2014 CTS Sedan Stretches Cadillac’s Design Philosophy

The 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan evolves Cadillac’s Art & Science design philosophy, with new a proportion that resizes the brand’s signature sport sedan, giving it a longer, leaner aesthetic reflective of its lightweight, driver-focused ethos.

Inside and out, the new CTS sedan grows dimensionally and its features are executed with the exemplary attention to detail and technological elements for which the brand is known.

“The 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan stretches literally and figuratively to take on the segment’s best with a performance-oriented spirit and confident sophistication,” said Bob Boniface, Cadillac exterior design director. “It has a lighter, thinner appearance, while taut, linear design elements emphasize its stretched profile.”

Indeed, the new CTS sedan is about five inches (127 mm) longer, with a roofline, hood line and windshield base all about an inch lower, emphasizing a long dash-to-axle proportion that enhances the car’s athletic appearance. A faster windshield profile and elongated C-pillars lend perceptual motion to the design.

The CTS sedan also rides on a longer, 114.6-inch (2,911 mm) wheelbase – 1.2 inches longer than the current model – that enhances rear-seat spaciousness and contributes to a smoother ride. Wide front/rear tracks complement the long wheelbase to reinforce its firmly planted stance and contribute to a confident feel on the road.

“The longer, leaner proportion emphasizes the CTS’s rear-drive performance orientation,” said Boniface.

Linear elements, including an uninterrupted feature line that runs from the headlamps to the tail lamps, emphasize the car’s long, lean proportion and contribute three-dimensional qualities to its surface. The sense of flow over the CTS sedan is furthered, too, with a “trapped” hood design – surrounded completely by sheet metal – that eliminates the forward cut lines between the grille and headlamps.

Cadillac’s signature bold vertical lighting elements – including LED front signature lighting details – evolve with headlamps that flow up and with the hood line. The headlamp housings incorporate crystalline LED light guides in the upper and lower forward corners, bringing uniform white illumination without hot spots and serving as the daytime running lamps.

Projector-beam halogen headlamps are standard and high-intensity discharge headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting System are available.

At the rear, first-, second- and third-order bezel elements within the tail lamp housings offer a distinctive rear signature for the CTS when illuminated. LED lights within crystalline blade structures ensure a crisp, uniform appearance and the Cadillac script is etched in the upper illumination blade.

Additional exterior features include:

• Wider, more prominent shield grille with Galvano low-gloss polished aluminum trim, intricate grille texture and recessed wreath and crest badge
• Unique grille texture and finish on Vsport
• Available illuminating door handles with Galvano polished aluminum finish
• Seamless Galvano aluminum trim around the side windows that reinforces CTS’s craftsmanship with the “line weighting” of an artist’s pencil – it’s thicker in some areas and thinner in others to emphasize different proportions
• Chevron-shaped center high-mounted stop lamp is inset in the leading edge of the trunk lid for a more elegant, integrated appearance
• Through-fascia trapezoidal exhaust ports are accented with chrome trim
• Seventeen-inch wheels are standard, with 18- and 19-inch wheels available.

Ten exterior colors will be offered on the 2014 CTS sedan.

Courtesy of: Cadillac Newsroom