slats.
Flagship sedan/coupe: This 2011 vehicle has been on GM’s wish list for a few years. Given the success of the BMW 7 series, the Mercedes-Benz S class and the considerably more expensive Bentley Continental GT, GM continues to study developing an ultraluxury rwd sedan or coupe for Cadillac, priced around $120,000.
Production is penciled in for April 2010, but GM executives admit the vehicle is a low priority because the automaker’s engineers and money have been refocused on achieving the expected boost in corporate average fuel economy standards.
XLR: A freshening is scheduled for the 2009 model year; a redesign is planned for the 2012 or 2013 model year.
BRX: Cadillac plans to market a small, five-passenger crossover, probably as a 2009 model. GM plans to develop the BRX on a blend of GM’s next-generation Theta and Epsilon vehicle architectures.
SRX: GM insiders say Cadillac has delayed plans to re-engineer and restyle the SRX, blaming disappointing sales.
Three options for the crossover are being considered:
1. Restyle and re-engineer it for the 2011 model year.
2. Redesign it using GM’s global rwd architecture, called Zeta.
3. Keep the current SRX until the BRX debuts, then drop it.
Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT: The vehicles will be restyled and re-engineered for the 2012 model year.
Cadillac has a rather “sporty” outlook into the future all incorporated into most of the new car lineup. From the infamous side gills/vents to the sporty front once-was bling bling grill they have revamped some of the old stogie bland caddy look we grew to know years ago.
Except from AutoWeek:
FUTURE PRODUCT PLANS
2008
CTS restyled, re-engineered
STS refreshened
2009
CTS-V restyled, re-engineered
CTS wagon possible
XLR refreshening
BRX crossover likely
2010
CTS coupe expected
CTS sedan refreshening likely
2011
Small rwd sedan likely
Large rwd sedan possible
Rwd flagship sedan or coupe possible
SRX re-engineering, restyling possible
Cadillac is convinced it has found a winning formula: sporty handling rear-wheel-drive cars that can compete with European luxury sedans. Gone are the luxo-barges of old - at least in Cadillac’s car lineup.
The bigger-is-better crowd can always buy an Escalade, a vehicle that has brought new meaning to the word “bling.”
Small Cadillac: Expanding the rear-drive lineup is a key to boosting sales in North America and abroad. GM executives have said Cadillac will get more products, but sources inside the automaker say the front-drive BLS sedan sold in Europe is not destined for the United States. The BLS shares parts with the Saab 9-3.
A small rwd sedan built on GM’s new Alpha architecture will join Cadillac’s U.S. and global lineup. That car probably will debut in the 2011 model year, at the earliest.
CTS: GM is getting serious about competing against BMW and Mercedes-Benz and may take on the Germans with a family of CTS-based Cadillacs.
The restyled, re-engineered 2008 CTS sedan will be in dealerships by year end. Styling and performance are greatly refined. The bold exterior has dramatic lines, a large grille, sculpted fenders and a wider track. Inside, an all-new interior mimics European luxury models.
The high-performance CTS-V will skip the 2008 model year. When it returns as a 2009, expect a big horsepower boost tied to GM’s six-speed automatic transmission.
Also for the 2009 model year, a wagon variant is being considered. For the 2010 model year, a coupe variant, called the CTC, is expected to debut. And GM likely will freshen the CTS sedan.
DTS: The current generation will be the last fwd Cadillac.
New sedan: With the eventual demise of the DTS, Cadillac likely will develop a large sedan on a premium version of GM’s global rwd architecture. The car could arrive as early as the 2011 model year; it will be priced to attract DTS and DeVille owners.
STS: Sales have been sluggish, and the more stylish 2008 CTS won’t help. GM insiders say the STS probably will be dropped. But the final decision has not been made, and no time frame was available.
For the short term, the 2008 STS will be freshened. Its grille, inspired by that of the 2007 Escalade and adopted for the 2008 CTS, features a detailed chrome treatment that includes subdued mesh housed within individual grille slats.
Flagship sedan/coupe: This 2011 vehicle has been on GM’s wish list for a few years. Given the success of the BMW 7 series, the Mercedes-Benz S class and the considerably more expensive Bentley Continental GT, GM continues to study developing an ultraluxury rwd sedan or coupe for Cadillac, priced around $120,000.
Production is penciled in for April 2010, but GM executives admit the vehicle is a low priority because the automaker’s engineers and money have been refocused on achieving the expected boost in corporate average fuel economy standards.
XLR: A freshening is scheduled for the 2009 model year; a redesign is planned for the 2012 or 2013 model year.
BRX: Cadillac plans to market a small, five-passenger crossover, probably as a 2009 model. GM plans to develop the BRX on a blend of GM’s next-generation Theta and Epsilon vehicle architectures.
SRX: GM insiders say Cadillac has delayed plans to re-engineer and restyle the SRX, blaming disappointing sales.
Three options for the crossover are being considered:
1. Restyle and re-engineer it for the 2011 model year.
2. Redesign it using GM’s global rwd architecture, called Zeta.
3. Keep the current SRX until the BRX debuts, then drop it.
Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT: The vehicles will be restyled and re-engineered for the 2012 model year.

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