| |
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe
On Monday 11/23, Cadillac today unveiled the 2011 CTS Coupe, the latest and most dramatic of the brand’s series of new designs to reach production. Slated to arrive in Cadillac showrooms in the spring of 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 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.
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
CTS Coupe blends handcrafted luxury with a contemporary, driver-focused interior that supports the car’s high-performance capabilities. The interior includes hand-sewn accents covering the door, center storage console and instrument panel trim. 14-Way adjustable Recaro sport seats, previously exclusively offered on Cadillac’s V-Series model, will be offered on all CTS Coupe models as an option.
The car offers a host of advanced technologies, including:
- Integrated iPod/MP3 capability
- 40-gig hard drive, including the ability to store music and pause-and-replay live radio
- Pop-up navigation system
- Adaptive forward lighting system
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Standard Keyless Access and Smart Remote Start
- Rear Camera system
- Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround™ audio system
As with other Cadillac models, the CTS Coupe comes standard with OnStar with Turn-by-Turn Navigation, the first factory-installed, fully integrated GPS navigation system from OnStar.
IHSS Top Safety Picks
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has once again announced the winners of its Top Safety Pick award – all 27 of them. This time out, 19 cars and 8 SUVs made the all-important grade. New for 2010 are more stringent roll-over standards used in the evaluations by the IIHS. The addition of the more stringent roll-over standards dramatically changed the results from last year. The new requirement for strong roofs winnows the list of Top Safety Pick winners from a record 94 in 2009 to 27 in 2010. The addition of this criterion recognizes manufacturers with vehicles that provide good protection in roll-overs, which kill more than 9,000 people in passenger vehicles each year. The vehicles rated good have roofs more than twice as strong as the current federal standard requires. The Institute estimates that such roofs reduce the risk of serious and fatal injury in single-vehicle roll-overs by about 50 percent compared with roofs meeting the minimum requirement.
2010 Model Year IHSS Top Safety Picks (alphabetically by segment)
Large cars
Buick LaCrosse
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80
Midsize cars
Audi A3
Chevrolet Malibu built after October 2009
Chrysler Sebring 4-door with optional electronic stability control
Dodge Avenger with optional electronic stability control
Mercedes C class
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Passat sedan
Volvo C30
Small cars
Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube
Subaru Impreza except WRX
Volkswagen Golf 4-door
Midsize SUVs
Dodge Journey
Subaru Tribeca
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC90
Small SUVs
Honda Element
Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags
Subaru Forester
Volkswagen Tiguan
Fleeting Tidbits
Chrysler Group's new Ram brand will sell a version of the new Fiat Doblo compact van in the United States. The Fiat-sourced Ram van will go up against Ford Motor Co.'s Transit Connect, which Ford started selling in the U.S. in July. The Doblo will join a large Fiat-based van to be sold in the U.S. by the new Ram truck brand, along with a restyled chassis cab model and light and heavy duty Ram vehicles. Fiat unveiled details of its second-generation Doblo on Monday. The new Fiat Doblo will go on sale in Europe starting in mid January. U.S. sales of the Ram-badged version will start in 2012. Chrysler has not yet announced a name for the U.S. version of the Doblo. In Europe, the Doblo is sold as seven-seat passenger vehicle or as a panel van.
To meet strong current and future market demand for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, General Motor’s CAMI Automotive is investing $C90 million for a substantial project that includes the re-tooling of the facility’s West Body Shop resulting in increased capacity and the recall of approximately 150 employees.
The 2010 Ford Fusion has been named Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year. The Ford Fusion Hybrid has also been selected as one of Car & Driver magazine's 10 Best for 2010.
General Motors will debut the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze at the next month's LA Auto Show. For a peek at the all-new Cruze, go to our Featured Vehicle page.
Taillights
OCTOBER 22--A Minnesota man arrested last year for drunkenly driving a motorized La-Z-Boy lounge chair pleaded guilty this week to a DWI charge. Dennis Anderson, 62, was nabbed after driving his chair into a parked car, according to a Proctor Police Department report. A subsequent blood draw showed Anderson's blood alcohol content was .29, more than three times the legal limit. Anderson's customized vehicle, seen in the police evidence photo below, is powered by an eight horsepower Kohler lawnmower engine, and has a stereo, headlights, a built-in cup holder, and a "Hell Yeah It's Fast" bumper sticker. The ride, however, does not have a seat belt. Anderson controlled the La-Z-Boy via a steering wheel protruding from its seat cushion. The vehicle's headrest was adorned with the logo of the National Hot Rod Association. Following his guilty plea, Anderson was sentenced to 180 days in jail and ordered to pay a $2000 fine. A judge stayed Anderson's jail term in lieu of his successful completion of a two-year supervised probation term. His La-Z-Boy, which Proctor cops seized shortly after Anderson's arrest, will soon be auctioned along with items forfeited by other perps.
From: thesmokinggun.com
11/23/09 | |