Here's a shocker: Cadillac has reportedly canceled plans for a range-topping V12 engine. Really, you don't say? Last we checked, General Motors didn't seem to have any problems extracting plenty of performance from its 6.2-liter supercharged and 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engines, and the majority of the development work has already been done for a Caddy installation. Additionally, we've heard some rumors of a possible twin-turbo version of GM's excellent 3.6-liter direct injection six, which could find a cozy spot under the hood of the next Cadillac sedan. Cadillac is also said to be reconsidering its premium large sedan, where the V12 was originally intended to reside. In its stead, GM's classiest division will focus in on the replacement for the STS and DTS sedans. Also rumored is a new naming convention, as if the waters weren't already murky enough. Will the next Caddy sedan be known as the DT7? We sure hope not. Will it be based on the new Zeta platform? Well now... that decision would get our seal of approval.
It may be the end of the Big Cadillac. Not only has General Motors put plans for a DTS/STS replacement on the back burner, but apparently the flame is close to being extinguished as consumers are demanding smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles. Cadillac's banner year was 1954 (the year Elvis was driving a pink '54 model). Back then, the big Caddys represented wealth and success (and gas was only $.25 per gallon). Today, a 4,000-pound super-sized sedan averaging 15 mpg in the city cycle doesn't bode well with anyone. With plans for their replacement on hold, and the rumor that the DTS/STS my be combined into one new vehicle unconfirmed, GM is focusing on coupe and wagon versions of the CTS and smaller and more fuel efficient SUVs. For the record, we don't consider the just-announced $71,000 2009 Escalade Hybrid smaller and more efficient....
In yet another indication that thieves may boast more skill and luck than overall intelligence, a 22-year-old Somers, Connecticut, resident in possession of a stolen Cadillac STS complained to authorities that someone had broken the window on "his" car. Of course, it took the police just a few minutes to determine that there were some serious holes in the thief's story, and maybe more than a small bit of air inside the young man's head.
Although the self-proclaimed "victim" was in possession of the Caddy's keys, there was no supporting documentation proving ownership, or that he was in the process of purchasing the vehicle from an Avis rental agency, as he claimed. In fact, just how the shady character expected to make those payments on a $50,000 car was in question -- his "employment" was all arranged through a local temp agency. Long story short, the rental agency just so happened to be missing one Cadillac STS, and it didn't take them long to press charges.
Instead of sitting behind the wheel of America's finest luxury marque, the vandal finds himself sitting in jail today, unable to post bail of just $3,500... it may be time to call the agency for another temp position.
