Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Cadillac CTS revealed!

Before the highly anticipated debut of the Cadillac CTS later today, pictures and details about Caddy's newest luxury sedan have surfaced.
The all-new CTS grows both in width and length, with a striking exterior that we've only seen parts of up until now. The interior gets a thorough redesign as well, with a new dash, steering wheel and instrument cluster that may finally bring it to the levels of its European competition.
At the top of the line, you'll the direct-injected, 3.6-liter V6, producing 300 HP and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. The new-to-the-CTS mill will be mated to a six-speed automatic, although in basic trim, you'll be able to row the gears yourself via a short throw, six-speed cog swapper. Power will naturally find its way down to the rear wheels, however, the 2008 model will offer a CTS-first: all-wheel-drive.
Later on, expect to find a V-series CTS, packing an additional two cylinders and producing adequate oomph to keep up with some of its hi-po rivals.
We'll have plenty more information available when the CTS is unveiled later, so stay tuned.
[Source: Edmunds]












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shehzad 4:48PM (1/23/2008)
The old CTS looked Futuristic,
This one seems alot more 'Pimped Out'
Considering its Nürburg testing and its extreme styling cues this is a damn good car for its class- and unique at that, the only problem is its bloody over priced!
Think I may consider it over the the XF...
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A 3:45AM (1/08/2007)
I would have to see it in colours other than that retina searing orange...perhaps in a darker trim...to make up my mind. The close ups don't help either.
The interior, however, is leaps and bounds ahead of the current car. The design is surely an evolution of the current design, not a bad thing. Nicer wheels and I can see this car looking quite sharp...
Finally a decent effort by GM, which I still like to believe is a sleeping giant, capable of great things.
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PoloV 4:04AM (1/08/2007)
Holy Shite!
I have not owned an american car since I was 19, 13 years ago. Since then, I've only owned Audis (a4, TT) and BMWs (e46 3 series). I never ever believed I would ever say this. I want a Cadillac!?
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Cadillac videos 2:34PM (1/08/2007)
Those new big fenders look great, if the CTS-V comes with a 500hp engine sign me up. Especially if it is 20-30k lower in price then the M5 and E63.
http://www.dpccars.com
DPCcars
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Jason 5:49PM (1/08/2007)
I can't believe what I am seeing! This is the first GM and Caddy I have actually liked in well over a decade. WOW! All the proportions seem correct. It has class. It has sportiness. It a modern edge. The dash is great! Only thing is the puffy cheeks up front, but that's about it. GOOD JOB GM! Faith slowly being restored.
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Scott 5:59AM (1/08/2007)
Holy hell that thing looks great, that interior is fantastic. Even more impressive is it sounds like they will offer the manual on the high output six as well; I've come to expect companies to wimp out when they are presented with the option of offering a manual on the higher end powerplants. I may just have found the car to replace my aging 540.
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sam 6:08AM (1/08/2007)
the cadillac looks really good, wish GM is going to sell them in australia
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doglet 5:04PM (1/08/2007)
i agree about the wheels, it would look much better with some more wheel to fill up that wheel well.
good to hear about the 6 speed manual and the 300 hp v6. it is like they are trying for the first time. i wonder if that 300 hp engine was purely in response to the competitions rise in hp. competition is good for the consumer.
i think it is safe to say that the new cts is a great car. any info on pricing? i would expect it to go up a few $k
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Chris 7:24AM (1/08/2007)
sam, Cadillac will simply fail here due to the Commodore. I'd be surprised if this new CTS can even match the Berlina let alone a Calais for example considering how cheap the current CTS is in comparison (a GMH guy lives near me, had a CTS and LHD Chevy-badged Statesman in his driveway). Hardly anyone buys the 300C due to the poor quality compared to both our local and the German and Japanese alternatives, Cadillac won't be any different. Especially when it's made quite expensive due to imported car taxes, it'll just be made pointless by Holden's own cars without the rivals needing to lift a finger.
Just like Cadillac is unnecessary in Europe, it is down here too.
That being said though, this doesn't look too bad even though I prefer a more classy and simple Audi design for example. But for America this seems fine. It'd be nice if GM had a good turbocharged V6 for cars like this and the Commodore in Australia, Ford have a great turbo I6 for the Falcon and it seems like Ford America have their own turbo V6 now too.
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PiCASSO 7:42PM (1/08/2007)
For the past few months, the Lexus IS250 with 6-speed manual was on the top of my list for my replacement of my lease in October 2006. The IS350 was off the list because of the only available slushbox.
Now in comes Cadillac and offers a short-throw 6-speed manual in both 258 and 300hp engines. If quality is up to snuff, even the base CTS maybe in my driveway this fall.
Way to go Cadillac.
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DarkKnight67 7:21AM (1/08/2007)
I'm a big fan of Cadillac (owning an STS as I do), but I'm a little disappointed that there isn't the promised power increase with the engine. Three horses over the previous version still leaves it quite short of the competition.
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travis 7:39AM (1/08/2007)
I dont care for it one bit....But here in Houston I think it might be popular with our "504's" aka new orleans transplants....
Cadillac tries WAY WAY WAY too hard with styling. This look will last about as long as the chrysler 300 ghetto mobile.
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JB 2:14PM (1/08/2007)
I'm not impressed. I have never liked the origami styling, or stealth fighter-inspired styling (wasn't the F-117 developed in the 70s?).
All those creases and folds just end up being dirt traps and hard to clean. I guess designers don't wash their cars.
Where's the bumper? I don't like these gaping maw front fascias. No protection. Designers must not live where there is street parking either, or have never had someone back into their car in a parking lot. I can't imagine that the grille will survive a 5-mph impact. Oh, wait. Designers have company cars, so they don't have to worry about damage.
No thanks. I guess I will stick with body-on frame bumpers.
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snazzum 5:05AM (7/08/2007)
I agree. I love the interior, but this exterior really disappoints with it's indented-in-the-middle-bumper, gaping-maw look ripped off of Audi's and VW's (something I'd expect from a Chinese company, not American). The more I look at the front, the more it looks like a retarded robot smiling back at me. I guess this Retardacon would tie in with their shill of a movie Transformers.
AAM 5:07PM (1/08/2007)
I hope it's the camera "angle" and not angles on the nose that are weird. I was hoping for more "revolution" than evolution from GM/Caddy, but then again I'm enough of an optomist to hope for a return to "Standard of the World".
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Mr_Oak 8:58AM (1/08/2007)
Me thinks me likes very much. Here's my next car, make mine metallic charcoal, six speed. The "V" would be nice, but I'd rather tune the hell out of the "Six"
Just wondering out loud, since it's bigger, are they going to put the a Hi-Po version of the NorthStar instead of the LS*?
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Zane R. 11:45AM (1/08/2007)
yawnyawn, looks like a mild refresh of the current CTS ... this is wait we have been waiting over a year for?
they better reveal that the CTS flies in today's press conferences or at least makes a mean cappuccino, or this most certainly will be a disappointment
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RevRick 8:38AM (1/08/2007)
This is a beautiful automobile, I just hope it is affordable because I would really like to have one. I am in need of new transportation, my minivan has seen it's best days. I would like one in shiney black please with white leather interior.
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DarkKnight67 9:40AM (1/08/2007)
Oops ... guess I'm getting too much like my students and not reading the whole article. Didn't see mention of the second 3.6 with 300 horses.
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Drew 9:07AM (1/08/2007)
Dear GM, I love your car...now for that V version - any chance that you could emulate the Corvette and avoid the gas guzzler tax??? Show us some trickery, spoil us with power but allow us to feed ourselves!
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