How can you call yourself the “standard to the world,” if your only real market is the United States ?

That’s the conundrum Cadillac has faced in recent years. It’s not that the automaker hasn’t tried to develop demand in Europe and other parts of the world, but despite some high-profile introductions, it’s so far found little success. Now, as General Motors pumps an estimated $6 billion into Caddy’s nascent comeback, going global isn’t just a nice idea, it’s absolutely essential.

Recent additions to the product line, such as the edgy CTS and STS sedans, as well as the XLR roadster, show some promise, but Cadillac officials are betting that the best way to gain traction in the tough European market is with a model designed exclusively for overseas luxury buyers. What they have in mind will take its formal bow at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, but TheCarConnection was given an early preview of the sedan that will carry the designation BLS.

The basic shape of the four-door will likely seem familiar to those who have followed the evolution of Cadillac’s new Art & Science design theme. The bold grille and vertical head and tail lamps are pure Cadillac, as are the tall and angular body panels, with a wedge-shaped stance designed to suggest power and performance.

At 184.25 inches in overall length, the BLS will be nearly six inches shorter than Caddy’s current entry model, the CTS. But that shouldn’t be a problem outside the States, where buyers are less likely to link size with price. “Premium is not a question of size, but purely of excellence,” declared Bob Lutz, GM’s Vice Chairman and global product chief.

The BLS will certainly have plenty of premium touches, including bi-xenon headlamps, leather seats, Bose audio hardware, and a touchscreen DVD navigation system. Bluetooth-equipped cellphones will be able to link to the Caddy sedan’s hands-free phone system.

While the new BLS might visually fit into the Cadillac brand, it remains to be seen if European consumers will accept the sedan’s pedigree. This particular Caddy started out life as a Saab, the basic platform shared with the Swedish automaker’s 9-3 lineup. The decision was anything but unexpected considering Saab’s ongoing sales problems and excess production capacity.

The automaker already has gotten plenty of cash, engineering, and marketing assistance from GM and the other members of its global alliance. The new Saab 9-7X is a rebadged version of the parent company’s big SUV, and a version of Fuji Heavy Industry’s sporty Subaru WRX was launched in the U.S. last year under the Saab 9-2X nameplate.

Beyond basic expediency, there are some advantages to using the 9-3 as a starting point. It gets Caddy into this very global segment far faster than if it had started developing an all-new product entirely on its own. Saab also makes it easy for Cadillac to offer a right-hand-drive model for Britain and various export markets, such as Japan or Australia .

The BLS won’t be your typical Cadillac in the powertrain department. Diesels now account for nearly half the overall European automotive market, and perhaps counter-intuitively for Americans, these highly efficient engines are particularly popular among luxury buyers. The BLS will be offered with a 1.9-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel, a first for the luxury marque. Alternately, buyers will be offered a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a 2.8-liter V-6, both also turbocharged.

Preliminary specifications suggest Caddy’s version of the 9-3 platform will get unique suspension tuning designed to enhance the car’s sporty feel. Additional sound insulation is also part of the package.

Though the BLS will take its bow in Geneva next month, it won’t hit showrooms until spring 2006. That will give Cadillac time to mount an aggressive introduction campaign for a brand virtually invisible to the typical European luxury buyer.

 

So the rumors were true but.
1. This is not coming here (not planned)
2.FWD
3. Still to big

184 inches long is G35/TL size, which are all "tweeners" bigger than the 3/C/IS (about 178 inches in length) shorter than the next class up ( about 191 inches in length). Caddy should have went smaller. Also, FWD=- and will kill its image in Europe (like Jag and the FWD X-type). The ACura TSX is a Honda Accord in Europe, so there is no problem with image there. The G35 is not sold in Europe.

I don't understand why they would make this car to watch it fail. The styling is very Caddy, it looks good to me.

Lexus may not have sold many IS 200s/300s but it has gotten rave reviews in Europe for its small 3 like size, handling , I-6s and RWD. It also is one of the most reliable cars every sold in Europe.

This will debut against the new IS and 3 series in Geneva.

 

What does BLS stands for? Boat Load of Shxt?? sorry.....had to get it out

I like the CTS quite a bit, and why go through all the trouble of getting RWD and 4WD on the rest
of the Caddy sedan line up and put out a FWD car??

Are they shifting their focus from BMW and MB to Audi??

 

I don't understand either. The CTS has gotten rave reviews for un caddy like handling. Well the car seems to be off a SAAB platform, so that cut costs and production time. But why would they do this, after going through all the trouble of revinventing the lineup with RWD cars?

 

Thanks for the post, 1SICK . You got me on this one....I did not know this car was under development. I read most of the bigger-name auto mags every month (except Motor Trend) and I have not seen it in any of them (or just did not notice).
I agree that if they would bring it over here it looks like good competition for the Acura TSX and the non-Quattro Audi A4....maybe for the next 3-series. The next IS? Can't comment until I definitely see it....not just speculation posts.
Anyhow, it certainly looks nice...particularly inside. FAR better dash and console than the CTS.
I AM a fan, though, of the CTS-V and STS-V's wire-mesh grille...that is a NICE work of art. Wonder how it would look on this car.

 

Hehe... maybe Basic Luxury Sedan?

 

Not a bad guess..............I'll second that :

 

Oh man, that doesn't look too good imo.
I don't think it will sell well over here.

 

Saturn is my first thought when I saw it.
It just looks like a Saturn to me, especially the side profile........

Doesn't have the athletic look of a 3 series, A4 or the IS.
IMHO, it's platform mate, the Saab 93 is a much much better looking car.

I like the rims though.

 

Read what this car is made on. GM has TO COMPLETELY STOP this kind of garbage.

Baby Caddy hits Europe this month


Baby Caddy hits Europe this month
Cadillac's volume seller in Europe will be … a Saab, mostly.

The BLS, dubbed the "baby Cadillac," goes on sale in Europe this month, and General Motors expects it to account for 75 percent of Cadillac's 20,000 targeted European sales by 2010. It's built on the same platform as the Saab 9-3 and shares 80 percent of the 9-3's components, but has the angular styling of its U.S. cousins.

It's the first Cadillac developed for the European market, and will be the first Cadillac in Europe with a diesel option.

The BLS has an ambitious mission: Make Cadillac a global player in the luxury market. The brand has a ways to go: GM sold 2,019 Cadillacs in western Europe last year, according to research firm JATO Dynamics, compared with 21,895 for Lexus. The BLS, which is built by Saab in Sweden, won't be sold in the United States - but that could change. "Our current thinking is that the next generation will be available around the world," GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz wrote on GM's FastLane Web site.


We can't keep Lexus out of other peoples press releases

 

i wonder who will Lutz blame when it fails? For sure, it will have some aggressive pricing due to USD currency being extremly low vs Euro, but I doubt it will help it.

 

This move is no worse than Acura selling the Civic in Canada. But that's been successful.

 

Cadillac BLS in European Showrooms Tomorrow
Text & Photos courtesy General Motors
edited 04-07-2006


Annual sales target of 10,000 units
The Cadillac BLS will arrive in 164 Cadillac showrooms and 17 Cadillac & Corvette Experience Centers across Europe on 8 April, 2006. For the all-new luxury midsize sedan average annual global sales of 10,000 units have been planned each full year during its product life cycle. The European Cadillac sales target for the full Cadillac product range remains set at 20,000 units per year by 2010.

The BLS marks Cadillac’s first-ever entry into the European luxury midsize segment and the first time a Cadillac is offered with a direct-injected turbo diesel engine. The car offers an attractive and elegant alternative choice in its segment. It becomes even more desirable when considering its extensive list of standard equipment, driving dynamics and interior space. This is all combined with high levels of craftsmanship at a competitive price to convince demanding European motorists.

The European launch of the Cadillac BLS is being supported by a large-scale cross-media campaign. In this campaign, traditional media such as radio, television, outdoor, direct mail and print go hand in hand with email marketing and internet.

Also, prior to its official showroom debut, the all-new Cadillac BLS is being presented to the European public via a travelling road show that will visit over twenty major European cities. This pre-launch sneak preview offers the public the opportunity to experience Cadillac’s latest offering.

source : americancarfans

 

GM's international sales aren't going to put the company in a different debt grade; at least not any time soon. But I don't think this effort will hurt GM or the Cadillac brand in particular.

M.

 

10,000 sales per year is pretty low, but the car simply isnt luxurious enough looking for Europeans. However, the number itself is low enough for few ppl who would want to try something different. I still dont think they will reach it though.