Cadillac BLS
Encyclopedia
The Cadillac BLS is a compact executive car
marketed in Europe
by Cadillac
, a division of General Motors
. Based on GM's Epsilon
architecture, the BLS is a heavily restyled version of the Saab 9-3
. The development was done by Saab and cost more than one billion kronor (approximately $140 million) to design. GM never personally paid Saab for these development costs, despite the fact that it was GM who would benefit from the sales of the vehicle and Saab had produced it. However, General Motors did provide Saab Automobile with many other resources, both financially and materially: Because of GM, Saab now owns "highly modern and profoundly effective manufacturing and development facilities," that were created under General Motors' ownership of the company. It was manufactured in Trollhättan
, Sweden
, alongside the Saab 9-3
and the Saab 9-5
. Sales of the sedan began in March 2006, with a station wagon
joining the line for 2007. The BLS was introduced to the Arabian, Mexican
, South Africa
n, and South Korea
n markets for the 2007 model year.
Frequently lambasted by critics, with some sarcastically claiming that "BLS" stood for "Bob Lutz Special",, the BLS sold extremely poorly; In 2007, Cadillac produced 2,772 cars at the Trollhättan factory, with 282 sold in Germany, a market with total annual sales of 3.15 million. Production figures for 2007 are down from 3,257 in 2006.
At 184.3 in (4,681 mm) in overall length, the BLS is almost six inches shorter than the CTS
, the smallest Cadillac available in North America.
Engines:
" has been used on many news/blog sites to refer to the new vehicle, but the name has not been confirmed by GM. It has also neither announced an availability date nor specified if it would be sold in Europe. In his speech at the event, GM CEO Fritz Henderson suggested the car would offer both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive, a departure from the BLS.
, James May
and Richard Hammond
drove one on the way to present a local radio show. Richard insisted that it was a good car while James bashed it saying that it was useless and couldn't replace German
executive car
s like the Audi A4
or BMW 3 Series
, in his opinion. He most frequently brought up the fact that it was a "badge engineered" Saab 9-3
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhdU94lXas
Compact executive car
Compact executive car is a car classification term applied to premium cars smaller than executive cars. In European classification, compact executive cars are part of the D-segment. In North American terms, close equivalents are compact premium car, compact luxury car, entry-level luxury car and...
marketed in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, a division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. Based on GM's Epsilon
GM Epsilon platform
Epsilon is General Motors' mid-size front-wheel drive automobile platform. The architecture was developed by Opel, and debuted in the 2002 Opel Vectra and 2003 Saab 9-3. Since this platform falls squarely in the center of the worldwide automobile market, GM plans to produce a great many Epsilon...
architecture, the BLS is a heavily restyled version of the Saab 9-3
Saab 9-3
The first generation 9-3, a substantially improved 'new-generation' Saab 900 was launched in 1998 for the 1999 model year. Saab claimed that 1,100 changes were made, including a revised suspension in an attempt to tighten up the handling characteristics of its predecessor, the Saab 900...
. The development was done by Saab and cost more than one billion kronor (approximately $140 million) to design. GM never personally paid Saab for these development costs, despite the fact that it was GM who would benefit from the sales of the vehicle and Saab had produced it. However, General Motors did provide Saab Automobile with many other resources, both financially and materially: Because of GM, Saab now owns "highly modern and profoundly effective manufacturing and development facilities," that were created under General Motors' ownership of the company. It was manufactured in Trollhättan
Trollhättan Assembly
Trollhättan Assembly is an automobile factory in Trollhättan, Sweden. The factory opened in 1947 under the ownership of Saab AB, then passing to Saab Automobile. From 1989 to 2010, the factory was partially , then completely owned by General Motors. In 2010, Saab was sold to Spyker Cars. The plant...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, alongside the Saab 9-3
Saab 9-3
The first generation 9-3, a substantially improved 'new-generation' Saab 900 was launched in 1998 for the 1999 model year. Saab claimed that 1,100 changes were made, including a revised suspension in an attempt to tighten up the handling characteristics of its predecessor, the Saab 900...
and the Saab 9-5
Saab 9-5
The Saab 9-5 is an executive car produced by the Swedish automobile maker Saab. The first generation was introduced in 1997 as the replacement to the Saab 9000 for the 1998 model year. At the time, the car represented a great leap forward for Saab...
. Sales of the sedan began in March 2006, with a station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
joining the line for 2007. The BLS was introduced to the Arabian, Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n, and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n markets for the 2007 model year.
Frequently lambasted by critics, with some sarcastically claiming that "BLS" stood for "Bob Lutz Special",, the BLS sold extremely poorly; In 2007, Cadillac produced 2,772 cars at the Trollhättan factory, with 282 sold in Germany, a market with total annual sales of 3.15 million. Production figures for 2007 are down from 3,257 in 2006.
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Features
The BLS is available with a diesel engine (a 1.9 L turbocharged four-cylinder) and two petrol engines (a 2.8 L turbocharged V6 and a 2.0 L available with two power levels).At 184.3 in (4,681 mm) in overall length, the BLS is almost six inches shorter than the CTS
Cadillac CTS
The Cadillac CTS is a mid-size car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors currently available in three body styles: Sedan, Coupe, and Sport Wagon. It was introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, replacing the Cadillac Catera. The CTS and the supercharged CTS-V variant have been named...
, the smallest Cadillac available in North America.
Engines:
- 1.9 L FiatFiatFIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
turbodieselTurbodieselTurbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...
I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
16v, 150 hp (110 kW) - 1.9 L FiatFiatFIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
turbodieselTurbodieselTurbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...
I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
16v, 180 hp (132 kW) (2007-) - 2.0 L Ecotec I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, mid-pressure turbo, 175 hp (129 kW) - 2.0 L Ecotec I4Straight-4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, high-pressure turbo, 210 hp (154 kW) - 2.0 T FlexPower 200 hp (147 kW)
- 2.8 L HFV6 V6, turbo, 250 hp (184 kW)
- 2.8 L HFV6 V6, turbo, 276 hp (206 kW) (2008 BLS 4 (AWD) version)
- 2.8 L HFV6 V6, turbo, 320 hp (239 kW) (2008 BLS-V (AWD) version)
Future
Production of the BLS ended in summer 2009, following low sales. In August 2009, at its extended product review, GM confirmed a new entry-level sedan to succeed the BLS. The name "ATSCadillac ATS
The Cadillac ATS is an upcoming compact luxury sedan from Cadillac. Currently, General Motors considers ATS a "codename" for the model, which means the final production name may change. It will be smaller than the Cadillac CTS, but roughly the size of the ELR, and is intended to compete with the...
" has been used on many news/blog sites to refer to the new vehicle, but the name has not been confirmed by GM. It has also neither announced an availability date nor specified if it would be sold in Europe. In his speech at the event, GM CEO Fritz Henderson suggested the car would offer both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive, a departure from the BLS.
Television
The BLS was featured in an episode of Top Gear in which Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
, James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
and Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
drove one on the way to present a local radio show. Richard insisted that it was a good car while James bashed it saying that it was useless and couldn't replace German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
executive car
Executive car
Executive car is a British term that refers to a car's size and is used to describe an automobile larger than a large family car. In official use, the term is adopted by EuroNCAP, a European organisation founded to test car safety.- History :...
s like the Audi A4
Audi A4
The first generation Audi A4 debuted in 1994, with production starting November 1994. It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat . It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive...
or BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
, in his opinion. He most frequently brought up the fact that it was a "badge engineered" Saab 9-3
Saab 9-3
The first generation 9-3, a substantially improved 'new-generation' Saab 900 was launched in 1998 for the 1999 model year. Saab claimed that 1,100 changes were made, including a revised suspension in an attempt to tighten up the handling characteristics of its predecessor, the Saab 900...
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhdU94lXas