GM has revealed a new Touring Package for the Cadillac CTS, designed to give the standard CTS a bit of its bigger brother CTS-V’s styling. The touring package will include HID headlights, sport-tuned suspension, spoiler for the taillight, 18- or 19-inch wheels, and interior accessories.

Two packages are available, one for the 3.0L V6 found in the CTS sedan and wagon, and another for the 3.6L V6 that’s found in the CTS coupe and optional on other models. The 3.0L V6-equipped CTS will get 18-inch wheels, dual exhaust tips, darkened front grille on the outside while the interior receives suede trim on the seats, steering wheel and shifter, dark wood trim, and metal sport pedals. The 3.0L V6 package is priced at $2,065.

The 3.6L V6 package includes the previously mentioned parts but upgrades them with 19-inch wheels and Recaro bucket seats. That package runs $2,810.

GALLERY: Cadillac CTS Touring Package

Last week, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced that 2012 earned a record number of “top safety picks,” but the automotive industry is looking to set the record number even higher.

Cadillac‘s 2012 SRX crossover and CTS sports sedan and wagon models received a crash safety rating of 5-star overall. According to the National Highway Traffic Adminstration, only 21 vehicles earned the overall high score for 2012.

The SRX and CTS sedan and wagon were tested under NHTSA’s revised New Car Assessment Program first put to effect for the 2011 model year. This revision requires vehicles to pass frontal, side and rollover tests. The 5-star overall rating takes into account the combined results of all the tests.

GM executive director of Vehicle Safety Gay Kent expresses, “Receiving five stars under the new rating system is an impressive feat– on that clearly demonstrates the strength of the SRX and CTS advanced structure, overall crashworthiness and effectiveness of the models’ state-of-the-art safety technologies.”

Hit the jump to watch the video:

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As the CTS spearheads Cadillac‘s revival, old faithfuls and the newly converted alike happily anticipate for the next big thing. The ATS, arriving 2012, is designed around an all new Cadillac specific RWD-AWD platform that is intended to be Cadillac’s latest answer to the long standing BMW 3-series benchmark.

In the following video, President of GM North America Mark Reuss is accompanied with various engineers associated in the ATS project to discuss the car, what it stands for, and also to share some future visions within the Cadillac company.

Two remarks stand out during the ATS promo video. Mark Reuss took this opportunity to explain, “We’re really trying to hone the DNA of what Cadillac is all about, which is performance and luxury.” Global Vehicle Chief Engineer Dave Leone follows through, assuring that Cadillac, “will be very fun to drive, very spirited, very nimble.”

Spy photos of the ATS have circulated for some time. In the video, you will get an opportunity to get a better peek before the new product goes on sale next year.

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General Motors has quietly phased out production of the Cadillac STS. The last sedan drove off the Lansing Grand River assembly line last week.

The ending of STS production will not result in any layoffs, however, as all workers will retain the same hours and will continue to build the CTS. The STS and the high performance STS-V have been made at the factory since August 2004. Since then, 125,000 STSes have been produced.

Next year workers will begin production of a new small Cadillac says brand spokesperson Jordana Strosberg. GM officials call the new car the “alpha platform,” but it will reportedly be called the ATS when it hits dealers.

Replacing both the STS and DTS in Caddy’s lineup is a new full sized luxury sedan based on the XTS Concept, although official production of this car has yet to be confirmed.

[Source: LSJ]

After two recent unsuccessful attempts at marketing a convertible Cadillac to the general public, Cadillac will be making another attempt at a much lower price point. Instead of a folding-hardtop roadster that we saw with the XLR (above), we’ll be seeing a softtop convertible based on the Alpha platform and will find itself in between the ATS and CTS Cadillac models.

It’ll be interesting to see how successful or unsuccessful a softtop convertible will be for Cadillac. Their competitors are a blend of both, with Audi’s A5 and Mercedes’ E-Class sporting fabric roofs while Lexus and Infiniti have gone the hardtop option on their sporty convertibles.

No mention of what this convertible model may be powered by, but chances are we won’t see a production model until late 2013.

[Source: Car and Driver Blog]

Chrysler is recalling 25,265 Dodge Caliber and 71 Jeep Compass models due to faulty throttles that may become stuck, in a manner similar to the infamous Toyota gas pedals that lead to a number of motorist deaths and injuries.

The accelerators were made by CTS Corp, the Indiana based supplier of the defective Toyota pedals. Unlike those units, Chrysler’s were allegedly equipped with brake override, which slows the car down when both the accelerator and brake pedals are applied. The recall follows a NHTSA investigation that began after five people complained of sticking pedals in their Chrysler vehicles.

[Source: Bloomerg]

The much-anticipated Cadillac CTS Coupe will arrive in May of next year as a 2011 model. The sporty two-door won’t be alone either, as the new model will debut alongside a high-powered CST-V sibling.

According to a report on TheCarConnection, the two door version of the entry-level Cadillac CTS will share the same powertrains as the sedan and Sport Wagon, which will include a new-for-2010 base engine – a 270hp direct-injection 3.0-liter V6. Like the sedan, the coupe will be offered with a manual transmission, while the Sport Wagon will be automatic only.

The CTS-V Coupe is expected to be powered by the exact same engine as the sedan with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 556hp. The car should be an impressive performer as (until recently when it was eclipsed by the Porsche Panamera), the sedan version held the Nürburgring lap record (for a four-door) with a time of 7:59.

[Source: TheCarConnection]

Cadillac’s entry-level European BLS

Amid all the terrible news coming out of the U.S. auto sector, there are some glimmers of hope… sort of. While General Motors is cutting models and whole brands, it is making a commitment to introduce a new Cadillac model under the CTS. Unfortunately it won’t be the rear-drive 3-Series fighter many would have liked.

Instead Cadillac will build a Lexus ES350 competitor based off of the Epsilon II front and AWD platform. This new model is code named GM 166 and will fit mid-way between the upcoming 2010 Buick LaCrosse and CTS.

Cadillac simply can’t afford to bring a rear-drive sedan with an all-new platform to market and so this move is seen as a way to still target a large percentage of the lower-end luxury segment.

With the STS/DTS replacement also being shelved recently, there may be an absence of larger vehicles in the Cadillac brand and so it is expected that the CTS will grow in size to help suit that need.

It’s obvious that General Motors can’t fund any new projects at the moment but this move seems like a stop-gap measure where a long-term solution is needed. Cadillac continues to ignore the entry level luxury sports sedan category to its own peril.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Cadillac has just announced that it will begin offering it’s best-selling CTS model with WiFi internet access. The new system, by Autonet Mobile, will be available in April and will allow passengers and those in close proximity to the car to have access full high-speed internet – perfect for passengers with laptops or mobile devices.

“Consumers today are frequently searching for WiFi access wherever they may be,” said Mark McNabb, North America Vice President, Cadillac. “Adding WiFi is a natural extension of the tech features already inside the CTS, such as a 40 gigabyte hard drive with USB port, a pop-up navigation system featuring real-time traffic and weather forecasts and the exclusive ability to pause and rewind live radio.”

The new system will also allow for several uses to use the WiFi at once, so passengers can watch YouTube videos or update their Facebook page. The system requires no special software and get achieve speeds of up to 800kbps.

The dealer installed option will retail for $499 with a $29 monthly subscription fee.

The new WiFi system for the Cadillac CTS will officially be launched April 8th at the New York Auto Show.