Archive for May, 2007
More CTS-V news
May 30, 2007 - 11:34 am
The good folks at AutoBlog.com and WindingRoad.com have posted some lovely new spy shots of the 2009 CTS-V.
Along with this is word of the internal GM code for this product (GMX322 V S/C), that a version of the LSA V-8 with a supercharger is all but confirmed, as is an output comfortably above 500hp. Unlike the related V-8 that will find its home under the hood of the Corvette SS, the V’s engine will be built on a regular engine line – not hand-built like the ‘Vette engine.
Sources also report that the first generation CTS-V’s wheel-hop on acceleration has been tamed with a significantly revised rear axle and suspension.
The new V will also be available with a manual and, for the first time, a paddle-shifted automatic.
Production is expected to start in fall of 2008 and be capped at 7000 units per year.
Very nice.
Looking for some input – forums upgrade
May 22, 2007 - 2:31 pm
In the coming weeks, we plan to update the forums.
See this post in the forums for details, a poll about the options, and to chime in with your preference.
Lutz has spoken – SLS not coming to the US
May 16, 2007 - 3:12 pmYou remember SLS, right? No, not the luxury trim version of the previous front-drive Seville.
The SLS is the stretched, new interior-ed version of the Sigma-based STS that is targeted at the Chinese market.
Last week on Autoline Detroit, a TV automotive magazine carried in Detroit as well as on Speed, we got to hear from Bob Lutz about a number of topics.
One of interest to us here at ‘the Edge’ was in response to a question about bringing the SLS over to the US. According to Mr. Lutz, the SLS would not meet new, strict side-impact regulations in the US without significant investment. Given the remaining lifetime of the STS, they’d never make the money back.
Of course, this still doesn’t fully explain why we don’t get the sweet interior upgrade designed for the SLS…
Our take is that, especially in light of rumors that the next few years will bring a rear-drive BLS, CTS moving into the STS’ segment, and a future Zeta-based 7-series competitor (with V-12 power) – that folks wanting an SLS won’t have too long to wait for a similar product from Cadillac.
Why the SRX is failing
May 16, 2007 - 10:02 amFrom the news and rumors circulating lately…we can see the writing on the wall. The SRX is not going to be with us for much longer.
This got me wondering exactly what failed with the SRX – a vehicle that has received critical acclaim while not really selling anywhere near the numbers that Cadillac or the press might have expected.
I think it comes down to it being the wrong kind of cross-over (which can be forgiven since the segment was brand new when the SRX debuted). Consumers seem to want their cross-overs to be more efficient and better driving SUVs. As such, they want that SUV macho look even if it is really a car underneath.
In the case of the SRX, we have an SUV that looks too much like a car/wagon. So, SUV buyers rejected it as being _too much_ of a car while car buyers rejected it as not being _enough_ of a car.
Expect the replacement of the SRX in the form of both a CTS wagon _and_ a new BRX cross-over. The CTS will appeal to luxury buyers who like their utility in a car package while the BRX is very likely to err more on the SUV/truck side of the cross-over continuum with more masculine styling.
We expect the BRX to sell much better than the SRX while the CTS wagon will do well in Europe and get incremental sales in the US – all for very little investment from Cadillac.
GM taking over control of UK Cadillac distribution
May 8, 2007 - 2:41 pmAccording to the good folks over at Autocar.co.uk, GM is poised to take back direct control of their UK distribution of Cadillac, Corvette (which is sold in Europe as its own brand), and Hummer.
While no details are yet available on what changes GM will make – they are likely aimed at improving dismal sales of Cadillac in that market (Cadillac has sold all of 600 cars in the UK since 2004).
Expect an official announcement in the coming days.
Read the Autocar article at:
Cadillac snags 4 awards in Edmunds’ Consumers Most Wanted list
May 7, 2007 - 2:35 pmWhere have I heard this before? – RWD plans for Cadillac
May 7, 2007 - 12:51 pm
GM Inside News is reporting on information they have from GM insiders as to GM and Cadillac’s future rear-drive plans.
Of note for us Cadillac fans:
BLS will debut on the Alpha platform in early 2011 as a 2012 model in rear and all-wheel drive and will be targeted in size and mission directly against the BMW 3-series.
What? Isn’t the CTS supposed to be Cadillac’s 3-series (if slightly larger) competitor? Not anymore.
In 2010, Cadillac will make a significant refresh of the new CTS to move it upmarket to 5-series territory.
What? What does that mean for the STS? Well, at about this time, Cadillac will discontinue the STS to make room for this re-positioning of the CTS.
Expect the 3rd generation CTS to bow in 2012 as a 2013 and leave the Sigma chassis behind in favor of a version of the Zeta platform.
Other significant product additions include a CTS coupe and wagon around 2009, a small utility (BRX) that will take parts from the Epsilon and Theta chassis. The CTS wagon and BRX will make the SRX redundant and expect it to leave the lineup in the 2009-2010 time frame.
BRX will have a short life before being redesigned early in the next decade on the new Alpha chassis (and making the first BRX a short-lived excursion from Cadillac’s all-rear drive/all the time strategy).
While not mentioned in this piece, we also have heard many times that Cadillac is chomping at the bit for a large off-shoot of Zeta to fill-in the top of the line and give the brand a viable competitor for the BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-class, and expected to have V-12 power (at least as an option).
Read all about it at:
