Cadillac CTS Coupe will get its European debut at the Geneva Auto Show. (Photo: Cadillac)
Cadillac today unveiled the 2011 CTS Coupe that will debut next week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Slated to arrive in Cadillac showrooms in spring 2010, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the centerpiece of the brand’s revised lineup.
“CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, expressing both our design and technical capabilities,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac general manager. “It is intended to appeal to a new generation of car enthusiasts.”
The Coupe joins the CTS Sport Sedan, the 556-horsepower CTS-V and new CTS Sport Wagon as the foundation of Cadillac’s lineup. A high-performance V-Series edition of the Coupe will also be released in 2010.
The CTS Coupe’s standard powertrain consists of a direct-injected 3.6L V-6 and six-speed manual transmission. Direct injection technology delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion, enabling more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions – including a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions.
The 3.6L DI engine is rated at 304 horsepower and offers EPA-estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg on the highway. It also runs on regular unleaded gasoline.
The chassis includes an independent short/long arm front suspension system, with hydraulic control arm front bushings; and a multi-link rear suspension mounted on a fully isolated subframe. Also included are four-wheel disc performance brakes, premium steering and limited-slip differential.
Two suspension-tuning levels are available: a Performance Package with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires (available in both RWD and AWD,) and the Summer Tire Performance Package, with 19-inch tires and wheels and a higher level of road holding capability. StabiliTrak, the advanced electronic chassis control system, is standard.
The CTS Coupe’s design carries over virtually unchanged from the concept car that was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008.
The Coupe is a classic 2+2 layout bolstered with advanced technology, such as a rear-view camera system and a performance-oriented suspension system coupled to rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
The Coupe has the same wheelbase as the CTS, but an overall height that is approximately two inches lower and an overall length that is two inches shorter.
Although it draws from its sport sedan sister, the CTS Coupe shares only the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders and grille. Key design features include:
• Classic hardtop styling, with no conventional B-pillar
• Touch-pad operation for the doors removes the need for conventional door handles, creating a technical, clean profile
• A windshield laid at a faster angle (62.3 degrees) and a long, nearly horizontal backglass area combine to create a sleek, aerodynamic look
• Sculpted lower front fascia with unique brake-cooling vents
• Diamond cut-style rear fascia with mesh lower grilles
• Center-outlet exhaust with twin dihedral-shaped tips that pass through the rear fascia
• Signature vertical lighting, highlighted with LED light pipes
• Rear spoiler integrated into the center high-mounted stop lamp
• Sculpted roof-mounted antenna for OnStar and XM Satellite Radio.
