The Future of Cadillac

[Flybrian]

Cadillac: Small crossover is coming, but no small car

Automotive News / August 21, 2006 - 6:00 am

BLS: The next generation of the small sedan (on sale in Europe since April) had been under consideration as an entry-level convertible and coupe in the United States, positioned below the CTS.

But it turns out the "baby Cadillac" will have no future here. The vehicle's price would be too close to the larger CTS.

The BLS is assembled in Trollhattan, Sweden, on the front-wheel-drive Epsilon platform it shares with the Saab 9-3. A station wagon is expected to be added in Europe in mid-2007.

CTS: The CTS will be restyled and re-engineered for the 2008 model year. The high-performance CTS-V will skip the 2008 model year, returning for the 2009 model year. A horsepower boost is expected.

A key change for the 2008 CTS is the dramatic look of the front end, centered on a tall, ornate, nearly checkerboard-style grille composed of wide horizontal and narrow vertical bars. A large Cadillac crest is in the center of the grille. The front fascia will take cues from the Cadillac Sixteen concept car shown in 2003.

A coupe is scheduled to expand the CTS line for the 2010 model year. At that time, GM will likely freshen the sedan.

DTS: The DTS sedan is Cadillac's only fwd model, and the current generation is likely to be the last. The redesigned car likely will be developed on GM's global rear-wheel-drive architecture, debuting for the 2011 model year. A name change is likely.

STS: The reskinned 2008 STS gets an Escalade-inspired grille featuring a more detailed chrome treatment that includes a subdued mesh housed within individual grille slats. The taillight design ditches the full red lenses in favor of clear, smoky covers that showcase the light-emitting diodes. GM might introduce a higher-horsepower STS-V.

The STS sedan will be restyled and re-engineered for the 2010 model year.

Flagship sedan/coupe: GM continues to study an ultraluxury, rwd sedan or coupe for Cadillac, priced around $120,000. But GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says such a vehicle is a low priority. Nothing has been approved.

XLR: A freshening is scheduled for the 2009 model year; a redesign is planned for the 2011 model year.

BRX: Cadillac wants to market a small, five-passenger crossover, but the timing is unclear. It could come as early as the 2009 model year, or it might be pushed back to 2011. GM plans to develop the BRX on a mix of vehicle architectures: the Theta architecture, used for the Chevrolet Equinox, but adapting the front clip from Epsilon 2 so it can fit a V-6.

SRX: The 2007 SRX has a redesigned interior centered on a new instrument panel. A six-speed automatic is standard.

Insiders say GM has delayed plans to re-engineer and restyle the SRX for the 2008 model year, blaming high gasoline prices and lackluster sales. The SRX may be restyled and re-engineered for the 2011 or 2012 model year; it might be redesigned, using GM's global rwd architecture; or it might be dropped from the line, if sales do not grow and Cadillac buyers shift to the BRX.

Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT: The three full-sized Cadillac SUVs were restyled and re-engineered for the 2007 model year. The vehicles might be freshened for the 2010 model year.

[ZL-1]

New RWD DTS and a new STS showing up very close to one another and "A name change is likely" for the DTS. Would that be STS-L?

[Drew Dowdell]

BRX: Cadillac wants to market a small, five-passenger crossover, but the timing is unclear. It could come as early as the 2009 model year, or it might be pushed back to 2011. GM plans to develop the BRX on a mix of vehicle architectures: the Theta architecture, used for the Chevrolet Equinox, but adapting the front clip from Epsilon 2 so it can fit a V-6.

183241[/snapback]

uh.... what? The ToraVueNox has a V6 now.... and is supposedly able to handle the 3.6VVT. What adaptations need to be made?

[Drew Dowdell]

Cadillac: Small crossover is coming, but no small car

Automotive News / August 21, 2006 - 6:00 am

BLS: The next generation of the small sedan (on sale in Europe since April) had been under consideration as an entry-level convertible and coupe in the United States, positioned below the CTS.

But it turns out the "baby Cadillac" will have no future here. The vehicle's price would be too close to the larger CTS.

The BLS is assembled in Trollhattan, Sweden, on the front-wheel-drive Epsilon platform it shares with the Saab 9-3. A station wagon is expected to be added in Europe in mid-2007.

183241[/snapback]

And yet.... over at Edmunds....

Cadillac also has plans to build and sell an updated version of its compact BLS sedan in North America in late 2009, according to GM suppliers. The new model would be slotted below the CTS in size and price, and would be based on the next-generation Epsilon global midsize architecture. It presumably would be offered in both front- and all-wheel-drive variants, with a choice of four-cylinder and V6 engines. The current BLS, which is built by Saab in Sweden, is sold only in Europe

Link

[Drew Dowdell]

Personally, I think the BLS will come. If the NG CTS is that much greater of a vehicle than the current one, it should cost more.... which means there is room at the bottom where the BLS could and would slot in.

Sell it in AWD only and take on Audi directly.