Caddy Ciel
meets
Next CTS Sedan,
Aerocoupe & Convertible
meets
Next CTS Sedan,
Aerocoupe & Convertible
Op-Ed by MonaroSS
GMI Contributor – 8 February 2012
Below we see the Cadillac Ciel Concept (who can see how I changed the front?) and following we have renderings of what the next generation CTS range may look like if we stretched the ATS body and grafted the Ciel front onto it.
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The ATS Coupe delay and the next CTS have been quite the topic here of late and I wanted to show people how a next generation CTS might be based on the ATS surface treatments (this chop is done from the ATS picture below), and yet be distinct in and of itself from the ATS. This can produce a car that, while having the simple elegant lines that would please European tastes, can add the drama of the Ciel frontal treatment and the now traditional Cadillac rear finned vertical taillights.
To that end I have chopped the Ciel lights and formal squared off front treatment, which I believe is an indication of where Cadillac may head, onto a stretched ATS body. Even though GM has said it will not build the Ciel, you don't release such a Concept for no reason. I think it was well enough received that Cadillac will no doubt integrate some of it's design into the future Cadillac line-up. The face of the Ciel may not be what the very next generation CTS looks like, but it may be somewhere between the ATS and the Ciel; and then an MCE and perhaps release of a CTS Coupe could see more Ciel influence applied to the CTS range.
As can be seen below in the comparison picture, applying the Ciel lights and stance means reducing the wedge profile of the ATS and lengthening the trunk. This squares off the sedan when compared with the wedgy ATS. However, I especially wanted a long tailed fastback look for the Aerocoupe, even if some here may wish it had a foot lopped off it, because that distinct half teardrop of the greenhouse leading down to a Kammback, (named for Wunibald Kamm the 1930’s German aerodynamicist who invented it) would be a defining look for the Coupe in the market place. That long tail also adds great stability at high speeds by moving the centre of pressure rearward and considerably behind the centre of mass. And in saying that, the long-tail look of the Coupe is enhanced even more by a wheelbase that is 2 inches longer than the sedans, due to the front wheels being pushed forward (as indeed BMW have done with the 3-Series Coupe at times) for a very small front overhang.
So the CTS Aerocoupe & Convertible only share one panel, the alloy hood/bonnet, with the sedan. Marketing and price-wise the Aerocoupe & Convertible sits closer to the Omega flagship than the Alpha CTS Sedan, even though they also are on Alpha. Benz similarly has their premium Coupe/Convertibles based on the next platform down to offset some of the production costs. One added benefit of the long trunk is this makes for a Coupe and Convertible capable of taking two couples and their entire luggage for a weekend away. Be it a fast trip from London to Monaco, Berlin to the Adriatic yachting grounds on the Croatian Coast, New York to Charleston, or LA to Monterey. The level of luxury and quality in the Aerocoupe and Convertible would be the highest yet seen in a Cadillac, making it a vehicle that, while not as pricey, could be cross shopped with the Bentley Continental and Maserati Gran Turismo Coupe/Convertibles. BTW, for those who find the large chrome V8 badge and chrome wheels less than elegant, don’t worry they are part of the optional ‘rapper and professional athlete bling package’. Can’t ignore that market either…
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As can be seen above, the new CTS Aerocoupe dwarfs the current CTS Coupe, which effectively is replaced by the ATS Coupe. It has 2 inches more headroom front and back and 4 inches more legroom in front, with 6 inches more legroom in back and an inch more shoulder room. The role of the CTS Aerocoupe becomes luxury 4-place GT. Luggage volume is more than doubled, even allowing for space reserved for batteries under the trunk for e-assist and hybrid models.
My wish list for engines across the range include e-assist 3.6V6, 3.0V6-Hybrid, 2.9V6 TDI, 3.0TTV6, and the CTS-V gets three unique-to-Cadillac engines, depending upon which market it is sold in, of: 3.4TTV6, 6.4V8 and 5.0 QuadTurboV8.
NEW ATS SEDAN
Wheelbase 109.3 in
Length 182.8 in
Width 71.1 in
Height 55.9 in
NEW CTS COUPE & SEDAN
Wheelbase 119 in Wheelbase 117 in (sedan)
Length 204.2 in Length 203.0 in (sedan)
Width 74 in Width 74 in (sedan)
Height 58 in Height 60.5 in (sedan)
OLD CTS COUPE & SEDAN
Wheelbase 113.4 in Wheelbase 113.4(sedan)
Length 188.5 in Length 191.6 in (sedan)
Width 74.1 in Width 72.5 in (sedan)
Height 55.9 in Height 58 in (sedan)
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An obvious theme in this Commentary on the CTS Cadillac is color. The reason I produced so many variations, and I have many more, is that Cadillac needs to bring back color to the automobile market. In a day and age where you can take any colored article into your local hardware store and have a computer matched color tint made for house paint, GM needs to devise a means for the available choice of any color paint the customer wants. Include with that a wide range of colored leather and choices of top colors for the Convertible and the word bespoke can be spoken in the same sentence as Cadillac again – forgive the pun. But seriously the whole auto industry needs to rediscover color like in the 50’s and 60’s.
For any destination that is under half a Continent away, the CTS Aerocoupe and Convertible needs be a vehicle that entices you to choose to drive rather than fly. To fill that role it needs size and substance, as no compact vehicle is a place you want to spend time on a long journey. To usurp the old Jaguar line, it’s needs Space, Pace and Grace.
So, I hope I have given some idea how the next CTS could look if it uses the ATS design cues while mixing in a few new ones of it's own. It's smoother than Art & Science, more conservative even in basic form, but by adding crisp front and rear lines from Ciel it can maintain the feel of Art & Science while being a little more elegant overall. I'm sure GM can produce a stylish, even dramatic, vehicle that can still be said by many to have the look of a larger ATS......
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PS.