Kappa Cadillac?

[Bruce Nunnally]

Interesting article at The Car Connection suggests that with the approval of the new Kappa architecture for use on the Chevy Nomad concept, GM may pave the way for a better business case for a 3-series size entry-level Cadillac. This would be a car smaller than a CTS, which has a wheelbase of 113.4 inches, perhaps down to the M3's 107 inch wheelbase, similar to the Nomad concept.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?...75&article=6854

[The_Raven]

Howyadoin,

As I mentioned in a post on the old board, Caddy has GOT to build this car, dammit... In order to be taken seriously again as a performance marque, you've got to have a platform that attracts an aftermarket presence.

Not everybody can afford, or perhaps want the attention of, a V-series or XLR. There are tons of BMW and Merc "sleepers" alongside the M-series and AMG cars. These are carefully and intelligently modded cars, not Ricky Racer crap. The reason these cars are successful is that there is a healthy aftermarket. Wouldn't you want companies like Dinan, Stillen, Saleen, Edelbrock producing stuff for a Caddy? Hell yeah!

Let's face it, the aftermarket for the Northstar is disappointing. K&N filter? Check. Borla cat-back? Check. Oversized MAF? Check. Etc., etc., and so on. Granted, these sources are better than nothing and you can do some amazing things with an LT-1 Fleetwood, but I want to see a catalog of stuff like:

*Suspension mods that don't suck (how many people have installed Eibach springs on their Sevilles and pulled them off cause it screws up the leveling?)

*Carbon-fiber and fiberglass panels and interior fittings. I'm not a big bodykit fan for the Seville, since the Seville is IMHO one of the most beautiful cars of the 1990s, but this new platform could benefit from this kind of enhancement.

*A supercharger that's available sometime before "Duke Nukem Forever" ships.

I could go on, but I'll spare you the heartache...

Also, this potential Kappa car would much easier to sell in the overseas market, creating better brand awareness of what a modern-day Cadillac is. I know I'm pushing it, but a turbo-diesel would be a huge benefit as well. Europeans aren't interested in owning a car that gets 18-20 MPG, since that's darn close to a dollar a mile at their gas prices.

Oh, and since I know you folks at Cadillac read this board, just give me the Sixteen and you can have all my ideas, k?