Cadillac XTS goes official in L.A.

With the launch of the all-new XTS, Cadillac wants to go head to head with extremely popular cars like the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Audi A6. Rather than focusing on improving the driving dynamics, Caddy focused on improving interior space and luxury. With this decision, the automaker wants to attract traditional U.S. customers as well as Chinese buyers.

The new XTS is slotted above the CTS in the company’s lineup and it will be available as standard with a FWD configuration, while the all-wheel drive system will be an optional feature. The new model will replace the old DTS and STS models and looks a lot like the XTS Concept that Cadillac revealed back in 2010. You have to understand that the decision of replacing the DTS and STS models with the new XTS is pretty bold as those two cars accounted for almost 40% of the company’s sales in North America in 2010.

The car rides on a stretched version of the Epsilon architecture developed by General Motors and it is 75 mm longer at the back in order to increase trunk space and offer more legroom for the passengers sitting in the back.

The highlight of this model, according to Cadillac, would have to be its interior cabin that packs an iPad-style 8-inch display located in the center console with Apple/Android-style pictograms. The instruments are displayed on a TFT screen which means that the driver of the car has the possibility to customize the read-outs.

For the top-spec Platinum trim level, the Cadillac XTS will benefit from very high-end materials, but the automaker has also given serious attention to the car’s safety systems, one of which is the 360-degree collision avoidance system that uses cameras and radar sensors.

Under the hood it will probably have a V6 direct-injection gasoline engine that will fire 300 hp. This engine will be mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or an automatic gearbox.

Source: Cadillac via Autocar

Post tags: Tags: Cadillac, cadillac xts, la-auto-show