GM @ SEMA: Cadillac CTS Sport Concept

[Chris_Doane]

GM @ SEMA
Cadillac CTS Sport Concept
For release: Oct. 29, 2007, 12:01 a.m. EDT

As the new 2008 Cadillac CTS sedan garners critical acclaim, the CTS Sport concept puts a unique twist on this hot new luxury sedan. The CTS Sport concept suggests a customization theme emphasizing the car’s performance character. The show car includes new front and rear fascias, a modified hood, rear spoiler and 20-inch wheels Recaro sport seats highlight the cabin. Performance is derived from a production-spec 304-hp 3.6L Direct Injection V-6 that exhales through a Corsa cat-back exhaust system with 3.5-inch outlets.

Vehicle highlights:
• CTS Sport concept
• 3.6L V-6 with direct injection
• Modified hood with wire mesh inserts
• Unique front and rear fascias with carbon fiber and wire mesh inserts
• Carbon-fiber front fender extractors
• Export-model taillamps and CHMSL with clear lenses
• Unique rear deck spoiler
• Headlamps with unique housing finish
• Roof-mounted OnStar antenna
• Brake ducting with LED lighting
• Polished, forged 20-inch wheels
• High-performance brakes with painted calipers and drilled/slotted rotors
• Carbon-fiber interior trim plates
• BlueConnect Bluetooth integrated into the headliner
• Recaro sport seats with leather trim
• Corsa cat-back exhaust with rectangular outlet tips and wire mesh inserts

[Northstar]

Ugh, quite tacky. Ugly hood, ugly wheels, ugly brake calipers (yellow = yuck), and the body-color grill doesn't work as well on the new CTS. The headlights are cool, though.

[loki]

maybe it's the color... not pretty.

the rear lower fascia looks good though

prelude to some V-series looks...?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I'm not sure what you folks are smoking, but I love that thing!

It's very aggressive, if a bit overdone.

Stuff I like:

* The wheels are beautiful!!!!!

* Love the clear tails.

* Love the rear spolier.

* Love the new side skirt.

Stuff I'd tweak and keep:

* The hood needs to be more subtle, but it has a lot of appeal.

* The front fascia needs to be reworked a bit on the bottom.

Stuff I hate:

* Get rid of those TACKY yellow brake calipers, pronto!!!

* Throw the rear bumper away and start fresh.

Stuff I'm willing to bet on:

* This is a styling preview for the CTS-V

* This car would look A LOT better had it been presented in a better color.

Edited October 29, 2007 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[Cory Wolfe]

I'll have to agree with FOG. I like how menacing it looks.

[CSpec]

I actually like this. It has some stupid touches, but overall it looks pretty cool I think. Especially the head and taillights.

[bobo]

Needs just a few tweaks, most notably getting rid of the chrome and a sleeker hood.

[VenSeattle]

It works... can't quite figure out why or how... but it works.

So, it gets a thumbs up!

[silverss/sc]

I think in the flesh it will be a good looking car . All these photoshopped pics look like crap .

[ocnblu]

I'll bet that's the CTS-V hood. I don't like the lack of vertical grille bars. The yellow calipers are not necessary. It looks good lowered.

It seems like the designers cannot come up with a truly successful formula for a "Sport" theme on a Cadillac. The SRX Sport was wrong, the Escalade Sport at this year's show is wrong, this car just seems a bit... ruined by the extras. Hopefully, the factory V will be less forced, more natural and elegant.

[RJB]

Why does GM have to make everything look like the G6 GXP Street Edition?!! Absolutely horrible the way they have to over dress all these cars/trucks. I know its SEMA and you have to go over the top, but do it in a tasteful way...please!!

[bowtie_dude]

I think its freakin AWESOME!!!

[Drew Dowdell]

Orgasmatron!

[HUMVEE]

That may be the Coupe Grille. I read somewhere, here?, that the coupe wasn't going to have as many verticle bars...

[Intrepidation]

I like it a lot, but think the rear lower fascia and exhaust tips are way too blocky looking. Fix that, paint those nasty calipers sliver or black or red or something, and give t a better color and you have an awesome looking CTS-V.

[toesuf94]

if this is the new V-series...I AM IN LINE.

Actually: I would like to take the time here to start a class action lawsuit (just like the guy in Canada) against GM for making way too many hot cars for the simple, working class joes to buy! It should be only legal for GM to give us one hot assed car per year for ALL divisions. All of this lust is killing me! Look at our choices: Enclave, CTS, '08 C6/ZO6, XLR-V, ZR-1, G8, Malibu (make a nice winter car next to the CTS or Vette) Just in those few I mention, we are well into the $300,000 price tag...and this is if you choose to ignore such wonderful tidbits like the Sky, Solstice, HHR SS, Tahoe, Denali, Escalade, GMT-900 pick-ups, Aura, Trailblazer SS - the list goes on! I am telling you, this should be illegal!!!

I have got to win the lottery.

[Intrepidation]

Wait...there's a guy in Canada who is seriously filing a lawsuit for that reason?

[pow]

Fugly. The regular CTS with fogs and 18" polished alloys is perfection. This isn't.

[toesuf94]

Wait...there's a guy in Canada who is seriously filing a lawsuit for that reason?

Nope...he is suing because cars in Canada cost more in Canada than the same cars in the US. he only wants $2 Billion to make things right. My lawsuit would be just as frivolous...too many hot cars for my wallet. :AH-HA_wink:

[ZL-1]

• Export-model taillamps and CHMSL with clear lenses

If the export model's taillights are exactly like on this car (the blacked out effect) instead of the cheap-ass light coloured ones from the cars caught testing, I may actually like them!

[Bimmer325]

And you guys thought the IS-F was tacky?

[Northstar]

And you guys thought the IS-F was tacky?

This is a SEMA concept, the IS-F is a production car. It's OK to have tacky crap on a SEMA car, not so much on a production car. There's a big difference. Almost everything at SEMA is pretty tacky.

I do wish it was less tacky, but show me a SEMA concept that isn't tacky.

[Intrepidation]

I dunno, I didn't think the Ram concept or the Storm Trooper were tacky.

[91z4me]

I honestly don't know what some of you are looking at b/c I am in LOVE w/ this CTS!

[DetroitNut90]

It's workable. Ditch the yellow calipers, revise the hood, raise the height just a bit, and do a minor nip-tuck on the rear bumper, and I'd think it would look a whole lot nicer.

[pow]

If the CTS-V looks anything like this, it will be a styling downgrade from the normal CTS, IMO.

[Robert Hall]

Interesting..I'm not a fan of too much body-color trim, though....needs the chrome of the regular CTS..

[Northstar]

I dunno, I didn't think the Ram concept or the Storm Trooper were tacky.

Storm Trooper was quite tacky, IMO, and the Ram was just way over-the-top and gaudy. Again, all SEMA concepts are like this, so you can't be too nitpicky, though.

As for the CTS sport, it is growing on me. There are still things I don't like, but I think in black a lot of the changes would look pretty good.

[K.C.]

That thing would look killer in black, a real mafia CTS. I love the wheels. It is a bit overdone, but its aggressive and I love the taillamps.

[ToniCipriani]

- Lose the chrome mesh. Ever since I saw the G6 GXP, I have something against it.

- Lose the hood scoops. I highly doubt it does anything.

- Smaller NON-CHROME wheels.

- Round off the tailpipes a bit. I pray to God that those tails aren't like the IS-F's.

- In another colour. The Sport Red Tintcoat might work.

- Lose the painted calipers, or give it another colour like gold with a V-Series logo.

Otherwise it looks OK. Although the older one looks much classier.

[Nick]

Paint the mesh black and the car black and it will look worlds better.

[eldiablobanshee]

Why does GM have to make everything look like the G6 GXP Street Edition?!! Absolutely horrible the way they have to over dress all these cars/trucks. I know its SEMA and you have to go over the top, but do it in a tasteful way...please!!

+1

Fugly. The regular CTS with fogs and 18" polished alloys is perfection. This isn't.

+1

If the CTS-V looks anything like this, it will be a styling downgrade from the normal CTS, IMO.

+1

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

The IS-F is STILL further up the tacky meter than this...

But after all, it is from ricer land.

[G. David Felt]

I LOVE IT!!!

This is what a bad ass Cadillac should look like. Killer of the road. Eat em all up and throw away those ugly BMR and mercedes that can not even get into the top ten for quality but are soooooo over rated.

[guionM]

A CTSv preview, anyone?

[smk4565]

Notice how BMWs never have plastic body cladding or super sized wheels, or those vinyl or canvas carriage tops that Devilles always have. The classy approach seems to work for them and Mercedes, I don't know why Cadillac doesn't try to be like them, and less like Pontiac and Chevy from the 90s. That CTS sport is horrid looking.

The IS-F is horrid looking too with a bad interior, but it does to 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, it is impressive in that regard at least. I bet their handling lags behind the Germans though.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Ewwwww, let's just say I won't be buying that! Too much bling for me, I guess it's OK if you're a drug dealer, but I'm not, so I will be avoiding this car with a passion.

[Northstar]

Notice how BMWs never have plastic body cladding or super sized wheels, or those vinyl or canvas carriage tops that Devilles always have. The classy approach seems to work for them and Mercedes, I don't know why Cadillac doesn't try to be like them, and less like Pontiac and Chevy from the 90s. That CTS sport is horrid looking.

The IS-F is horrid looking too with a bad interior, but it does to 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, it is impressive in that regard at least. I bet their handling lags behind the Germans though.

The CTS sport has 20 inch wheels. BMW puts 19s on lots of cars. I don't think a one inch difference makes it "super size" plus, it's a SEMA concept, what do you expect? If it makes you feel any better, the CTS-V will have 19s as well.

As for vinyl tops -- they don't put those on from the factory. The dealerships do that.

Are you trying to say the CTS looks like a Chevy from the 90s and doesn't look classy?

Don't get so bent out of shape about a wild SEMA concept. It's a CONCEPT.

[steve333]

That thing is hot! Looks tough and menacing and all-American, baby.

[Flybrian]

Notice how BMWs never have plastic body cladding or super sized wheels, or those vinyl or canvas carriage tops that Devilles always have.

They're all from the factory, too...just like every Vogue Cadillac you see. *

(*Exception: the X3 came from the factory with the Aztek kit)