The automotive landscape is in constant flux and what amazes me is how quickly manufacturers are making changes and getting them to market. There was a time that it took 5 plus years from the concept to production and in some cases that time is more than cut in half. Some things we see coming include;
A Cadillac CTS wagon and yes you read correctly I said a wagon. GM says they expect to only
sell around 4,000 units of the CTS Sports Wagon in the US but they hope to be a big hit in the Euro market. The CTS Sports Wagon will go on sale in the spring of ’09 with a choice of two 3.6 liter V6’s, one being the 304 horsepower Direct-Injection but the Asian and Euro markets get a 2.9-liter turbodiesel engine that Cadillac is developing. I wonder when the American market will welcome that engine. Stay tuned for more on this car.
Good news for rear-wheel drive fans the Alpha RWD Cadillacs are scheduled for the 2011 model year replacing the front-drive BLS in Europe and expanding the lineup to the U.S. The 3-series sized car could be a big hit but only time will tell.
Look for a new Lambda Escalade as GM tries to inject some new excitement into the Tahoe based Luxo-SUV. Using the Lambda platform makes economic sense because of production of
the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and the new Chevy Traverse. It would also give the Escalade a more edgy look without going overboard. It would most likely be powered by a small-block V8 since the Northstar replacement planned for the Enclave was cancelled.
While the new Chevy Cruze is a pretty nifty looking little car, we’ll have to wait until 2010 before production begins in the U.S. Production in Germany, South Korea and Russia begins in March of 2009 with the car being powered by an anemic 112 horsepower 1.6 liter or 140 horsepower 1.8 liter gas engines and a 150hp 236 lb-ft of torque 2.0 turbodiesel. We won’t see the diesel
iteration in the U.S. because the cost of the Cruze would go north of $30k and I don’t thing that will work for a vehicle only about the size of a Cobalt. This market will likely get a 1.4 liter turbo in the 150 to 170 horsepower range. Nice looking car but we’ll have to wait and see.
There’s a lot of buzz about the Hyundai Genesis and perhaps rightfully so, it appears to offer a lot of luxury and way better than average performance for not a whole lot of money. But Hyundai is jumping into the CUV fray with the 2010 Portico. While only spy pics are available, it’s pretty clear that Hyundai is aiming to cut into the Sport Cross-over market. The Portico has a pretty aggressive stance, a lower swept back roofline that despite the camouflage looks very
interesting. Maybe even more interesting is the talk about eventually getting hybrid power. Slated to go on sale in 2009 as a 2010 it will be interesting to see if the Portico continues Hyundai’s march towards dominance with lots of quality at a great price. So far, looks pretty good.
A Cadillac CTS wagon and yes you read correctly I said a wagon. GM says they expect to only
sell around 4,000 units of the CTS Sports Wagon in the US but they hope to be a big hit in the Euro market. The CTS Sports Wagon will go on sale in the spring of ’09 with a choice of two 3.6 liter V6’s, one being the 304 horsepower Direct-Injection but the Asian and Euro markets get a 2.9-liter turbodiesel engine that Cadillac is developing. I wonder when the American market will welcome that engine. Stay tuned for more on this car.
Good news for rear-wheel drive fans the Alpha RWD Cadillacs are scheduled for the 2011 model year replacing the front-drive BLS in Europe and expanding the lineup to the U.S. The 3-series sized car could be a big hit but only time will tell.Look for a new Lambda Escalade as GM tries to inject some new excitement into the Tahoe based Luxo-SUV. Using the Lambda platform makes economic sense because of production of
the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and the new Chevy Traverse. It would also give the Escalade a more edgy look without going overboard. It would most likely be powered by a small-block V8 since the Northstar replacement planned for the Enclave was cancelled.While the new Chevy Cruze is a pretty nifty looking little car, we’ll have to wait until 2010 before production begins in the U.S. Production in Germany, South Korea and Russia begins in March of 2009 with the car being powered by an anemic 112 horsepower 1.6 liter or 140 horsepower 1.8 liter gas engines and a 150hp 236 lb-ft of torque 2.0 turbodiesel. We won’t see the diesel
iteration in the U.S. because the cost of the Cruze would go north of $30k and I don’t thing that will work for a vehicle only about the size of a Cobalt. This market will likely get a 1.4 liter turbo in the 150 to 170 horsepower range. Nice looking car but we’ll have to wait and see.There’s a lot of buzz about the Hyundai Genesis and perhaps rightfully so, it appears to offer a lot of luxury and way better than average performance for not a whole lot of money. But Hyundai is jumping into the CUV fray with the 2010 Portico. While only spy pics are available, it’s pretty clear that Hyundai is aiming to cut into the Sport Cross-over market. The Portico has a pretty aggressive stance, a lower swept back roofline that despite the camouflage looks very
interesting. Maybe even more interesting is the talk about eventually getting hybrid power. Slated to go on sale in 2009 as a 2010 it will be interesting to see if the Portico continues Hyundai’s march towards dominance with lots of quality at a great price. So far, looks pretty good. 
