Cadillac's Sub-CTS To Use FWD Epsilon II Platform

Things are looking tough for the General lately. Yes, and bears do their business in the woods.  Half of their divisions are leaving or ceasing to exist, budget cuts must happen, and money needs to be made.  So while the decisions GM (and the Obama administration) makes might not gel with the enthusiast, you can bet they're going to be economically viable.

The latest depressing news is that the upcoming small Cadillac, which is to slot below the CTS in the Cadillac lineup, will not be based on the new Alpha Rear-wheel-drive platform, but rather the current Epsilon II platform.  While Epsilon II cars have been well-reviewed by the press (Vauxhall/Opel Insignia, primarily) a front-wheel-drive Cadillac is iffy at best.  It will be less expensive to produce and more space/fuel efficient (probably) but people who have the money in this market to buy a Caddy probably don't want small engines and torque steer.

The Alpha platform was to replace the Sigma platform, which underpins the current CTS.  The fate of the project as a whole is still in question.  Let's keep in mind that this won't be Cadillac's first front-wheel-driver: the J-body based Cimarron of the 80's was an absolutely massive failure of the highest degree, to the point where it's the butt of car jokes today.  And the BLS, which is nothing more than a restyled Saab 9-3 (built in the Saab plant!), only for sale in Europe, is selling like a build-your-own-igloo kit in South Florida.  This doesn't really bode well for this new FWD Cadillac's future, I think.  Stay tuned for more news on this topic.