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Originally posted by: Fire It Up
"On the R&T homepage, the poll asks, "If I could own any V-Series Cadillac it would have to be the... CTS-V STS-V XLR-V The upcoming "Baby Cadillac" BTS-V" I looked a little on Google, and found it would be smaller than the CTS, built on a Saab chassis, and be more of a competitor to the M3. Does anyone know of anything else? :cough:Kevin:cough: "

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lol, well, it's actually BLS and it is basically a smaller CTS in sedan, hatch and wagon form, and the V version could be a M3 competitor.

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GM has big plans for small Cadillac
By James Mackintosh in Detroit
Published: January 9 2005 20:32 | Last updated: January 9 2005 20:32

General Motors has decided to build a new small Cadillac car aimed at European drivers in its Swedish Saab factory, in a move likely to lessen fears that the plant could be closed.

GM has been considering whether to go ahead with the car since the summer but has now given it the green light, with volumes estimated by one insider at 30,000 to 50,000 cars a year.

The vehicle, expected to start production by the end of the year, will be shown in a near-final version at the Geneva motor show in March. It shares its structure with the Saab 9-3, meaning it can be built on the same production line with relatively little investment.

A senior GM executive said the company had little idea of the likely sales of the car.

However, even at a lower level of sales, the production will be a big boost for Saab's Trollhättan factory, which is fighting to retain production of the Saab 9-3, its biggest selling model. GM has forced Trollhättan to compete with Adam Opel's Rüsselsheim plant in Germany for production of the next-generation 9-3 and the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra mid-sized saloon, which will share common underpinnings.

Trade unions have warned that if Sweden loses the decision - due next month - the factory is likely to close when the current 9-3 production ends in 2007, although the company denies this. The concern was underlined last year when Göran Persson, Sweden's prime minister, visited Zurich, site of GM's European headquarters, to lobby for the factory. Sweden has promised a SKr2bn ($290m) aid package for the region surrounding the factory if GM moves Vectra production there.

A GM executive closely involved in the decision said the competing bids from the plants were closely matched in terms of cost. Higher labour costs in Germany were balanced by higher social costs in Sweden, Trollhättan's distance from the main European markets and the risk from the country's absence from the eurozone, he said. The bids are currently being evaluated by technical specialists, who will report back next month.

The new small Cadillac is designed to support the relaunch of the American luxury brand in Europe after years of negligible sales. Excluding the new small car, Cadillac hopes to reach 20,000 sales a year in Europe by the end of the decade, double its forecast just a few months ago.

GM wants to turn Cadillac into a global brand, and is preparing the ground for production in China and considering introducing sales networks in Australia and South Africa. It is also considering how to add diesel engines - vital for Europe, as half of all cars sold in the region are diesel-powered - to its line-up. Options include buying them in from Fiat, BMW or Isuzu, or developing them internally.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/f7c37c0c-6337-11d9-bec2-00000e2511c8.html

I didn't think they were going to actually make it though.

-- Edited by Kevin at 18:13, 2005-03-06

A Saab based M3 competitor? Saab has no RWD platforms and other than the Subaru based 9-2X, no AWD cars either. I don't know how they think they're going to make a FWD a legitimate threat to the M3.

I'd say maybe, but any RWD platform Saab gets is going to be a global GM platform (like Zeta, Kappa or Sigma). They specified a "Saab platform". Granted, the new 9-3 isn't on a true Saab platform, it's on the global Epsilon platform, so who knows. Furthermore, Saab has a tradition of being FWD, so I don't see them developing a RWD platform. In fact, GM has Holden doing the work on their new RWD platforms.

Those shots are official. You can tell the interior came from the epsilon parts bin. The gauges, some of the dash and steering wheel are straight out of a 9-3.

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Originally posted by: thewizard16
"Bleh. The interior looks good, but I don't like the front, and the rear is kindof like a CTS/STS cross. I'm not sure why I don't like the front though, it's not especially ugly or anything, I'm just not a fan. They could use different wheels, too."

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I agree about the interior and the wheels, and I like the general exterior styling except for the front end, with headlights that are too wide and a grille that's too tall.

BLS.... what a terrible name. Tell me when they make a BLT, I'm kind of hungry.

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Originally posted by: MX793
"BLS.... what a terrible name. Tell me when they make a BLT, I'm kind of hungry."

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I don't like BLTs.

Bring that platform here, along with the car. It looks a LOT like its on the upcomming Zeta platform, dont it?