Don Massey Cadillac Plymouth

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 20, 2007) - Motor Trend (www.motortrend.com), the world's automotive authority and part of Source Interlink Media, today announced the selection of the new 2008 Cadillac CTS as the 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year™. The complete report on Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year will be published in the magazine's January issue, available on newsstands December 4, 2007.

"The Cadillac CTS marks the first time in decades an American automobile has been designed and engineered with an eye on the global marketplace," said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "Among its many excellent qualities, perhaps the most valuable one is that it shows Detroit can build a world class car to compete with the best Munich, Stuttgart and Toyota City have to offer. With the CTS, Detroit is officially back in the car business, not just the truck or SUV business."

"The CTS's winning attributes go far beyond a well-designed facade," said MacKenzie. "It's the star of a new GM revival, and with a base car price of just $32,990, the car is truly accessible to a wide spectrum of car buyers."

The base model CTS includes an impressive 263-horsepower, VVT V-6 (a 304-horsepower direct-injection version is optional), eight-speaker Bose audio, 17-inch wheels and a dual zone climate control. In addition to offering a classy, distinctive interior, superb fit and finish, and starched-crease tailored design, the six-speed automatic version of the CTS goes from 0-to-60 mph in 6.3 seconds. Motor Trend editors particularly enjoyed the car's road-hugging dexterity, responsive feel, and sporty acceleration.

Motor Trend editors faced the daunting challenge of choosing one winner from one of the toughest Car of the Year fields in the history of the award.

"This year's 18-car field was laden with truly significant vehicles," said MacKenzie. "We had all-new interpretations of high-volume benchmark cars that virtually define their respective categories, such as the Honda Accord and Chrysler-Dodge minivan. We had reworked icons such as the Mini Cooper, Subaru Impreza WRX and Scion xB. We had new cars with old nameplates that carried the collective hopes of an entire company, along with all-new vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Audi."

To be eligible for Car of the Year, a vehicle must be totally new or redesigned, and released in the 12 months prior to January 1, 2008. Besides the Cadillac CTS, this year's field of contenders for Car of the Year included:

With the CTS, Cadillac—and GM—captures the golden calipers nearly six decades after winning the first Motor Trend Car of the Year™ award in 1949.

"The CTS obliterates the ‘old man' image of Cadillac," said MacKenzie. "This car will turn heads in the same way that the elite European models do, but it is unmistakably American and uniquely Cadillac. This is a bold and uncompromising showpiece of a sedan."

MacKenzie added, "Tested and developed in the U.S., Germany and China, the CTS exhibits a global poise far beyond its predecessors. The chassis has the race track in its DNA. And it has an interior that manages to be avant-garde and innovative without being difficult to operate. The navigation/information touchscreen sets a new industry standard for stylishness and ease of use."

Each year since 1949, the editorial staff of Motor Trend has evaluated eligible vehicles for its "Car of the Year" based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Superiority refers to engineering excellence, advancement in design, utilization of resources and safety. Vehicle concept and execution are important, as are use of materials, packaging, dynamics, styling and fuel consumption. Significance considers how well the vehicle does the job its maker intended it to do, and how it impacts or changes its particular market segment, influences consumer perceptions, and transforms product development trends. The value question asks, "What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?"

Motortrend.com features more than 20 car videos detailing each of the contenders, the testing, and behind-the-scene discussions and debates among the judges.

High-resolution images of the winner are available upon request and at www.motortrend.com/media. Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ - Car and Driver, the world's number one automotive enthusiast magazine, today announced the winners of the 26th annual 10Best cars sold in America. Winners will be featured in the January 2008 issue of Car and Driver, which will be on newsstands December 4, 2007.

The following are the 2008 "10Best" winners (in alphabetical order), followed by the number of times each model has made the list:

• BMW 3-Series (17)
• Cadillac CTS (1)
• Chevrolet Corvette (14)
• Chevrolet Malibu (1)
• Honda Accord (22)
• Honda Fit (2)
• Mazda MX-5 (9)
• Mazdaspeed 3 (2)
• Porsche Boxster/Cayman (9)
• Volkswagen GTI (3)*

*Award is for GTI model only

While eight vehicles on the list are repeats from last year, three General Motors models made the list for 2008, making General Motors the only American manufacturer to make the 10Best list this year. Two of the three models, the Chevrolet Malibu and the Cadillac CTS, are new to the 10Best list, and the significantly upgraded Corvette appears again for its 17th time. Although Chrysler and Infiniti did not return to the list this year, many familiar nameplates retained their place on the list. The BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda Fit, Mazda MX-5, Mazdaspeed, Porsche Boxster and Volkswagen GTI all are making repeat appearances.

The Honda Accord also returned to the list, for a record 22nd time, but with a brand new Accord that is completely different than last year's model. Following the Accord, the BMW 3-Series and the Chevrolet Corvette are the next most frequent winners of 10Best honors with 17 and 14 appearances, respectively.

"The increased competition between domestic and foreign manufacturers has created a tougher annual contest, but the eight repeat winners deserve accolades for continuing to deliver outstanding quality, performance, value and driver satisfaction," said Csaba Csere, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver.

"Last year, we saw a return of the small car to the list," Csere said. "This year, the strong showing by General Motors proves that the company's stable management and consistent strategy is really starting to pay off. For the new Chevy Malibu to make our list demonstrates that, for the first time in about twenty years, GM can compete with the likes of Toyota and Honda in the important family sedan segment."

During the 26-year history of the 10Best awards, imports have accounted for more than 50 percent of the winners. From 2005 - 2006 domestics accounted for 4 and 3 of the spots respectively, but in 2007, new introductions by Honda and Mazda pushed imports to again take eight of the 10 awards. This year, General Motors alone takes three out of the 10 awards.

A panel of 12 Car and Driver editors determined the winners by rating them on a scale of 1 to 100 with a focus on functional performance, driving satisfaction and value. Vehicles considered for the award must be available in the U.S. by January 2008 and must be priced below the cap of $70,000, or 2.5 times the average transaction price as of summer 2007. In addition, manufacturers must provide a vehicle for testing by Car and Driver staff.

Vehicles that won the previous years' honor are re-nominated if they are still available under the price cap. The judges then identify new or substantially upgraded cars for the current year to get a pool of finalists.

In the quarter of a century, only four nameplates have double-digit wins; they are the Honda Accord, BMW 3-Series, Chevrolet Corvette and Honda Prelude. Since the contest's inception, the three manufacturers with the most wins are Honda (60), Ford (27), and BMW and General Motors (24 each).

The world of Car and Driver has been extended over the years beyond its total magazine readership of 9.7 million to offer more content and access to its audience. Car and Driver's web site, http://www.caranddriver.com; Car and Driver Television, a weekly show on Spike TV; Car and Driver Radio, a weekly three hour program with nearly 100 affiliates; Car and Driver Mobile, text service for cell phones; Car and Driver Digital editions; a commemorative book called Car and Driver: Fifty Years at Top Speed (to be available in October) published by Filipacchi Publishing; and a soon-to-be-launched Car and Driver Race Series; in addition to the Truck and Car Buyers Guides and Road Test Annual, collectively make Car and Driver quite worthy of this summer's splashy 50th birthday celebration.

Car and Driver is published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. whose enthusiast brands reach over 50 million consumers in the U.S. Other Hachette brands include American Photo, Boating, Cycle World, ELLE, ELLE Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, Home, Metropolitan Home, Popular Photography & Imaging, Premiere, Road & Track, Shock, Sound & Vision and Woman's Day. In addition to the print magazine, each brand has a digital edition and website. A number of Hachette brands have extensions in television, radio, mobile services and consumer branded events. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., the New York-headquartered subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lagardere SCA, also includes book and custom publishing, integrated marketing, database and market research, as well as licensing. The Hachette website address is http://www.hfmus.com.

Dramatically Designed Alternative to Larger Vehicles Makes
Debut at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Amidst the beauty and history of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Cadillac treats car enthusiasts to a world premiere of its latest production-car design. The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon makes its debut this weekend on the Monterey Peninsula, showcasing a dramatic design that elevates and updates the classic wagon body style.

Not unlike many historic Cadillac designs, the new CTS Sport Wagon is an unmistakable and dynamic presence. The car's intricately cut rear profile injects fashion-forward design into the formerly utilitarian world of wagons. Cadillac's upcoming wagon offers ample interior space and includes a range of six-cylinder engine choices, making it a compelling alternative to larger utility vehicles.

Based on the hot-selling CTS sport sedan, and a sister vehicle to the CTS Coupe Concept, the Sport Wagon extends the design-driven renaissance of Cadillac. Following this special premiere at Pebble Beach, the CTS Sport Wagon moves to the worldwide auto show circuit this fall - and into to Cadillac dealerships in spring 2009.

"The addition of this dramatically-designed Sport Wagon is well synchronized with today's changing consumer tastes as a compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles," says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "This is an important step in Cadillac's ongoing global expansion, and of course in international markets like Europe, wagons have been and continue to be very significant."

A striking profile is created with the CTS wagon, with a silhouette that suggests speed and aerodynamic efficiency. It rides on the same 113.4-inch (2,880-mm) wheelbase as the CTS sport sedan and is 0.3-inch (7 mm) shorter. However, it offers a generous cargo area of 25 cubic feet (720 liters) behind the rear seats. Design highlights include:

• Signature V-shaped deck and tailgate motif
• Large, vertical taillamps with light-pipe technology
• Power-opening liftgate (via key fob or in-vehicle button)
• CHMSL integrated in subtle roof spoiler
• Integrated roof load management system with cross bars for a seamless appearance
• Cargo management system with adjustable in-floor containment
• New 19-inch wheels
• Larger available panoramic rear sunroof

The CTS Sport Wagon, like its sedan predecessor, includes available features such as all-wheel drive, a 40-gigabyte internal hard drive, pop-up navigation screen and a hand-cut-and-sewn interior with Sapele wood accents.

"The CTS Sport Wagon is an important expansion to the Cadillac lineup worldwide," said Taylor.

Dramatic planes highlight the CTS wagon's design, including a V-shaped motif carried throughout the vehicle and carefully integrated intersections of exterior surfaces. The elements coalesce in a dramatic fashion, creating tension that emphasizes the vehicle's performance.

"It's a taut design that not only suggests sleekness, but delivers it," said Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac. "Indeed, the drama of the sedan is amplified in the CTS Sport Wagon, as the centerline cue that is part of the exterior and interior is more prominent and plays a stronger role in defining the design at the rear of the vehicle."

The emotion of the CTS Sport Wagon's design is carried by a number of nuanced details. The liftgate area, for example, is a confluence of angles and planes that typifies the vehicle's design tension. Cadillac's "V" motif is most prominent here, culminating in a spine at the center of the liftgate that is accented with a subtle spoiler at the top of the backlight. The rear quarter panels extend slightly beyond the inward-angled planes of the V, creating a distinctive W shape at the rear of the vehicle. Large, prominent vertical taillamps - with Cadillac's signature light pipe technology - are the final, dramatic touches to the rear-end styling.

"The more you study the rear of the CTS Sport Wagon, the more you see," said Dean. "Functionality was certainly a guiding factor during development, but so was the idea to inject emotion into the normally sedate wagon category."

One of the more interesting integrations of form and function is found in the seamless roof load management system. Rather than stylized stanchions, brackets and cross bars that protrude above the roof line, the CTS Sport Wagon's system blends with the roofline, maintaining an uninterrupted appearance. The center section of the roof panel angles downward inside the roof edges, allowing an unobtrusive placement of the cross bars - and creating a subtle fin effect at the trailing edges of the rear panels.

"They're not fins in the classic sense, but they work to help disguise the cargo load system and, yes, they acknowledge Cadillac's design heritage," said Dean.

The interior of the Sport Wagon is common with the much-acclaimed sport sedan, including streamlined instrumentation, LED lighting and hand-cut-and-sewn accents with French stitching.

Direct injection technology helps the CTS offer more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions. It delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion. This means less fuel is consumed and lower emissions created.

With the CTS Sport Wagon's 3.6L V-6, direct injection translates to 304 horsepower (227 kW)*, no loss of fuel efficiency and a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. It also runs on less expensive regular unleaded gasoline. The Sport Wagon's fuel economy is expected to be similar to the peak rating of the existing sport sedan's 26 mpg highway rating. The standard 3.6L VVT engine that produces 263 horsepower (196 kW) and 253 lb.-ft. of torque (343 Nm) serves as the base engine in North America.

Just like the CTS sport sedan, the V-6 engines are matched with fuel-saving six-speed transmissions, including an Aisin six-speed manual or an electronically controlled Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic. As is the case on the sport sedan, CTS Sport Wagon includes AWD as an option.

An efficient 2.9L turbo-diesel engine is being developed for CTS models primarily in European and Asian markets. It is a compact, dual overhead cam, four-valve V-6 engine from GM's family of diesel engines that delivers optimal fuel economy as well as reduced emissions and noise. The engine is rated at 184 kW (250 hp).