CTS Sport Wagon extends Cadillac's design-driven Renaissance
Unveiled against a backdrop of automotive fine art at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the new Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon showcases a dramatic design that brings the wagon body style to new markets. Following its debut in California, the CTS Sport Wagon will be seen in European Cadillac dealerships during the summer of 2009.
Like other historic Cadillac designs, the new CTS Sport Wagon has an unmistakable and dynamic presence. Dramatic styling, ample interior space and a range of fuel and emissions-efficient, six-cylinder engines are expected to make the CTS Sport Wagon a compelling alternative to larger luxury sport utility vehicles and luxury wagons.
"The addition of this dramatically-designed Sport Wagon is well synchronized with today's changing consumer tastes as a compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles," says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "This is an important step in Cadillac's ongoing global expansion, and of course in international markets like Europe, wagons have been and continue to be very significant."
There is no mistaking the CTS Sport Wagon for anything but a contemporary Cadillac. Signature exterior cues include horizontal spline lines and dihedral, v-shaped hood. The CTS Sport Wagon strikes a sporting stance, with a wide track.
Functionality was a guiding factor during development, but so was the idea to inject emotion into the normally sedate wagon category. An intricately cut rear profile injects fashion-forward design into a distinctive silhouette that suggests speed and aerodynamic efficiency.
In the rear, the Cadillac "V" motif culminates in a spine at the center of the power-opening liftgate, accented with a subtle spoiler at the top of the backlight. Large, prominent vertical taillamps – with Cadillac's signature light pipe technology – are the final, dramatic touches to the rear-end styling.
The CTS Sport Wagon rides on the same 2,880mm wheelbase as the CTS Sport Sedan, but offers a generous cargo area of 720 liters behind the rear seats. Further design highlights include new 19-inch wheels and the option of a large panoramic rear sunroof.
An interesting integration of form and function is found in the seamless roof load management system. Rather than brackets and cross bars that protrude above the roof line, the CTS Sport Wagon's system blends with the roofline, maintaining an uninterrupted appearance.
The center section of the roof panel angles downward inside the roof edges. This allows an unobtrusive placement of the cross bars and creates a subtle fin effect at the trailing edges of the rear panels.
The interior of the CTS Sport Wagon is common to the much-acclaimed sedan, including streamlined instrumentation, LED lighting and hand-cut-and-sewn accents with French stitching. Again combining form and function, an integrated cargo management system offers adjustable in-floor containment. The CTS Sport Wagon includes available features such as a 40-gigabyte internal hard drive, rear view camera, pop-up navigation screen and a hand-cut-and-sewn interior with Sapele wood accents.
Direct gasoline injection technology helps the CTS offer more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions. It delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion. This means less fuel is consumed and lower emissions created.
At start the CTS Sport Wagon offers a 3.6L V-6, direct injection power unit generating 229kW (311 horsepower) with no loss of fuel efficiency and a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. The engine is matched with fuel-saving six-speed transmissions, including an Aisin six-speed manual or an electronically controlled Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic. As is the case on the Sedan, CTS Sport Wagon 3.6 includes AWD as an option.
An efficient 2.9L turbo-diesel engine is being developed for CTS models. It is a compact, dual overhead cam, four-valve V-6 engine from GM's family of diesel engines that delivers optimal fuel economy as well as reduced emissions and noise. The engine is rated at 184 kW (250 hp).
The Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon will be shown to the European public first at the Paris Motorshow, October 4-19, 2008.
