Spying: Cadillac CTS, Now On The Streets

Huge grille, eh? That detail reminds me of the Ciel concept

Boy, this looks more like a competitor to MB and BMW.

It has the Benz lower sleeker and wider look about it. Once the Camo is off it might be very interesting.

Looks promising so far, and agrees about the Benz look, I think they used those wheels to make it look more like a Benz. I just hope it doesn't get too big, the CTS is already bigger than an E-class.

This car could make the XTS irrelevant (which I would love). This car will have a longer wheelbase, and possibly more interior room than an XTS, they could fit it with magnetic ride control, a better interior, and 8-speed transmission (if they ever get one). Then you have RWD ride and handling that beats the XTS, better fuel economy because of the turbo 4 and even the V6 with a better transmission and less mass to move around should do better on the CTS than XTS. I assume this CTS will be priced the same as the XTS in order to line up to the 5-series.

I wish more people would understand the XTS in a way is kind of like a Captiva. The Captiva takes the resale hit for the Nox. GM has cut back on Nox fleet sales to help the Nox owners retain greater resale value. The XTS will do the same for the CTS and ATS. Cadillac will sell them in in larger numbers for livery service like the Town Cars did. The Town Cars resale was crap due to so many used ones on the market.

Along the way the XTS will help move people closer to the kind of car Cadillac is becoming.

The CTS will be special and I expect more like the rest fo the market and become more upscale with class. So will the price. The CTS will become the car the STS should have been.

The CTS is already special. Otherwise, Cadillac would be more like Lincoln: moribund and ready for the glue factory. Yes, the CTS needs to be even more competitive with the 5 series and the E Class. Now if only there was a proper 7 series/S Class/XJ fighter from Cadillac......

The CTS will become the car the STS should have been.

Let's hope, the STS was a dud.

CTS is already more than the STS was.
The idea that we have but 'thin hope' that the next one will be another strong competitor is not very credible... but keep on pushing that broken wheelbarrow.

CTS, ATS, SRX and even the XTS are all winners and will continue to help move cadillac back to the world standard. I truly believe the people there are aware of the history that messed up Caddy to begin with and know they have to be on the bleeding edge of competition with MB and BMW to really make it. Unlike the Glue stock Lincoln, Caddy has much going for it and will sprint further ahead over the next year to year and 1/2.

CTS, ATS, SRX and even the XTS are all winners and will continue to help move cadillac back to the world standard. I truly believe the people there are aware of the history that messed up Caddy to begin with and know they have to be on the bleeding edge of competition with MB and BMW to really make it. Unlike the Glue stock Lincoln, Caddy has much going for it and will sprint further ahead over the next year to year and 1/2.

Not sure you can be the "world standard" when you pretty much only sell in North America and even in the USA Cadillac is mid-pack in sales.

Not sure you can be the "world standard" when you pretty much only sell in North America and even in the USA Cadillac is mid-pack in sales.

Well, 'world' in the sense of the World Series or Super Bowl...

CTS, ATS, SRX and even the XTS are all winners and will continue to help move cadillac back to the world standard. I truly believe the people there are aware of the history that messed up Caddy to begin with and know they have to be on the bleeding edge of competition with MB and BMW to really make it. Unlike the Glue stock Lincoln, Caddy has much going for it and will sprint further ahead over the next year to year and 1/2.

Not sure you can be the "world standard" when you pretty much only sell in North America and even in the USA Cadillac is mid-pack in sales.

Be sure that being a 'world standard' is NOT aspirationally based on merely reaching a crushing sales volume....

CTS, ATS, SRX and even the XTS are all winners and will continue to help move cadillac back to the world standard. I truly believe the people there are aware of the history that messed up Caddy to begin with and know they have to be on the bleeding edge of competition with MB and BMW to really make it. Unlike the Glue stock Lincoln, Caddy has much going for it and will sprint further ahead over the next year to year and 1/2.

Not sure you can be the "world standard" when you pretty much only sell in North America and even in the USA Cadillac is mid-pack in sales.

Be sure that being a 'world standard' is NOT aspirationally based on merely reaching a crushing sales volume....

This is where Cadillac is going but you can not just start building expensive low volume cars over night and expect people to buy them right out of the gate after years or poor cars. You need to undersell the other and improve the cars to the point you earn the customers trust before he plunks down $95,000 on a car.

BMW and Benz sell as much or more on past rep than present qulity. Today Cadillac needs to earn the rep of quaily and value and transfer that to more and more lower volume higher price and profitable cars.

I think the flag ship will be here at the time that the ATS and new CTS will have few excuses to not be in the same class as Benz and BMW. They could not have done that on the first gen CTS. Now the money is here they have been fixing the lower end cars that will show people the flag ship is worth putting the money down for.

the XTS wil keep up the cash flow and resale value of the other cars by being the volume car for now.

Yet look at all the passion we have in one way or another. With passion and determination, Caddilac will become the world standard again in the future I believe. ATS, CTS, SRX and Escalade will help them achieve this.

Not sure how the SRX helps them become a world standard, when it competes with the RX350 and MKX, and the Germans have rear drive, more expensive SUVs. Plus the MKX is sold in North America only, and even 56% of Lexus brand sales are in the USA.

Also not sure dfelt how the XTS is already a winner when it isn't on sale yet, and many are already saying it is here to handle fleet sales.

ATS might be world class, and the next-gen CTS might be world class, but those are still 2 "might be's" and BMW and Mercedes have been world class for 30+ years. So while I see the ATS and CTS being steps in the right direction, they may not get Cadillac across the goal line.

Yet look at all the passion we have in one way or another. With passion and determination, Caddilac will become the world standard again in the future I believe. ATS, CTS, SRX and Escalade will help them achieve this.

The mistake is some thing these are the destination when these models are the path. Cadillac will evolve and they will get there. The ATS for the reality of it is the real first step post Chapter 11.

Yet look at all the passion we have in one way or another. With passion and determination, Caddilac will become the world standard again in the future I believe. ATS, CTS, SRX and Escalade will help them achieve this.

The mistake is some thing these are the destination when these models are the path. Cadillac will evolve and they will get there. The ATS for the reality of it is the real first step post Chapter 11.

Yet both of you prove a point I was interested in seeing if anyone else would join me on. To become a world standard, to move beyond what is to what can become, one must have faith. I consider myself agnostic/atheist when it comes to religion, yet that does not mean I do not have faith in what engineers and companies can do to compete and be a standard.

Apple became a standard
Microsoft is a standard
Cisco is a standard
GM was a standard at one time, they can become the standard again.

It starts with each one here to realize we all have the responsibility to give feedback to GM and other companies we care about. Make sure they hear us as our intentions are meant to be best and then hold onto the faith that they will not only hear, but incorporate it into their business to achieve that standard.

ATS & CTS truly are a standard I believe. SRX, XTS and Escalade all play an important role in achieving this, if you talk to any of us that have owened 1 or more Escalades they have achieved that standard already for full size SUV's. SRX will help them move in the right direction for CUV sales and the XTS has an important fleet business model that helps Cadillac be seen. As long as the design language is consistent and flows through out all models, you will see a consistent message that will grow peoples perception of Cadillac favorably.

Keep the Faith on GM and Cadillac the Standard of the World!

This is how I see it. The present CTS has gone from a non contender Catera to a CTS that is a player in the segment. The next CTS I feel will be one that will challange for the lead.

The ATS I expect will be a car that can contend for the class lead but it is to soon to crown it a leader yet. Once we see the test and drive it we will know if it has the right stuff. On paper the standard ATS look very good.

The SRX is not what I would term as the new GM. I think it represents well what Lutz could do with what he had to work with. The next update on the Theta platform will be move to the head of the pack. Owning a new Theta I can tell you it is as good or better than many in class but it just needs a touch more to be the lead in price ranges in this competitive class.

The XTS is mostly in a class of its own. It is a little 300 a little old town car and a little new Cadillac. It is mostly like the SRX a finished verson of a model Lutz started before the new money came in. It is about as good as it can be in class as it mostly has few in this price range that offer what it offers and will do the mission it is set to do. I see it as a space filler till a true flag ship is ready and in time it will be replaced with a larger version on the Alpha or other RWD AWD chassis.

I do not believe in faith in a company. I know GM has the tallent to do what it needs and they key was to set them lose to do the job. Lutz and a few others have changed the GM rule book to let them build the cars the way they need to be and not follow the crazy rules in the past. They no longer have to be asked to do class leading panel gaps. They no longer have to be told to put chrome around the windows to make a plain car look much more up class. Yes it will cost more money but if it increases sales no one will repremand you like they would if the car fails due to a poor cheap appearance.

The only real issue is that it will take time to do all that needs done. GM as big as it is just does not have the money to do all that needs done at one time. Also they just don't have the man power to do it all at one time and still get it right.

Doing the trucks now will inject a lot of cash flow to help fund many of the new project that are to come.

It is not faith it is just a matter of doing the job right and make smart buisness moves needed to keep the progress going.

This is like the new tower in NY being built to replace the twin towers. You start at the ground floor and work your way up. Make each and every move a step ahead and win the desire and trust of the public to spend more and more money on the cars you build.

To turn around decades of GM and Cadillac will take years and not months. It will take more than one model and each new one building on the one before it.

I just hope GM can get to the point where they can into cars that are not just as good in class but the best and remain there more than 6 months to a year like it is now.

Very Nice Write Up Hyperv6.

Very Nice Write Up Hyperv6.

Thanks!

Moving in the rigth direction is good, and ATS and CTS seem to be doing that. But 10 years ago the first CTS came out, and we heard of a rear drive STS and rear drive convertible to follow shortly after. 10 years ago Cadillac was supposed to be moving toward being a global player and challenging the Germans. So we've heard this story before.

We are also about 1 year away from a new S-class and a reminder of what Mercedes is capable of and why they are Mercedes and Cadillac, Infiniti, and the others are second teir.

BMW and Mercedes have been world class for 30+ years.

BME & mercedees were far from being a 'world class standard' circa the early '80s. BMW interiors for one were horrendously cheap & spartan. BMW of today (still not great) wouldn't even recognize early '80s BMW.
Both have made huge leaps in interior quality, appointments, equipment & luxury, but they were pretty bad then. You need to cut yer revisionist history timespan down a bit.

'81 5-series:

BMW and Mercedes have been world class for 30+ years.

BME & mercedees were far from being a 'world class standard' circa the early '80s. BMW interiors for one were horrendously cheap & spartan. BMW of today (still not great) wouldn't even recognize early '80s BMW.
Both have made huge leaps in interior quality, appointments, equipment & luxury, but they were pretty bad then. You need to cut yer revisionist history timespan down a bit.

'81 5-series:

WOW That is one freakin cheap ass interior.

It's a complete joke.
'Luxury car', 'world class'...