History of the Cadillac CTS
The Cadillac CTS was a luxury sports car that was designed, engineered, and produced by General Motors for 17 years. The executive car first arrived on the scene in 2002 and went through three generations before it was discontinued to focus on Cadillac’s electric future.
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Early years
Unveiled in 2002 for the 2003 model year, the CTS marked the debut of Cadillac’s new “Art and Science” design language, which was unveiled in the Evoq concept car. The first generation CTS was set to replace the out-going Cadillac Catera and was based on a brand new rear-wheel drive Sigma platform. The CTS was the first Cadillac model to be available with a manual transmission since the 1988 Cimarron. Throughout its first generation, from 2003-2007, the sedan was available with a long list of V6 and V8 engines.
Updates and the CTS-V debut
By 2008, the Cadillac CTS entered its second generation. The updated model debuted at the North American International Auto Show in January 2007 and sported a 3.6-liter V6 capable of 263 horsepower. Its design was also revised, featuring the newer Cadillac grille and the model as a whole was wider and longer. Additional upgrades included slimmer exterior lighting, new wheels, and larger high-performance brake calipers. GM had plans to reintroduce the Cadillac brand in New Zealand and Australia with this iteration of the CTS but unfortunately had to pause this idea amid the global financial crisis in early 2009.
Photo: Cadillac
During its second generation, the CTS was offered as a five-door station wagon in 2010 and as a two-door coupe the following year. Previously, the model was only available as a four-door sedan. Another exciting development in this generation was the introduction of the CTS-V. This performance-based version of the CTS was equipped with features like a multi-link suspension, a supercharged V8 engine, and many more exhilarating items. The CTS-V was an option for all body styles of the vehicle.
Final generation
The Cadillac CTS entered its third, and final, generation in 2014. Three engine options were available at its introduction, including an all-new twin-turbocharged V6 that delivered an incredible 420 hp. However, that engine was only available on the new CTS-Vsport trim that sat between the 3.6-liter V6 and the actual CTS-V model. Cadillac got rid of the two- and five-door models and focused solely on the four-door sedan for this generation. With the updates for the CTS in this generation, MotorTrend actually named it the 2014 Car of the Year while Car and Driver added the vehicle to its 10Best list.
Cadillac decided to stop production of the CTS in 2019, paving the way for more of its electric vehicles to arrive in later years. The brand still has a handful of performance sedans available, all with the signature “V” signifier that was first present on the CTS.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.