While advertisement in our parts gets more and more boring because of political correctness, here is a good show that brings back the flavor of V8 horsepower and burning rubber! Ni Hao !
Category: Cadillac
Cadillac BRX to be christened SRX
The future SRX replacement was expected to be called BRX, but company execs have decided to keep the current moniker.Due to be unveiled next year, the future SRX replacement model will finally replace the planned BRX moniker to keep the current name. Cadillac managers estimate that the current moniker has some potential despite current model’s poor sales. It is unknown whether this future SUV will reach our shores. However, a European version sold under the Saab brand will be available from next year.
Respectively codenamed GMT166 and GMT168, the next SRX and the future Saab 9-4X will share a new platform called TE, short for Theta-Epsilon. The two models will be built at the Ramos Arizpe facility in the US. Cadillac plans to sell 75,000 units annually. The SRX will be powered by two petrol engines, a 210bhp 2.8-litre V6 unit and a 300bhp 3.6-litre V6 unit. A 2.0-litre diesel engine might also be available. There is no information regarding the 2.9-litre V6 diesel unit which would be essential on the European market.
Cadillac CTS-V on the ‘Ring
The 7:59.32 lap is really impressive for a saloon and GM has released a video footage of the lap.The car used for the lap is 100% identical to the production version claims Cadillac, but you will need to be as expert as the driver John Heinricy to play with the gearbox as he does.
Spyshots: Cadillac CTS coupé
Last week, Petrol-Head reported that Cadillac had announced its intention to build the CTS Coupe Concept. Some advanced prototypes have been caught under testing.The prototypes are heavily covered and it is difficult to spot the overall shape of the future coupé. However, the testing models feature a center-mounted dual exhaust pipes similar to the concept car’s. What’s interesting about the spyshots is not the car in itself as it will be a two door version of the CTS saloon, but its advanced stage. This means that Cadillac might unveil the production version a the next Detroit Auto Show in January 2009 with the intention to put it on sale next year.
GM seems to speed up the development process to expand and renew its brands lineup as quick as possible to catch up with Toyota and German carmakers.
Click here to see all the pictures
Source: Car & Driver
Cadillac to build the CTS coupé
Cadillac has announced it will build a production version of the CTS Coupe Concept unveiled at Detroit last month; however no launch date has been given.The future coupé is the company serious attempt to increase the CTS sales globally and boost the brand image in the SU but also abroad as the American struggles to survive on worldwide markets because of an intense competition generated by the German clique.
Like Saab, Cadillac is struggling to increase its sales and the company has set an ambitious plan to sell 210,000 cars by the end of this year. By comparison, Audi, BMW or Mercedes will sell more than 200,000 cars each in the US only.
Launched at Detroit, the CTS Coupe Concept was acclaimed by the press for its stylish exterior design.
Cadillac considers a hybrid SUV for Europe
Cadillac will display the Escalade Hybrid SUV at the next Geneva Motor Show as the company is seriously considering importing hybrid models in Europe to expand its lineup.Cadillac sales suffers from a few problems in Europe. The lineup is to small to cover all segment of the market a bit like Lexus. Except for the BLS, the company doesn’t offer any diesel engines and the Cadillac brand itself is still considered new in most parts of Europe.
Cadillac executives think that a taking a similar path to Lexus in the US might help the brand to increase its sales on European markets. Unfortunately for Cadillac, European customers aren’t fond of hybrid vehicles which doesn’t offer much more than the ubiquitous diesel powered vehicles on the paper. They cherish their diesel cars and launching a SUV, unfitted for European roads, won’t help increase the sales even with a hybrid system.
If the company wants to increase its sales in Europe, it has to show the CTS V6 diesel at Geneva and then European customers will notice the brand.
New Cadillac XLR to appear in June
According to the Chicago Tribune, The GM luxury brand, Cadillac, will launch a new XLR next July. Unfortunately details remain scarce and it is not specified if this is a revamped XLR or an all-new model.The XLR is the SL-Class for Cadillac. If it doesn’t meet the same success as the German model, it’s still an emblematic model for the car maker. If the new XLR gets a facelift, it will likely hit the showrooms in July. if it’s an all-new model, it will likely be unveiled in July but won’t hit the showrooms before 2009.
Secrecy surrounds the future XLR although some observers believe the XLR-V will replace its 4.4-litre V8 by the 550bhp LSA V8 seen in the new CTS-V model. Despite sharing its platform with the Corvette, the XLR won’t get any engine from the sports coupé.
Cadillac to build a compact in 2011
Like the German clique, Cadillac knows that its future lies in smaller cars, especially with the plan to expand its sales abroad. Cadillac is planning to build a compact set to compete with the Audi A3 and the BMW 10-Series.In an interview with GoAuto, Bob Lutz revealed a few details about the future baby Cad’ which would be christened ATS. Like the BMW, it will be a rear wheel drive compact car and will offer similar dimensions. Due to be launched in 2011, the car is being developed in Australia by Holden.
Above the ATS, Cadillac is currently working on the next-generation BLS which doesn’t meet its sales expectation. This time, the car will go global and will be built in the US or in Mexico. Due to be launched in 2010, the future BLS will be based on the Epsilon II platform, but in a detuned version in order to reduce costs.
GM cancels its future V8 program
GM has announced that it has cancelled a $300-million program to build a new V8 engine for its luxury models due to rising gas prices and tighter emission regulations. This is a surprising move for the American group as it shakes up the Cadillac’s roadmap as there is now no successor to the V8 NorthStar expected to cease production in 2010. The company had announced last year that the new engine would be built in the Tonawanda factory by 2009.Instead of a V8, the NorthStar will be replaced by turbocharged V6 petrol engines which deliver similar performance to a V8. As Cadillac spokesman Kevin Smith said in an interview with Automotive News, “the V6 become the predominant engine in sales on the (2008) STS because it’s so close in power to the V8”.
However this news doesn’t mean it’s the beginning of the end for the V8 engines. Indeed, GM still plans to build V8 units and will launch a new V8 4.5-litre petrol engine next year. Due to be featured on the pickup lineup and on the Hummer H2, the new V8 will reduce gas consumption by 25% and CO2 emissions by 13%.
Spyshots: undisguised CTS-V
Cadillac has a strong ambition for the CTS model and the sporty CTS-V is the company’s serious attempt set to compete with the outrageous Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG.Engineers have worked hard to upgrade the CTS to German standards and the CTS-V will get upgraded tyres and tires, and chassis tuning. The car will sit on 19” wheels. The exterior styling features minor changes including a specific grille.
Final specs of the car are still unknown although observers agree today that the CTS-V won’t be powered by the LS7 engine taken from the Corvette Z06 as originally thought. The speedy saloon will have a 6.2-litre V8 that pumps out 525bhp with the help of a supercharger. The larger lower intake might favour the latter as it would help feeding the intercooler.
Click here to see all the picturesSource: Autoblog
