2005 Cadillac BLS Concept

GMs Best Badge Engineering Yet

The old saying, "Run with the big dogs, or get off the porch," has many applications, but one of the better ones involves

cars, particularly entry-level luxury cars. This highly competitive segment includes some of the best vehicles in the world, including the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The importance of this category is so significant, that it has caught the eye of traditional large luxury car makers, Jaguar and Lexus, prompting them to conjure their own compact offerings, the X-Type and the IS 300 respectively.

America, as you might have noticed, is not a part of this picture. Our brands, Lincoln and Cadillac, have had European assistance with the design of the Jaguar-based LS sedan and the Opel-derived Catera, now the CTS, but they have never lived up to levels set by the European and Japanese. Part of this can be attributed to differences in what luxury is perceived to be. The American definition of luxury is a world apart from what the global definition is, and as a result, on the international level, American-made machines are often ranked sub-par.

Not surprisingly, the entry-level luxury segment generates a great portion of sales for the car industrys giants, as it is the doorway for buyers of prestige nameplates. The 3-Series, for example, accounts for nearly half of BMWs automobile sales, a truly impressive statistic. General Motors hasnt had the same luck with its mainstay European brands, Opel and Saab. Uninspired products and a lack of badge merit have left the General with a tiny proportion of the market which, as we speak, is currently diminishing. This is where Cadillac, Americas most respected luxury carmaker, will come in.

Despite the all-American stereotypes, Cadillac is no stranger to Europe. Over the past few decades it has produced a variety of European-inspired machines. Entry-level Cimarron aside, which was little more than an early 80s Cavalier with leather, the Allanté, a Pininfarina-designed and produced convertible, and the Catera, a rebadged Opel Omega, helped luxury buyers change their perceptions about the brand. Nevertheless, these efforts, while valiant, were slow sellers, and never made the impact that the brand hoped for.

Though Cadillac has had many run-ins with the European market, the most recent attempt was in the mid-90s. The marque, backed by one model, the Seville STS, was launched in an attempt to siphon sales away from the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but while successful in the U.S. its V8-powered, front-wheel drive layout made the car dynamically inferior to the big guns. Cadillac was literally laughed out of Europe by the media, leaving the brand to lick its wounds.

After a series of shocking concept cars such as the Evoq, Imaj and Cien, Caddy launched the Art & Science design theme, yielding one of its best products to date, the rear-wheel drive CTS. With its modular engine, Euro-centric chassis honed for sharpness and precision at the Nurburgring, plus the unique look of the sharply-creased body, the CTS redefined the Cadillac brand. The pricing also didnt hurt - 5-Series size for 3-Series money.

Nowadays, Cadillacs state is much rosier, with an entire portfolio of vehicles including a road-biased SUV, a full-size sedan and a two-seat roadster. With high confidence, GM now feels that the time is ready to aggressively take on the European market with Cadillac. But before arriving overseas for another brand-assault, this old dog is going to be taught some new tricks to spark attention and lure in new consumers.

Meet the Cadillac BLS concept, a near-production view of what Europeans will see in early 2006. Unlike any of the other Cadillacs currently in production, its development road took a completely different path. In order to be more like the opposition, this European exclusive uses the Saab 9-3 for its backbone. According to GM, the BLS is "specifically targeted to meet the needs of European customers," showing the brands seriousness, and intention of creating an all-new image. Not a bad start, if you ask me.

With respect to GMs re-branding techniques, the BLS is one of the best transformations to date. Unlike the Saab 9-2x and 9-7x, which simply add new front and rear styling to existing Subaru and GM vehicles, GM has spent a fair bit of money giving the BLS completely unique body panels, including different pillars, and a more angular roofline. At 184.25 inches long, and 57.04 inches tall, the BLS is longer but lower than its Swedish sibling, but identical in width at 69.37 inches.

The BLS proudly displays Cadillacs Art & Science styling theme, with prominent vertical lines on the cars nose and tail; theres no mistaking the identity of this one. Key design elements, such as the striking V-shaped form of the grille, strongly defined wheel arches and the upright LED tail lamps with deck-top display link this Caddy to those available in North American markets. Chrome 19-inch alloy wheels add to the eye-catching design.

Compared to newer Cadillacs, such as the STS or the new DTS sedan, the BLS falls more in line with the brands first Art & Science vehicle, the CTS. Like that model, the vertically stacked bi-xenon headlamps flow over the cars hood, wrapping slightly around the upper front fenders, while the trunk features a V-shaped inset for the license plate. To ensure that the brands sharp lines will go over well at the cars first showing in Geneva, the bold styling has been "Europeanized", with wider swept back headlamps and a split front valance with conventional fog lamps.

On the inside, the link to Saab is much more obvious, though theres a surprising amount of new content. Any enthusiast can easily pick out the shared components, namely the mildly altered multi-function steering wheel, glovebox, pillar-mounted mirror controls, shifter gate, the lower dash fascia with its knobs, switches, and instrument panel. Minor detailing, such as a different font type and white illuminated gauges with red needles, takes the place of the traditional Saab fare. Importantly, the key slot on the BLS is not floor-mounted!

Where the driver-focused, wraparound dash of any Saab places drivers in a snug, jet-like cockpit, the BLS interior is more traditionally designed. Brushed aluminum trim and burled wood accent the straightforward dashboard. Moving from the bottom up, the baby Caddy features a trio of simple-to-operate push-button rotary dial knobs for climate, a Bose CD audio head unit with easy-to-navigate controls and touch screen LCD navigation, and, at the very top of the center stack, an analogue clock borrowed from the new DTS luxury sedan. Built-in Bluetooth gives the BLS a techno-link, allowing interactivity between the car and cell phones, PDAs and laptops.

When the BLS goes on sale in Europe, a total of five engines will be available to consumers, three of which are turbocharged gasoline, and two diesels. As you may have guessed, the gasoline engines are borrowed from Saabs lineup, and they include a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, rated at 175 hp for the base model and 210 horsepower for the midrange model. The top gas-powered motor is the all-new 2.8-liter turbo V6 with variable valve timing that cranks out an impressive 250 horsepower.

Since the disastrous naturally-aspirated diesel V8s of the 1980s, Cadillac has shied away from alternative fuels; however, to succeed in Europe, the BLS must bear the burden of diesel. This time around, Cadillac is in luck, as the oil-burner it will utilize is the new 1.9-liter JTD common-rail turbodiesel. Developed by GM and Fiat, this motor has been proclaimed as best in its class by the European media. Producing an estimated 150 and 180 horsepower depending on specification, these diesels are potent but clean as theyre equipped with a particle filter. Both gasoline and diesel motors will be available with manual or automatic gearboxes.

Cadillac didnt specify which engine the show car is fitted with, but given the 6,000 rpm redline on the instrument cluster and the twin exhaust pipes, its a safe bet that the new 2.8L V6 is under the hood.

Though its true that the BLS is based on the Epsilon architecture, the baby Cadillac shares many of the 9-3s unique traits in order to cut development time and cost. Both cars utilize subframes in order to isolate road noise, as well as a decoupled rear axle mounted on bushings to suppress vibrations. Though the Caddy features a MacPherson strut / four-link layout (the same as the 9-3), it is unknown whether the BLS will use the Saabs Re-Axs flexible bushing passive rear-wheel steering system. In order to prevent model overlap, the BLS will feature unique suspension and chassis tuning to produce a different drive than the 9-3.

In North America, Cadillac is in the fast lane and has nearly recovered from the sales slump that hit the brand in the late 80s. The BLS should help expand this North American phenomenon into a global trend. Its unlikely that Cadillac will offer the BLS in North America, because the vehicle would most likely steal sales from Saab, undermining GMs efforts to bolster the company. Even though the BLS has yet to go on sale, there are rumors that Cadillac is considering expanding the range to include a station wagon (like the 9-3 SportCombi) and even a convertible. Currently, the only vehicle that has been confirmed is the sedan.