2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

CTS Sport Wagon: Cadillac's Renaissance Takes A New Form with Dramatically Designed Alternative to Larger Vehicles Makes Debut at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Amidst the beauty and history of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Cadillac treats car enthusiasts to a world premiere of its latest production-car design. The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon makes its debut this weekend on the Monterey Peninsula, showcasing a dramatic design that elevates and updates the classic wagon body style.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon - side

Not unlike many historic Cadillac designs, the new CTS Sport Wagon is an unmistakable and dynamic presence. The car’s intricately cut rear profile injects fashion-forward design into the formerly utilitarian world of wagons. Cadillac’s upcoming wagon offers ample interior space and includes a range of six-cylinder engine choices, making it a compelling alternative to larger utility vehicles.

Based on the hot-selling CTS sport sedan, and a sister vehicle to the CTS Coupe Concept, the Sport Wagon extends the design-driven renaissance of Cadillac. Following this special premiere at Pebble Beach, the CTS Sport Wagon moves to the worldwide auto show circuit this fall – and into Cadillac dealerships in spring 2009.

“The addition of this dramatically-designed Sport Wagon is well synchronized with today’s changing consumer tastes as a compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles,” says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. “This is an important step in Cadillac’s ongoing global expansion, and of course in international markets like Europe, wagons have been and continue to be very significant.”

A striking profile is created with the CTS wagon, with a silhouette that suggests speed and aerodynamic efficiency. It rides on the same 113.4-inch (2,880-mm) wheelbase as the CTS sport sedan and is 0.3-inch (7 mm) shorter. However, it offers a generous cargo area of 25 cubic feet (720 liters) behind the rear seats. Design highlights include:

* Signature V-shaped deck and tailgate motif
* Large, vertical taillamps with light-pipe technology
* Power-opening liftgate (via key fob or in-vehicle button)
* CHMSL integrated in subtle roof spoiler
* Integrated roof load management system with cross bars for a seamless appearance
* Cargo management system with adjustable in-floor containment
* New 19-inch wheels
* Larger available panoramic rear sunroof

The CTS Sport Wagon, like its sedan predecessor, includes available features such as all-wheel drive, a 40-gigabyte internal hard drive, pop-up navigation screen and a hand-cut-and-sewn interior with Sapele wood accents.

“The CTS Sport Wagon is an important expansion to the Cadillac lineup worldwide,” said Taylor.

Design details

Dramatic planes highlight the CTS wagon’s design, including a V-shaped motif carried throughout the vehicle and carefully integrated intersections of exterior surfaces. The elements coalesce in a dramatic fashion, creating tension that emphasizes the vehicle’s performance.

“It’s a taut design that not only suggests sleekness, but delivers it,” said Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac. “Indeed, the drama of the sedan is amplified in the CTS Sport Wagon, as the centerline cue that is part of the exterior and interior is more prominent and plays a stronger role in defining the design at the rear of the vehicle.”

The emotion of the CTS Sport Wagon’s design is carried by a number of nuanced details. The liftgate area, for example, is a confluence of angles and planes that typifies the vehicle’s design tension. Cadillac’s “V” motif is most prominent here, culminating in a spine at the center of the liftgate that is accented with a subtle spoiler at the top of the backlight. The rear quarter panels extend slightly beyond the inward-angled planes of the V, creating a distinctive W shape at the rear of the vehicle. Large, prominent vertical taillamps – with Cadillac’s signature light pipe technology – are the final, dramatic touches to the rear-end styling.

“The more you study the rear of the CTS Sport Wagon, the more you see,” said Dean. “Functionality was certainly a guiding factor during development, but so was the idea to inject emotion into the normally sedate wagon category.”