![]() ![]() Are minivans and SUVs taking so much abuse that wagons will seem fresh and new? The wagon is as impressive as the sedan, though I don’t know if it will sway typical American buyers, whose disdain for once-successful vehicle genres is as overblown as their enthusiasm for the next ones. To my eye, the CTS embodies Cadillac styling: unapologetically bold and better-executed than any of the brand’s other models - especially the first-generation CTS, which was replaced in 2008. Often cited as Exhibit A in the case for GM’s ability to build a world-class car, the CTS is indeed exceptional, but a few performance and quality shortcomings dampen our praise of the new wagon. For 2010, the sedan is joined by a CTS Sport Wagon, which nearly doubles the sedan’s cargo space and adds $3,000 to its base price. Today's Cadillacs, which include coupes, sedans, crossovers and SUVs, are known for offering powerful engines, chiseled lines, sharp handling and a full accoutrement of luxury features.On the strength of its bold styling, interior quality and athletic handling, the Cadillac CTS sedan has been a sales success, and now its model line is expanding. This fresh styling, coupled with improvements in performance and overall product quality, has done a great deal to help Cadillac recover much of its previous status. By the mid-2000s, this bold new look had reinvigorated the company's sales, and was seen on hits such as the Escalade SUV and the CTS sport sedan. With styling cues that included sharp, almost severe lines and stacked headlamps, Art & Science was first seen on Cadillac's 1999 Evoq concept roadster. Shortly after the new millennium bowed, the company adopted its "Art & Science" design philosophy. Things got worse when Cadillac launched a series of underpowered, unreliable V8s during the first half of that decade that, along with the notoriously unreliable diesel, cost the automaker thousands of customers, millions of dollars and immeasurable damage to its reputation.īy the early '90s, Cadillac started a major turnaround as it brought out redesigned, stylish models with vastly improved engines. Understandably, the Cimarron never caught on with the public. That decade also witnessed the rollout of the Cimarron, a small car that was essentially a rebadged Chevy Cavalier, the latter an economy car not exactly known for excellence. The 1980s saw the redesign of the Seville, a vehicle whose unique bustle-back styling sparked a trend and inspired its share of imitators. Despite this smart maneuvering, the automaker's fortunes suffered in the late '70s when it unveiled a diesel engine that quickly earned a reputation for spotty performance. Cadillac responded to the changing times by downscaling the dimensions of many vehicles in its lineup. ![]() Cadillac's Titanic-sized behemoths that ruled the highways in previous decades were increasingly out of touch and out of favor. The gas crunch of the 1970s, however, started a downward trend for the company. ![]() The Fleetwood offered luxury features that were cutting-edge for its day, such as fold-down writing tables, footrests and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. This attribute was in evidence on one of Cadillac's most successful new cars of that decade, the Fleetwood Sixty Special. Vehicles like the Coupe de Ville and Fleetwood El Dorado made Cadillac a staple in upscale neighborhoods and among the Hollywood set.īy the 1960s, Cadillac's flashy tailfins had given way to a new styling cue: vertical taillights. Cadillac's tailfin took its cue from Lockheed's P38 Lightning Aircraft, and was the brainchild of designer Frank Hershey. Soon after World War II, Cadillac history hit a high point as its tailfinned and chrome-laden cars became the epitome of American postwar automotive style. During the 1930s, the brand earned a strong reputation for producing powerful and smooth V12 and V16 engines. auto manufacturer to produce a V8, the first to use thermostatic control of a cooling system and the first to offer dash-controlled headlights. The marque became GM's luxury division, and its list of innovations grew. The success of early Cadillacs like the Model A and the "30" made the brand a sales success, so much so that the automaker was purchased by General Motors in 1909. Only one Osceola was made, but it helped spark a trend closed bodies caught on and spread like wildfire through the industry.Ĭadillac quickly gained a reputation for specializing in precise craftsmanship and for using standardized parts. ![]() Leland helped create one of the company's earliest offerings - the Cadillac Osceola, noted for being the industry's first concept car and the first closed-body car made in America. He named the company after a noted French explorer who discovered Detroit in the early 1700s. Born in 1902, Cadillac was founded by Henry Martyn Leland, a manufacturer of automotive components. ![]()
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