2011 cadillac cts coupe detroit auto show

The Cadillac CTS is a mid-size luxury sports sedan and executive car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors. It was introduced in 2002 as the replacement for the unpopular Cadillac Catera. The release of the CTS is credited with reinvigorating the Cadillac brand. The car's exterior was designed by Wayne Cherry and Kip Wasenko, and marked the production debut of the stealth aircraft-inspired "Art and Science" design language, which was first seen on the Evoq concept car.[1] During the 1990s, Cadillac had attempted to capture a younger demographic with cars such as the Catera and Allanté, but the company did not achieve success until the introduction of the CTS. As part of its marketing campaign, the sedan was featured prominently in an action film, and enjoyed a warm reception from the motoring press, who have granted the car numerous awards and accolades over its lifetime.[2]

Introduced in 2002 as a 2003 model, the CTS was built on GM's new rear-wheel drive Sigma platform. It marked a return to RWD cars for the brand, and was the first Cadillac to be offered with a manual transmission since the 1988 Cimarron. The CTS was designed as a replacement for the badge-engineered, Opel-based Catera. Sales were a sharp improvement from its predecessor, and the CTS promptly received the North American Car of the Year award for 2002.

Originally slated to carry the same name as its predecessor, the new car instead became known as the C-Series Touring Sedan.[citation needed] CTS production takes place at GM's Lansing Grand River plant in Lansing, Michigan. The CTS was also assembled in China during 2006, but production was discontinued after sluggish sales in Asian markets.

Originally powered by a 3.2 L LA3 V6 producing 220 hp (164 kW), the CTS received an updated 3.6 L DOHC V6 with variable valve timing in 2004, producing 255 hp (190 kW) and 252 lb·ft (342 N·m) of torque. The 3.2 L engine went out of production in 2005, when a new 2.8 L version of the DOHC V6 debuted in an entry-level version of the CTS. In Europe, the 2.8 L replaces the previous entry-level 2.6 L engine.

The CTS was originally offered with either GM's in-house 5-speed 5L40-E automatic transmission or a 5-speed Getrag 260 manual transmission. For the 2005 model year, the Getrag was replaced with an Aisin AY-6 6-speed.