GM announced today that the production version of the new CTS coupe has been pushed from November’s LA auto show to the January Detroit auto show…apparently as a ‘cost cutting’ measure.
Given recent problems we’ve had getting responses from Cadillac’s press relations group – maybe they’ve cut enough that it is difficult to get their launches planned in time.
Despite what other sites are saying about this – we see no reason that the production of the coupe will be delayed.
Production of the 2009 CTS-V sedan starts this month with the first cars expected in dealer hands at the beginning of November (at a starting price in the US of $5 shy of $60,000).
Hmmm…now where is that winning lottery ticket.
Read on for the official press release from Cadillac:
If you follow the great automotive TV show from the BBC, Top Gear, then you know Jeremy Clarkson.
You also know that he has rarely, if ever, had a good word about any car from this side of the pond. Which is what makes this so unusual…
He actually wrote quite a nice review of the new CTS-V, noting it as superior to the BMW M5 and to Mercedes’ AMG products…saying that “you’d be mad to buy anything else”.
We’ve suspected this for quite some time, but we are hearing from a few sites that Cadillac has green-lighted the sub-CTS sedan based on their new rear-drive Alpha platform.
For the US market, this will be a brand new model. For Europe, this will replace the front-drive, Saab 9-3 based, BLS sedan and wagon.
Expect direct-injection (likely turbo-charged) 4-cylinders as base power, perhaps with a small V-6 as the top engine. If we’re lucky, a turbo V-6 might make for a sweet V-Series version of this car to compete in all ways with the BMW M3 and Audi S4/RS4.
Given rumors that the Kappa cars (Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky) will switch to Alpha in their re-design, this could suggest that a convertible version of the Alpha Cadillac could arrive, along with a coupe, early in the next decade.
Check out MotorTrend’s rendering of what the Alpha sedan might look like at:
The good folks over at LLN are reporting that the current freshening of the XLR might be the end of the line for the top Cadillac.
Built as a production version of Cadillac’s Evoq concept car (the concept that debuted Cadillac’s current styling language) and to compete against the Mercedes SL, the XLR has never lived up to Cadillac’s expectations. This could be attributed to an interior that never lived up to the car’s price tag as well as debuting at a time when Cadillac was unwilling to spend the money required to truly compete with the big dogs in the industry.
The XLR’s platform-mate, the Chevy Corvette, is due to be re-designed as a 2012 model – the XLR is not expected to come along for the ride. This suggests that 2011 may be the last year for the XLR.
Here’s hoping that Cadillac gets its head out of its rear and brings the same magic and focus to its redesign that gave us the new CTS and re-designs the XLR as a true SL competitor and a car worthy of its high pricetag.
GM announced today that the production version of the new CTS coupe has been pushed from November’s LA auto show to the January Detroit auto show…apparently as a ‘cost cutting’ measure.
Production of the 2009 CTS-V sedan starts this month with the first cars expected in dealer hands at the beginning of November (at a starting price in the US of $5 shy of $60,000).
