Car Blog

CTS Coupe celebrates European premiere at the Geneva Motor Show

CTS-V Coupe to follow late in 2010 – New SRX and CTS Sport Wagon will be available this summer

A newly created organization, Cadillac Europe, will be established to manage import, distribution and marketing of a selected range of Cadillac models specified for the European markets. The vehicles will be retailed through a fully authorized Cadillac sales and service network in key European markets. Specific details will be announced at a later date.

“Europe is an important market for Cadillac,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac general manager. “Re-establishing distribution of our premium offerings is good news for those who seek import exclusiveness.”

At the Geneva Motor Show, Cadillac presents the CTS Coupe for the first time in Europe. Slated to arrive in North American Cadillac showrooms this summer and this fall in Europe, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the visual centerpiece of the brand’s revised lineup.

The Coupe is a classic 2+2 layout bolstered with advanced technology, such as a rear-view camera system and a performance-oriented suspension, combined with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

The Coupe joins the CTS Sport Sedan, the 556-horsepower (415 kW) CTS-V and new CTS Sport Wagon as the foundation of Cadillac’s lineup. A high-performance V-Series edition of the Coupe will also be released this year.

In Geneva, Cadillac will also exhibit the new CTS Sport Wagon, CTS Sport Sedan and the range-topping CTS-V. The new CTS Sport Wagon will be available as of model year 2011, while the CTS Sport Sedan and the CTS-V are available now. Additionally, Cadillac will present the new SRX, a midsize luxury crossover, featuring a completely new design combined with an efficient, high-technology engine. The new SRX goes on sale in Europe with model year 2011.

The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid will also be shown in Geneva. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is the first full-size luxury SUV worldwide featuring the fuel-saving Two-Mode Hybrid System. This vehicle offers more than 40-percent fuel consumption reduction in city driving and dramatically reduced exhaust emissions, while offering all the advantages of a spacious luxury SUV.

Two-Mode Hybrid technology can operate the vehicle solely on battery-electric power during idling or low-speed driving situations. The permanently all-wheel-driven Escalade Hybrid also incorporates Active Fuel Management technology that enables the 6.0L V-8 engine to operate on only four cylinders in certain driving conditions to save fuel.

Source: General Motors

A jury of 49 veteran automotive journalists has selected the Ford Fusion Hybrid as the 2010 North American Car of the Year and the Ford Transit Connect as the 2010 North American Truck of the Year.

It was only the third time in 17 years that one automaker has won both awards. Honda won both awards in 2006 and General Motors won both in 2007.

The awards are unique because — instead of being given by a single media outlet — they are given by automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors that include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

There were three car finalists: The Ford Fusion Hybrid got 241 points, the Volkswagen Golf/TDI/GTI got 146 and the Buick LaCrosse got 103.

There were three truck finalists: The Transit Connect had 213 points and beat the Chevrolet Equinox with 183 points and the Subaru Outback with 94.

Juror Csaba Csere said, “Though not the first hybrid on the market, or even the second or third, The Fusion Hybrid is simply the best one ever built. In addition to delivering terrific mileage, it looks and drives like a regular car — and a very good one indeed.”

Jim Mateja, of the Chicago Tribune, said, “A U-Haul that fits in your garage. Holds people and soooo much of their stuff — bikes, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, skis, tents, boats, ladders, furniture, you name it. Defines multi-purpose and boasts a reasonable price even when you add side and rear windows and back seat.”

To be eligible, vehicles must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model. This year the jury considered more than 50 vehicles and finally focused on 16 cars and 10 trucks.

Michelle Collins, Vice Chairman Automotive at Deloitte LLP, was responsible for counting the ballots, which jurors sent directly to the accounting firm. The winners were kept secret until today at a news conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

At that news conference Ms. Collins handed over the car and truck envelopes to Tony Swan, a member of the awards organizing committee and a senior editor at Car and Driver magazine. Mr. Swan announced the winners.

Last year the North American Car of the Year was the Hyundai Genesis and the North American Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.

This is the 17th year of the awards, which are funded exclusively by the jurors. During that time:

* Domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year nine times. Japanese automakers have won three times. European automakers have won four times. A Korean automaker has won once.

* Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year 11 times. Japanese automakers have won four times. European automakers have won twice.

Here are the vehicles on which the jurors voted:

2010 North American Car of the Year nominees:
BMW 335d
Buick LaCrosse
Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Fusion
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
Honda Insight
Kia Soul
Mazda3/MazdaSpeed3
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Porsche Panamera
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Kizashi
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI

2010 North American Truck of the Year nominees:
Acura ZDX
Audi Q5
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Transit Connect
Honda Accord Crosstour
Land Rover LR4
Lincoln MKT
Subaru Outback
Volvo XC60

More information on the awards — including the names of jurors as well as previous finalists and winners — is available at: www.northamericancaroftheyear.org.

Hagerty Picks Stylish, Sophisticated Collector Cars that Epitomize the Don Draper Lifestyle

Since its premiere in 2007, the popular AMC show “MAD MEN” has renewed an interest in the sophisticated lifestyle of the early 1960s. For professionals of this era, the ultimate sign of success was a new car.

Hagerty, the country’s leading provider of collector car insurance, has put together its picks of the collector cars that the most powerful and influential professionals of the MAD MEN era would have driven.

“Collector cars are a unique way to show off your sense of style and express your personality,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “The early ’60s especially were an era when quality products and cutting-edge design still ruled in America. The ten cars on our list are great examples of the understated and sophisticated design style of this period, and their solid value today makes them a smart way to capture the essence of MAD MEN era.”

Below are Hagerty’s picks of “How to Drive like the MAD MEN: Top 10 Cars of the MAD MEN Era.” The leading collectible car price guide, Hagerty’s Cars that Matter, has determined approximately what each vehicle is valued at today.

1. 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100): When Cadillac decided against producing the Riviera, Buick enlisted McCann Erickson ad agency to convince GM brass that the car should be a Buick. GM styling chief Bill Mitchell drew inspiration from Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. Owners knew the value of a powerful, yet beautifully understated car with plenty of room for the mistress and weekend’s luggage. And the iconic 1963 Riviera certainly filled the bill.
2. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray ($61,000-$74,000): The 1963 Corvette was perhaps the last truly elegant Corvette before the muscle car era arrived with all its ducts and scoops. A man could “expect a subtle, extra measure of attention and respect” by arriving in such a potent machine.
3. 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird ($35,000-$45,000): With the 1955 Thunderbird, Ford introduced Americans to the concept of a personal luxury car. By the early sixties, the boys from Dearborn had perfected the notion. Big power, big comfort, “suddenly, you’re in Thunderbird Country.”
4. 1961-63 Lincoln Continental Sedan ($18,000-$24,000): Conceived just before the beginning of the design-by-committee era, Elwood Engel’s magnum opus was the last mass-produced automobile to be designed by a single man. A 1963 print ad showed the Continental, with doors open in welcome. Below, the tagline stated: “For 1963, we have enlarged your private world and provided you with added power.”
5. 1961 Chrysler 300G ($59,000-$67,000): The G’s styling was unabashedly 50’s. But with up to 400 horsepower available and one of the best suspension and brake packages available, the big Chrysler was more than met the eye. Though outwardly traditional, its looks concealed inner fury.
6. 1963 Studebaker Avanti ($23,000-$31,000): Studebaker was among the last of America’s independent automakers. Styled by a team led by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the Avanti was Studebaker’s last gasp. A Hail Mary Pass of a European-style GT, the Avanti was a lasting icon of an era when the fiercely independent were heroes. While Studebaker succumbed to a creeping death, Avanti production continued
into the 1980s.
7. 1962-63 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ($14,000-$20,000): No list of great 1960s cars is complete without a Cadillac. The Coupe De Ville was a neon sign announcing the “arrival” of a top executive. Young businessmen did not want or even yearn for a new Cadillac, they aspired to one.
8. 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk ($27,000-$32,000): Although Studebaker went out of business in 1966, it wasn’t because their products lacked style. The GT Hawk was fast, elegant, and understated.  Though larger and more staid than its Avanti stable mate, the Hawk was still a bold statement of independence.
9. 1963 Buick Electra 225 ($13,000-$19,000): Though it was built by GM’s “near luxury” division, the Electra 225 carried plenty of prestige.  Four vents on each front fender indicated Buick’s largest available engine and the big 401 cubic-inch V8 provided enough power to make even Cadillac owners think twice. Though not as flashy as the Cadillac, the Buick was grace and style made manifest.
10. 1963 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible ($31,000-$36,000): If the world or even the solar system simply wasn’t big enough, there was the Galaxie.
With a whopping 119″ wheelbase the Galaxie convertible wasn’t a car you wanted to parallel park in Manhattan. Which is why the French invented valet parking. True story, sweetheart.

Source: Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc.