The sportiest member of the entry-luxury line-up, the 2011 CTS Coupe, will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, next week.
You’ll have to wait until next week, and catch a flight to the West Coast, if you want to see the new 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe in all its sheet metal glory, but here’s a good first look at the sporty 2-door that will join Caddy’s expanding entry-luxury line-up next year.
The fourth version of the CTS line will make its debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press preview, next week.
The original CTS, which ushered in the General Motors division’s so-called Art & Science design theme, was completely revised two years ago. Now, Caddy is taking a cue from its import competition and aggressively expanding the list of CTS variants. First came the high-performance CTSv, then a wagon – which is expected to give the brand more traction abroad – and now the 2-door, which initially debuted as a well-received concept vehicle.
“CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, expressing both our design and technical capabilities,” said Caddy General Manager Bryan Nesbitt. “It is intended to appeal to a new generation of car enthusiasts.”
The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe shares only a few key pieces with the Caddy sedan, notably front fenders, grille and headlamps.
Though there are a few minor tweaks, Cadillac has left the Coupe almost entirely unchanged from the prototype that first debuted at the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit, in January 2008.
The Coupe and 4-door may have some visual similarities, but the more aggressive two-door shares surprisingly few parts with the CTS sedan, primarily front grille, fenders, headlamps, instrument panel and console – and, of course, the basic vehicle “architecture,” or platform. The rear glass is decidedly more raked than the sedan’s, while the B-pillars are virtually invisible, and the Coupe’s door handles are hidden into a fold in the long rear quarter-panel. The car also gets a distinctive, center-mounted twin rear exhaust.
Designed to deliver a more sporty appearance and feel, the CTS Coupe sits two inches lower and stretches two inches shorter than the sedan. But they share a 3.6-liter V-6 making 304 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Anticipate 17 mpg City, 26 Highway with the 6-speed automatic gearbox, while Highway mileage drops to 25 with the Aisin 6-speed manual.
As with the “base” sedan, you’ll be able to order the CTS Coupe in either rear or all-wheel-drive configuration.
While Cadillac officials aren’t discussing future plans – publicly – it appears there’s interest in bringing a v version of the sportier Coupe body to market. The challenge is making a business case at a company still struggling to right itself after GM’s summer bankruptcy.