Category: General Motors

Despite its rather gloomy current circumstances, Hummer is determined to expand its current range by adding a new model. But instead of a gas guzzler, the new off-road will be smaller than the successful H3. Hummer CEO Martin Walsh gave more information to Hummer dealers. The new baby Hummer will target the Jeep Wrangler.

Dubbed HX internally, it will be launched in 2010-2011. In order to fit in better with Hummer’s current naming scheme, the car will probably be called H4. It will not be based on a shortened H3 platform, but rather will reuse the platform of an existing model to cut costs. For this, the Chevrolet Captiva/Vauxhall Antara may be a good choice.

According to insiders, the off-road will feature removable doors and roof panels like the Wrangler. A new smaller off-road is a smart decision but there is still some uncertainty. GM is well known for damaging its brands by sharing platforms and components, though Hummer has so far been spared.

Source: MotorAuthority

It is no secret that the Cadillac BLS is a failure on the European market. This a bad news for the American carmaker, who had planned to establish the brand on the continent with the mid-sized saloon. The time has therefore come to review the sales target. At the Cadillac headquarters there is no room for niceties. From the originally planned 20,000 units in 2003, the target will be 10,000 for 2007.

In order to reach the target, distribution duties will be transferred from the Dutch group Kroymans to its UK division. The latter already handles the Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Saab brands. On the British market, the UK met success with the Saab brand. GM hopes that the experience acquired with Saab will be useful to the relaunch of the Cadillac.

Unfortunately, at the pace recorded for the first semester of 2007, Cadillac will never achieve its target. Over the first five months, the company has delivered only 1,314 cars.

Source: Automotive News

Bob Lutz announced recently that plans to produce the Cadillac Sixteen have been shelved. Lutz cites GM’s will to meet the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards.

The Cadillac Sixteen was a concept car displayed at the 2003 Detroit motor show. With this car, Cadillac wanted to mix its current edgy design theme with cues from iconic past models such as the 1967 Eldorado and the Cadillac V16. It took inspiration from the latter for the engine. The Sixteen was equipped with a giant V16 displacing 13.6 litres. No official power figures were given but it was said to produce over 1000 bhp and have a torque of 1000 ft·lb/1350 Nm.

Although the Sixteen will not reach the production stage, Cadillac is still looking for a super-saloon.

It would seem that Cadillac still has faith in the BLS despite the low sales figures in 2006. The carmaker revealed an estate variant dubbed Wagon last March that will be finally sold in November, just after an official launch at the Frankfurt motor show.

On the outside, the BLS Wagon is an appealing estate, thanks to its Cadillac stylistic vocabulary. The lines are sharp and its compact look gives it a sporty feel. Like the Saab 9-3 SportCombi from which it is cloned, the BLS Wagon has poor boot capacity with only 419 litres. With the rear seats folded down, the total amount of cargo space adds up to 1285 litres.

Under the hood the big changes are the new diesel engine already available on the Saab 9-3. The 1.9 litre engine is equipped with two turbos integrated as a single unit and a common rail fuel injection. It produces 180 hp/177 bhp and torque of 400 Nm/133 lb/ft. The other big news is the announcement of a bio-ethanol engine for 2008. In addition to these new engines, the BLS wagon keeps the current ones available on the saloon: the two 2.0 litres four-cylinder turbocharged units developing 175 hp/173 bhp and 210 hp/207 bhp and the 2.8 litres V-6 developing 255 hp/251 bhp.

The BLS Wgaon will offer 4 trim levels: Business, Elegance, Sport and Sport Luxury.

The first one offers 16-inch alloy wheels, Cadillac’s StabiliTrak electronic stability program, front, side and head curtain airbags, three-spoke leather steering wheel, cruise control, air conditioning and a seven-speaker audio system with CD player.

The second one adds wipers with rain sensors, eight-way power seats, dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels and red walnut wood veneer trims.

The third one adds 18-inch wheels and lowered sports suspension. Inside the aluminum trim replaces the wood panels.

The fourth one, only available on the top 2.8 V6 and the 1.9 diesel engine, adds Bi-Xenon headlamps and heated and electrically adjustable leather seats with memory function.

Specially meant for Europe, here is the Cadillac BLS. Imitating the angular styling of the CTS, this compact sedan will offer diesel engines, a prerequisite for success in Europe.

Guess what? Its 1.9 diesel unit is called JTD in Italy! Yes, this is the first Fiat-powered Cad’ ever: a remnant of the dead Fiat-GM alliance. This is far from being a bad bet, since Fiat’s know-how in terms of common-rail technology is world widely acknowledged.

Another interesting point: the platform of this new Cadillac is called “Premium”. Does it ring a bell? To me, yes: this is the name given to another platform: the Alfa 159’s! No need to worry anyway: all these components are technologically excellent.

Cadillac hopes to sell 20,000 copies a year of its new front-wheel-drive car, which will be available in Europe only. To achieve this goal, other engines will be offered: a 2.8 turbo diesel V6 and two turbocharged petrol engines, of respectively 2.0 and 2.8 litres.

The American carmaker has not disclosed any horsepower rating yet, but promises the handling and ride will be among the best in class, relying on Mc Pherson front struts and a multilink rear suspension. Of course, the equipment list will match Cadillac’s standards, including a touch-screen operated DVD-based GPS system combined with a Bluetooth telephone.

This is not too much to compete with the Audi A4, the Mercedes C-Class or the BMW 3-Series late 2005.