Profile : Cadillac Company

One of the oldest marques in the world, the Cadillac Automobile Company was founded in 1902 by several former Ford supporters and engineer Henry Leland. The name is from Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, the founder of Detroit, Michigan. William C. Durant, founder of Chevrolet and General Motors, purchased the company in 1909 and placed it on top of his multi-car pyramid.

The brand was synonymous with advanced and precision engineering both in the U.S. and the world. Cadillac pioneered such technologies as manual transmission with synchronizers; safety glass; and innovations as standard electric start and V-8 engines.

The late Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties shook the luxury marque. The 1973 fuel crisis, government regulation, style changes, and increased competition from German and Japanese automakers pushed Cadillac further from consumers' want lists. Cadillac tried to regain its technological edge, for example, with the variable displacement engine, the V8-6-4, which would shut down or activate cylinders depending on driving conditions. The technology proved unreliable, however.

The Cadillac Cimarron, on the other hand, was aimed at younger buyers eyeing the BMW 3-Series. Unfortunately, most perceived it to be a fancier version of sibling Chevrolet's Cavalier (which it was).


Cadillac's fortunes began to turn in 1999 with the release of the first generation Cadillac Escalade, the marque's first SUV. But sales skyrocketed with the introduction of the CTS in 2003: the sedan's sharp-lined "Arts and Science" origami designs made it a stand out among competitors. Other vehicles, from the XLR roadster to the revamped Escalade, share in the new design.

Cadillac recently announced it is developing a coupe version of the CTS as well as a wagon.

2009 Cadillac CTS Specifications

• 3,564 cc 3.6 liters V 6 front engine with 94.0 mm bore, 85.6 mm stroke, 11.3 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder LLT
• Unleaded fuel 87
• Gasoline direct injection fuel system
• 18.0 gallon main unleaded fuel tank 15.0
• Power: 227 kW , 304 HP SAE @ 6,400 rpm; 273 ft lb , 369 Nm @ 5,200 rpm