Note To GM: Build This Coupe!

There were some bright shining stars at this year’s NAIAS press preview and I’m not talking about the Republican presidential candidates who were on hand and fishing for votes the day before Tuesday’s primary election. Nor, am I talking about Kim Catrall’s appearance at the Mercedes press event as Daimler took the wraps off of its GLK Freeside SUV concept. Rather, there were a handful of concept vehicles introduced which members of the media knew just had to be built — one of them being the Cadillac CTS coupe — a car that would be an exciting and highly welcome addition to the CTS model line.

Successful CTS

Cadillac CTS coupe concept

The CTS has been a rousing success for the brand since its introduction for the 2003 model year. Cadillac needed a smaller model to fill out its line up, something much more refined than its previous entry, the Catera, and a car that would help older people forget the Cimarron, the warmed over Chevy Cavalier sold during the early 1980s. The first generation of the CTS was a very good start, but the second generation has raised the benchmark higher.

At the NAIAS, we witnessed first hand the introduction of the 2009 CTS-V, Cadillac’s 555 h.p. supercharged sedan complementing the standard models. Considered to be the fastest production sedan built, the CTS-V is the “halo” car for the CTS line. Not many will be produced, but it does what it should do with — elevate the CTS line.

So, why consider a CTS coupe? Well, why not? Auto critics know that the CTS is on par with the BMW 3-Series, which is the most popular line of entry-level luxury cars in the world. The 3-series offers a coupe, convertible and wagon in its line up, therefore expanding CTS to include a coupe makes sense from a competitive point of view. Besides, the concept coupe has an eye-catching design sharing the sedan’s style from the A-pillar forward, but being a unique beast from the dashboard on back.

Concept to Reality

Much like the way GM teased people with the Camaro concept, cries for the CTS coupe to be built will come from all quarters as dealers, Cadillac fans and auto enthusiasts plainly see that the CTS coupe should go from concept into production ASAP.

GM, do you hear us?

Photo: General Motors Company