The Aussie Caddy

The Cadillac CTS was revealed at the Detroit Show as GM Holden ramped-up plans that will eventually also include the Camaro Coupe and the successor to today's iconic Chevrolet Corvette.

The heavyweight Hummer H3 is already set for Australia this year but the Cadillac is the pivotal car for GM Holden, dealers and company president Denny Mooney.

"It will be here in 2008. That doesn't mean January 1, but 18 months from now is pretty realistic," says Mooney, who has pushed the Cadillac cause almost from the day he arrived at Fishermans Bend.

"Price? I don't know what it is. It will be similar to today's CTS in the States. That car sells for $40,000 Aussie, but that's not what it will sell for in Australia.

"We don't have a final date yet, but it will be coming as soon as we can get it. We are still working out the distribution."

Mooney says they are looking to have up to 24 dealers nationally and they would use the same premium strategy that GM is developing globally.

Mooney says the bottom line on the CTS — which joined the Cadillac line-up in 2002 — will be more costly Down Under once shipping, exchange rates and taxes are included. It will probably be a rival for the Lexus IS and Audi A4 in the $60,000 range.

There are a range of Cadillac CTS models in America, all with six-speed gearboxes, three engines and with a choice of rear and all-wheel drive.

GM Holden is pushing for a 300kW V6 engine and rear-drive, as well as a full set of standard specifications.

"Ultimately, the V-Series performance vehicles are the ones we want," Mooney says.

"We won't get all-wheel-drive. I don't see what it gives you in Australia, except worse fuel economy."

The Cadillac CTS was one of GM's hero cars in Detroit, after a huge makeover that included some body tweaking by Australian design ace Mike Simcoe.

The car is a five-seater, which qualifies as a compact in the US, has edgy new styling and a lot of new engineering work including a revised front-suspension system and improved noise suppression.

Cadillac designer Peter Lawlis, introducing the CTS and the Cadillac team that produces it, says: "Things change. A lot of thinking went into this car.

"We want our customers to feel rewarded for choosing a Cadillac."

The CTS is part of a youth push at the American luxury brand, which has been tortured by Japanese and European rivals in recent years.

The package for next year begins with a chassis that is longer and wider, the improved 3.6-litre direct-injection V6, a move to six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes and LED tail lamps.

The aim is to make the car quicker and a better drive, and to improve quality and refinement.

The CTS goes into production in the US about the middle of this year.

"I cannot wait to get it to Australia," Mooney says.