Posts for 'Cadillac' Category

Probably the most famous of all American car brands, it has been synonymous with style, luxury and performance for more than 100 years, and next year you'll be able to buy a Cadillac right here, and it will have the steering wheel on the right-hand side and a chassis that I can report will surprise you with its tenacity and driveability.Making the highly anticipated announcement, GM Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey this week officially confirmed Australia and New Zealand as the next step in Cadillac's global expansion.Cadillacs are sold around the world and sales have increased by 45.3 per cent in Europe, 98.4 per cent in Asia-Pacific and 49.4 per cent in Latin America, Africa and Middle East for the first three quarters of 2007.Cadillac will be managed in Australia and New Zealand by GM Premium Brands, joining Saab and Hummer under the aegis of director Parveen Batish.

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Alongside GM's debut of the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid at this year's South Florida International Auto Show in Miami was another version of the automaker's luxury SUV -- the Escalade Platinum. With more upscale touches than the standard 'Slade, the 2008 Cadillac Escalade Platinum has been designed to elevate the vehicle to a new level of luxury and technology, and to add to a Platinum lineup that already includes Cadillac's XLR, STS, and DTS.One of the biggest features of the Escalade Platinum cannot be seen, but rather, felt. For the first time ever in an SUV, Cadillac is incorporating its Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) technology. As used on the Cadillac XLR Roadster and Chevrolet Corvette, GM touts MRC as the fastest reacting suspension system in the world, giving the Escalade Platinum better body motion control through continuous and almost instant adjustment to current road conditions.

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The 2008 CTS arrived in Chicagoland dealerships this week and has a base price of $32,990 -- $540 less than the 2007 model with the same engine. The all-new model comes standard with a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that delivers 263 horsepower, but for an additional power boost, you can opt for the 3.6-liter Direct Injection engine that delivers 304 horsepower. For 2008, the CTS takes previously optional features -- such as 17-inch wheels, a Bose eight-speaker surround sound system, Stabilitrak and tire pressure monitoring -- and makes them standard fare.

The Latest 2008 Cadillac STS

All new models of Cadillac STS used rear-wheel-drive chassis, which made it equal to its rivals as the Mercedes-Benz E-class, the Lexus GS, and the BMW 5-series.

But the latest version of 2008 Cadillac STS completely dazzles out its opponents with total chrome fancier grille, chrome door handles, and chrome front fender vents. Also there is a revised wood trim all over inside and a new steering wheel. But what make it most distinctive and contrasting from others is its mechanical upgrades, which are:

1. New engine that produces 302 hp.
2. The V-6 engine, with direct injection, adds another 47 hp horsepower.
3. Torque now is 20 lb-ft.
4. The V-6 with 3.6-liter makes this version of GM most powerful production.
5. Paired with a six-speed transmission, now it provides the STS with brisk acceleration of a 6.5-second 0-to-60-mph time.

Performance

The 2008 Cadillac STS has quick reflexes, and a much better handling package. It has a firm suspension and has larger Brembo brakes from the STS-V. This all-wheel-drive model of new STS now offers active steering; the front is equipped with a lane-departure warning system, and there is also a blind-spot warning system that could be seen cautioning through the side-view mirrors.

All the changes and modification in the STS would not have made much of a difference as compared to previous models, had there been no potent V-6, which, in the true sense, has made this car a more solid runner.

In the 2009 model year along with the quicker-than-Z06 Chevrolet Corvette, the next-generation muscle-Caddy, which is expected, also will get the supercharged LS7 7.0-liter powerplant.

At the New York show CLK63 AMG Black Series that made its debut same as the the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 come in at 420 horsepower, and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG looks to be about 503 horsepower,

To give the CTS-v the edge over its European rivals on paper, the Z06's 505-horsepower 7.0-liter has enough grunt. Including stiffer springs and shocks, meaty Brembo brakes, a quicker steering ratio, fender blisters, and lower front and rear deck spoilers, a mesh grille, and nicely bolstered front seats, expect from the current Cadillac CTS-v to carry through to the new model.

Cadillac's way of showing it off was to let us drive a conventional '07 and the new car with active steering around a handling course. Cadillac only let out the rear-drive '08 STS on public roads for initial impressions. Yes, the DI V-6 felt like a V-8, although its six-speed automatic hiccupped a few times, either a pre-production problem or lack of break-in miles.

The kicker is that with its all-new interior and sheetmetal, the '08 CTS could render the STS V-6 as superfluous as an STS V-8.That car gets the same DI V-6 with slightly different power and torque numbers due to different intake and exhaust tuning.

With its 11.3:1 compression ratio, it has 47 more horses than the 3.6 on which it is based. The '08 STS V-6 is just 18 horses shy and 22 pounds trimmer than the STS V-8. Keep the hood shut and no one will know. Cadillacs need V-8s, at least. We know that. Except that GM's most potent V-6 ever, a new direct injection 3.6-liter, has come along.

The new BLS Wagon built by Cadillac will grace again Cadillac dealership in Europe. The European buyers who know Cadillac more for tailfins than for its Art and Science design language Caddy’s still trying to convince them that the brand stands for global luxury. In Cadillac’s history the BLS also gets the honor of being the first wagon, considering the ground-clearing SRX is technically a crossover SUV. Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor declared, “The Cadillac BLS Wagon is an appealing addition to the Cadillac portfolio for customers preferring dramatically designed luxury vehicles that offer versatility and performance along with outstanding ride and handling characteristics”

With BLS Wagon Cadillac Extends European Portfolio
1. Further commitment to grow Cadillac's presence in Europe
2. Expressive design combined with elegance and versatility
3. Three turbocharged gasoline engines and one direct-injection diesel engine
4. Sales expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2007