Sydney show: Cadillac returns to Australia

HOLDEN subsidiary GM Premium Brands (GMPB) may have delayed the retail release of its brash new Cadillac CTS sedan from September to early 2009, but that did not stop it from relaunching the 106-year-old American luxury marque in Australia at today’s opening of the 2008 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

Aided by the debut Australian appearance of the two-door CTS Coupe concept – which debuted at the Detroit motor show in January, was recently confirmed for production by General Motors chief Rick Wagoner and has now been locked in for Australian sales from late 2009 – the Australian Cadillac brand launch will be spearheaded by the four-door CTS, which appeared at Darling Harbour in Australian-specification, right-hand drive guise for the first time.

Pricing and equipment details will not be divulged until nearer to next year’s launch, but the rear-drive CTS sedan will come powered by a direct-injection, variable valve timing-equipped version of the Commodore’s 3.6-litre global V6, which in this case will deliver vastly improved outputs of 227kW and 370Nm of torque on regular unleaded petrol.

The premium-spec petrol V6 will be mated exclusively to an electronically controlled Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control manual mode, but there was no mention of GM’s cylinder-deactivating Active Fuel Management system, the availability of the CTS Coupe’s 2.9-litre turbo-diesel engine or the V8 that powers the V-Spec CTS sedan in the US. A wagon is also expected to eventually join the CTS model range.

Australia’s version of Cadillac’s first global model will come with the choice of two “performance-tuned” suspension packages that were developed on terrain as diverse as Chinese streets and Germany’s Nurburgring, while standard safety equipment will comprise (Stabilitrak) electronic traction/stability control, four-channel ABS, six airbags including front, front-side and curtain airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners and active head restraints.

GMPB says the 2009 CTS interior features hand-cut and sewn interior trims, an ambient lighting system, integrated iPod and MP3 compatibility, a 300-Watt/10-speaker Bose sound system with a 40GB hard drive, and the choice of standard satin metallic or optional “Sapele Pommele wood centre stack finishes.

It will feature heated and ventilated front “thin-seats” to maximise rear legroom, while French stitching is used on the upper instrument panel, door inserts, seats and gear shifter.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel comprises audio and cruise controls and LED accent lighting is employed in door pulls, footwells and recesses between the upper and lower dashboards.

A panoramic “UltraView” sunroof will be optional, but keyless entry and remote starting systems will be standard, as will bi-Xenon headlights with GM’s Adaptive Forward Lighting system, rear parking sensors, tyre-pressure monitoring and rain-sensing wipers.

A key feature of the angular CTS exterior sheetmetal is the sculpted front guards that come complete with side air vents like those seen on Cadillac’s “Sixteen” concept of 2003, while 18-inch nine-spoke alloy wheels are wrapped around high-performance brake discs and calipers.

A front strut tower brace supplements the independent short/long arm front suspension system (with hollow anti-roll bar and aluminium upper and lower control arms), while a subframe-isolated multi-link independent rear system is employed.

At 4750mm long, 1870mm wide and 1390mm high, the B-pillarless CTS Coupe is about 50mm shorter and lower-slung than its five-seater sedan sibling, but rides on the same 2880mm wheelbase – just 35mm shorter than the VE Commodore’s.

The coupe concept features a six-speed manual transmission, six-piston front calipers, four individual Recaro sports seats, a lower ride height and 20-inch front and 21-inch rear cast aluminium wheels.

Australia’s first Cadillacs were exported in right-hand drive from Detroit between 1927 and 1934 before being assembled in Adelaide from completely knocked-down (CKD) chassis kits. The LaSalle Series 50 sedans and Cadillac Series 60 models were draped by Holden-built bodies designed to mimic the US models.

After a 70-year hiatus, Cadillac now returns to Australia via the GMPB group that also comprises Saab and Hummer, via a 16-dealer network in Australia and New Zealand.

Retail outlets will be located in Doncaster, Mentone, Richmond and Geelong in Victoria, Artarmon and Parramatta in NSW, Phillip in the ACT, Albion, Mt Gravatt and Ashmore in Queensland, Prospect in SA, Osborne Park in WA, and Hobart and Newmarket in Tasmania, plus Wellington and Christchurch in NZ.

The CTS sedan was launched in the US in September 2007, after which Cadillac’s global sales rose by almost 60 per cent. Sales growth in China and Russia, combined with the brand’s South African launch last year, saw Cadillac’s ex-USA sales increase by 11.5 per cent to July 2008.

“Cadillac has a long history of offering customers exciting, highly specified vehicles that offer a combination of luxury and performance and the CTS is the all-new generation vehicle that exceeds that expectation,” said GM Premium Brands director Parveen Batish.

“With cutting-edge design, serious performance and a comprehensive package of luxury appointments, Cadillac will appeal to prestige car buyers and offer a genuine alternative to the traditional European brands.”

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First drive: CTS cuts the American mustard

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