Cadillac is aiming the CTS, built in Lansing, Mich., at both BMW’s 3-Series and larger 5-Series sedans.
Cadillac emphasized that the Escalade was partly developed on Germany’s Nurburgring race track, which is 12.9 miles long and has 73 corners. European automakers long have utilized it to develop steering, suspension and braking systems of fast cars.
Cadillac notes that it also used that track to develop the second-generation CTS, which is a solid sports sedan, but no sports car. Sports Car International magazine says the best time around the Nurburgring for the new CTS is about 8 minutes and 40 seconds, but that the Porsche Cayman S sports car does it in 8 minutes, 17 seconds. Even the difference of a few seconds on a track means a lot.
The 2003-07 CTS has been a hit, exceeding sales expectations to become Cadillac’s top-selling model. Nobody knows how many folks bypassed BMWs to get a CTS, but many CTS buyers were younger than traditional Cadillac buyers.
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