Cadillac CTS Honored as
Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year
Hot-selling sport sedan praised for
design and technology
DETROIT - The editors at Motor
Trend, one of the world's premiere
automotive authorities, announced today
that they have chosen the Cadillac CTS
as the
2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
"Cadillac is truly honored to receive
one of the world's most coveted
automotive awards," says Jim Taylor,
Cadillac general manager. "This is a
very meaningful reward for our team that
created the all-new 2008 CTS, and a
powerful statement to consumers
everywhere about Cadillac's product
renaissance."
The Motor Trend Car of the
Year honor highlights the wide acclaim
the 2008 CTS sport sedan has earned
around the world and with consumers
since its launch earlier this fall.
Luxury cars buyers are responding
similarly, with CTS U.S. sales jumping
75% in October.
The full report from Motor Trend
appears in the January issue of the
magazine (on newsstands in
early-December) and online at
www.motortrend.com. Cadillac was the
first automaker ever to win Motor
Trend Car of the Year in the
magazine's inaugural year of 1949, and
again in 1952 and 1992.
For release: Jan.
8, 2007, 9:40 a.m. EST
ALL-NEW 2008
CADILLAC CTS DESIGN INTENDS TO INJECT
DRAMATIC CHARACTER INTO THE LUXURY SEDAN
CATEGORY
DETROIT – Aggressive and
elegant, expressive and sophisticated,
the 2008 Cadillac CTS exudes a dramatic
design presence. This all-new luxury
sedan not only pushes Cadillac’s
acclaimed design theme higher, it aims
to redraw the boundaries of the normally
conservative luxury sedan category.
Inside and out, the 2008 CTS contradicts
many traditional design conventions.
CTS’ design expresses its serious
performance intent, yet also is more
elegant and luxurious. It’s a sedan in
the heart of the luxury market, yet
reaches for the charisma of a sports
car. CTS is thoroughly new and
contemporary, even while it evokes the
grandeur of classic Cadillac cars.
Since the inception of the
first-generation car in 2002, CTS is
about trend-setting design. The edgy
form of the CTS initially created
controversy. But from the moment it hit
the market, its design also attracted
lots of buyers, with design often noted
as a top reason for purchase. The
all-new 2008 edition extends that edgy
and contemporary character, with an
injection of elegance.
On the exterior, there’s no mistaking
the five-passenger sedan’s stronger
stance, thanks to a two-inch wider
track. Additionally, the overall shape
of the CTS features a faster profile
with more rake, coupled with surfaces
that add elegance and grace. Borrowing
from Cadillac’s legendary heritage,
design cues include vertically shaped
headlights and taillamps, signature
light emitting diode (LED) exterior
lighting, horizontal spline lines and
its dihedral-shaped hood, all
highlighted with many bright and jeweled
accents.
Just as definitive of CTS’ evolution
in design is the dramatically new
interior. Like the exterior, it
expresses luxury and performance themes
with appointments that are both
purposeful and elegant. Advances in
surface development, technology,
materials and construction combine to
make the CTS cabin a compelling blend of
technical sophistication, precise
tailoring and luxurious character.
Exterior: sporty sophistication
meets substance
Coupled with a new overall shape, the
most evolutionary dimension of the 2008
CTS comes in the form of a two-inch
wider track as a result of the addition
of the new, optional all-wheel-drive
configuration. The wider stance gives
the new model a more planted, capable
and well-grounded appearance that’s
exemplified by much tighter
tire-to-fender relationships.
The wider stance also enables more
tumblehome – the vehicle sides are
sculpted inward – delivering an
appearance of rear-wheel-drive
performance with a lower roof line,
without compromising headroom or a roomy
interior.
Additionally, a wider, tapering sail
panel, lower, more sculpted hood,
smoother wheel housing lips and a
tighter wheel-to-body relationship help
communicate the CTS’ agility as well as
its sophistication and substance.
Seven-spoke, 17-inch wheels or
available nine-spoke, 18-inch wheels
surround larger high-performance brake
calipers and rotors. Both painted and
machined finishes are available for the
standard 17-inch wheels. The larger,
18-inch wheels are available in a
premium multicoat finish or a
high-polish finish.
Inspired by Cadillac’s landmark
Sixteen concept car, the CTS front
appearance is immediately recognizable,
yet also is new. The large, chrome
dual-textured grille is significantly
more vertical in shape, and is both
aggressive and intricate. A large
center-positioned wreath and crest add
to the three-dimensional face. The front
fascia is balanced with vertically
stacked headlamps with bright bezels
stacked in a staircase-like array. The
lower air intake is flanked on both
sides with fog lamps and brake duct
intakes.
Side air extractors located forward
of the front doors are a modern homage
to Cadillac’s grand heritage. Additional
bright details include chrome molding
surrounding the side windows, and
three-inch chromed exhaust outlets.
Even on the rear of the car, where
many sedans are ordinary, Cadillac
designers injected charisma. The
vertical taillamps are a Cadillac
trademark. The roofline and rear
backlight have a coupe-like profile. At
the centerline, the decklid carries the
angular and directional theme of the
front.
Dimensionally, the 2008 CTS is 191.6
inches (4766 mm) long, 72.5 inches (1841
mm) wide and 58 inches (1472 mm) in
height. Wheelbase is 113.4 inches (2880
mm) with a front/rear track of 61.8 /
62.0 inches (1575 / 1585 mm).
,.
Interior: performance and elegance
combine
The 2008 CTS represents a new design
theme for Cadillac interiors,
emphasizing technical precision with
elegant, hand-crafted details.
Dramatically different from the
original, the interior design is
decidedly more upscale, with added
ornamentation, luxury and attention to
detail. Strict attention to packaging,
premium materials, surface development
and comfort combine to meet the
discriminating tastes of luxury
performance sedan buyers.
Upper instrument panel and door trim
surfaces are hand-cut, sewn and wrapped
by expert craftsmen. Analog
instrumentation that is tightly framed
with a compact hood tri-tubular, chromed
cluster, is defined by bright accents.
An integrated center stack design, with
either a satin metallic finish or
genuine Sapele wood, blends into the
lower instrument panel that sweeps
forward and away of front-seat
occupants. The hand-assembled center
console leads seamlessly into the center
stack, providing a sportier “cockpit”
feel for the driver and passenger
without compromising space.
Heated and ventilated seats
incorporate new “thin-seat” technology
for maximum occupant comfort and
enhanced rear-seat leg, knee and foot
room. A signature V-shaped medallion
appears as a decorative touch on the
backs of the front seats. French
stitching is used throughout the
interior, including the upper instrument
panel, door inserts, seats and the
shifter boot.
Clean, white ambient light emitting
diode (LED) soft backlighting is
positioned in the door pulls, foot wells
and recessed between the upper and lower
instrument panels. The result is a
dramatic effect similar to recessed
lighting used in contemporary homes.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel
includes standard integrated controls
for cruise and audio system.
Inside and out, the 2008 CTS
exemplifies an evolution of Cadillac
design that achieves a remarkable
combination of luxury, technology and
performance in a sedan aimed at creating
the desire and head-turning quotient
normally reserved for sports cars.
Sneak
Peek: All-New Cadillac CTS Coming Soon
DETROIT, Mich. (January 7/8, 2007) - Ed
Welburn, GM Vice President, Global Design (left)
and Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman, Global Product
Development, provide a sneak peek of the all-new
2008 Cadillac CTS, which will be fully revealed
at Detroit's North American International Auto
Show in January. The performance luxury sedan is
scheduled to begin production in late-summer of
2007, with worldwide sales to follow in the
fall.
Cadillac's first-generation CTS built a
strong record of success on many levels since
its inception in 2002. Cadillac sold more than
60,000 copies in the U.S. in 2005, compared to
roughly 38,000 in 2002, an increase of more than
50% over that period. There are roughly 275,000
CTS owners worldwide, and industry researchers
say they are among the most satisfied in the
automotive market. AutoPacific rated CTS as the
top Entry Luxury Car in its annual Vehicle
Satisfaction Awards in 2006.
