Archive for January, 2008
Provoq confirmed as SRX replacement
January 23, 2008 - 10:01 am
As if we didn’t suspect this already – Automotive News is reporting an interview with Cadillac head Jim Taylor that the Provoq will see production (in gas powered form, of course) in 2009 as the spiritual successor to the SRX.
Sales goals for the new crossover (based on GM’s ‘premium Theta’ platform) are 60-70k units per year. This compares to the 20k units the SRX sells per year.
For those who liked the SRX’s sporty bent and wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these ‘crossover/SUV-ish’ things…Cadillac will have your number with the CTS sport wagon that should hit the market about the same time as the CTS coupe (i.e. 2010 model year).
Source – Automotive News via eGMCarTech
Cadillac Designer talks about the new CTS-V
January 22, 2008 - 2:24 pmMore spy shots of the upcoming BRX/BTX small crossover
January 18, 2008 - 10:01 am
Autoblog has posted a series of new spy shots of what we’ve been expecting to be the new small crossover from Cadillac (thought to be either the BTX or BRX).
Giving the styling hints given by the Provoq concept – I’m starting to doubt that this is the Cadillac crossover (or that Cadillac is being pretty inconsistent in their styling theme on the production version vs. the concept). For example, the ‘side window graphic’ in designer-speak is completely different. Check out the trailing edge of the rear door window shape, especially how it meets the C-pillar. The spy shots show a BMW-esque kick-forward while the concept was much more consistent with the CTS/CTS coupe with a taper from roof to body that is unbroken.
The headlights seem to wrap into the fender, as in the Provoq – but given that even Chevrolet and Saturn are using similar themes – that doesn’t tell us much.
The lower grill/running-light area and the front to back rising character line on the spy shots are the only things I think match the Provoq.
I guess we’ll see in the next year which brand this little crossover belongs to.
Check it out at:
Autoblog: Cadillac BRX – spy shots
How much of the CTS Coupe will change for production?
January 17, 2008 - 12:31 pmMotorTrend.com is reporting that they asked that question of GM Insiders and got a surprising answer.
’Very little’ is the basic answer. All the sheet metal you see on the concept will be there on the production car. Changes will be limited to a more typical dual exhaust, production wheels, and slight reshaping of the rear bumper for better low speed impact protection at the corners.
This appears to be the ultimate expression of the changes within GM that Bob Lutz brought about when he forced the company to revisit their most entrenched rules of design. The example given is that the design ‘rule book’ would not have allowed them to lower the roof (MT says 2” though I had heard that the roof was 4” lower than the sedan) this much because it would have violated the company’s arbitrary visibility rules.
If this is what you can get when you put styling and design above cost and decades-old rules – bring it on!
Read the MT article at:
MotorTrend.com: Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept: Breaking the Rules
