Cadillac XTS to use modified Buick LaCrosse underpinnings
08-10-09, 11:30 AM
#1
G35x - RWD/AWD goodness
Thread Starter
Cadillac XTS to use modified Buick LaCrosse underpinnings
Cadillac's next flagship sedan, the XTS, will borrow its underpinnings from the Buick LaCrosse.
The XTS is the code name for the car due in 2011, and it's a two-for-one proposition. The XTS will replace the front-wheel drive DTS and the rear-wheel STS, Automotive News reports.
The platform will be wider than the LaCrosse's and fitted for a more luxurious Cadillac ride, according to the trade publication.
It's expected that the XTS will offer all-wheel drive. Sources tell Automotive News that a smaller Cadillac is also expected in 2011--below the CTS--as part of a streamlined strategy for the brand that would rely on three core cars.
The eye-catching CTS sedan has become the franchise for Cadillac, winning awards and attracting new buyers to the venerable brand. The CTS-V packs 556 hp and serves as a halo, while the SportWagon is joining the lineup this summer. The coupe is expected next year.
The XTS continues Cadillac's dramatic makeover, which includes a completely redone SRX crossover on sale now and the jettisoning of the XLR roadster.
The XTS is the code name for the car due in 2011, and it's a two-for-one proposition. The XTS will replace the front-wheel drive DTS and the rear-wheel STS, Automotive News reports.
The platform will be wider than the LaCrosse's and fitted for a more luxurious Cadillac ride, according to the trade publication.
It's expected that the XTS will offer all-wheel drive. Sources tell Automotive News that a smaller Cadillac is also expected in 2011--below the CTS--as part of a streamlined strategy for the brand that would rely on three core cars.
The eye-catching CTS sedan has become the franchise for Cadillac, winning awards and attracting new buyers to the venerable brand. The CTS-V packs 556 hp and serves as a halo, while the SportWagon is joining the lineup this summer. The coupe is expected next year.
The XTS continues Cadillac's dramatic makeover, which includes a completely redone SRX crossover on sale now and the jettisoning of the XLR roadster.
08-10-09, 11:54 AM
#4
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Great so their flagship will share parts with their 28k base car. Yeah thats flagship....
ZDX, now XTS, all these Viagra sounding ingredient names really must end, its ridiculous.
I was hoping GM sucks it up and goes ***** out with creating a true D class flagship that is the grandest American sedan created.
ZDX, now XTS, all these Viagra sounding ingredient names really must end, its ridiculous.
I was hoping GM sucks it up and goes ***** out with creating a true D class flagship that is the grandest American sedan created.
08-10-09, 11:55 AM
#5
So let me get this straight...the mid-level CTS (let's face it, that's what it is now) has RWD and the LS/S/7 fighting flagship is going to be FWD or AWD?
If that's the case why don't they just keep the "DTS" name? Or better yet, why don't they just scrap that and rename the entire brand "CTS"?
If that's the case why don't they just keep the "DTS" name? Or better yet, why don't they just scrap that and rename the entire brand "CTS"?
08-10-09, 11:57 AM
#6
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I choose to reserve judgement in hopes that the flagship Caddy turns out to be a hit.
Though this FWD or AWD idea seems very Audi to me ... but hey, maybe that's what they're going for, all the cars will look the same just in assorted sizes.
Though this FWD or AWD idea seems very Audi to me ... but hey, maybe that's what they're going for, all the cars will look the same just in assorted sizes.
08-10-09, 12:01 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
Great so their flagship will share parts with their 28k base car. Yeah thats flagship....
ZDX, now XTS, all these Viagra sounding ingredient names really must end, its ridiculous.
I was hoping GM sucks it up and goes ***** out with creating a true D class flagship that is the grandest American sedan created.
ZDX, now XTS, all these Viagra sounding ingredient names really must end, its ridiculous.
I was hoping GM sucks it up and goes ***** out with creating a true D class flagship that is the grandest American sedan created.
For what it's worth there are very conflicting reports out from the media at the moment. Some sources claim that the XTS will be BELOW the CTS... since the CTS is the same of the GS/5/E/M/RL/etc it will be the new IS/3/ES/G/etc fighter.
Personally in the light of these conflicting reports, I'm more inclined to go with option #2 since it makes a lot more sense. Epsilon II is already probably as big as it will get with the new LaCrosse and if they came out with a LaCrosse sized Caddy it wold overlap with the CTS too much. Epsilon can easily be shrunk for premium smaller sized vehicles such as the new Buick Regal that will be coming to market soon enough. I suspect that's what we're going to see from this XTS.
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08-10-09, 12:25 PM
#9
Lexus Champion
These days sharing a platform doesn't mean badge engineering. Quite a few vehicles out there on the market today use the same platform and yet have almost nothing else in common with the way they look or drive.
08-10-09, 12:42 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Agreed and I am well aware of shared platforms that go well beyond badge engineering. The fact is GM has a long history of badge engineering, they need to prove they can go beyond that.
08-10-09, 01:48 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Mike is right. A flagship needs to be a flagship. Cadillac's motto, back when I grew up, was "Standard of the World", although the luxurious Buick Electra and Olds 98, done on the same big platform, were, in some ways, just as impressive.
The platform will be wider than the LaCrosse's and fitted for a more luxurious Cadillac ride, according to the trade publication.
08-10-09, 01:56 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Badge engineering/platforms have been around for many decades....and not just at GM by any means. Ford and Chrysler also did it, big-time. And so did a number of non-Detroit namplates as well. The Nissan Maxima/Infiniti I30/35, Toyota Camry/Lexus ES250, and Mitsubishi Starion/Dodge Conquest were some of the best examples from foreign manufacturers......they were not only on the same platform, but with the same body shell as well, and difficult to tell apart from a distance.
08-10-09, 02:02 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Badge engineering/platforms have been around for many decades....and not just at GM by any means. Ford and Chrysler also did it, big-time. And so did a number of non-Detroit namplates as well. The Nissan Maxima/Infiniti I30/35, Toyota Camry/Lexus ES250, and Mitsubishi Starion/Dodge Conquest were some of the best examples from foreign manufacturers......they were not only on the same platform, but with the same body shell as well, and difficult to tell apart from a distance.
