Leftlane sits down with John Manoogian, Cadillac Director of Exterior Design
01/14/2008, 6:43 PM
By Drew Johnson
General Motors unleashed a barrage of concept vehicles at this year’s Detroit Auto Show — including the Saturn Flextreme and Vue Plug-in Hybrid and the Cadillac Provoq — but one concept seemed to stand out above the rest: the Cadillac CTS coupe concept.
The CTS coupe stood out in the crowd for two reasons: its handsome evolution of Cadillac’s Art and Science design theme and its apparent readiness to roll off the assembly line. Leftlane was lucky enough to sit down with the man responsible for both attributes, John Manoogian, Director of Exterior Design for Cadillac.
While the average age of a Cadillac buyer is typically higher than other GM brands –excluding Buick — Manoogian designed the CTS coupe with the younger buyer in mind. Just as the G37 coupe has drawn a younger crowd into Infiniti showrooms, Cadillac hopes that the CTS coupe could have the same effect on its showroom traffic. By the looks of the crowd gathering around the CTS coupe after its unveiling, we think Manoogian and Cadillac is on to something.
Three design cues — outside of the two door body style — really stand out on the CTS: the steeply raked rear window, a distinctive center line and the hint of tail fins on the rear taillights. While the CTS coupe has the appearance of a hatchback, it actually has a conventional trunk — and a larger one than you might expect. The slanted rear seats allow for a deep cargo area, although Manoogian says the opening isn’t very wide. But the CTS coupe’s wasn’t intended “to haul things home from Costco,” as Manoogian put it.
The center crease is carried over from the interior of the CTS sedan and Manoogian says its to pay homage to the classic Cadillac’s of the 1960s. While some might object to the bold styling cue, it perfectly accents the brand’s Art and Science design philosophy and coveys a sense of motion. If nothing else, its gives the CTS coupe a styling that is all its own.
While the hint of a tail fin on the taillights seems to hearken back to Cadillac’s golden age, Manoogian says it was to give the car a modern look without going down the retro path. Instead, Manoogian says that the design cue is to emphasize the Cadillac brand’s use of vertical taillights, and he doesn’t expect tail fins to come back in style anytime soon.
And then there was the obvious question — will GM build it? Manoogian stopped short of saying that the project had the green light, but we’re willing to bet the farm that the CTS coupe will show up in Cadillac showrooms in a very short time period. If the CTS coupe does make production — which we are very confident of — Manoogian says that the V-series treatment would be a no-brainer.
We also asked where the CTS coupe concept fell on the spectrum of the base model versus the V-series trim level. While the CTS coupe is strictly a concept at this point, Mangooian says that the car hovers in the middle of the two. Our guess is that the concept’s huge wheel and tire package would be reserved for the performance model.
Look for GM to give a decision on the future of the CTS coupe in the coming months.
01/14, 6:46 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
I home you gave John the back of your hand.
01/14, 6:50 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
lln, you should have just put this in the other article.
01/14, 6:51 PM
posted by:
F451
By everything Manoogian has stated it sounds as if he’s designed the ultimate female’s automobile with the CTS coupe. I also know that Manoogian should get to know his market a wee bit better (as I have attended several Cadillac meets) as the first-generation CTS appealed very strongly to the younger generation, of which Cadillac showed no interest—until now.
01/14, 7:05 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
the station wagon will be the girls model, plenty of room for groceries and enough room to lay in the back and cheat on her hubby too.
see f451 i didnt use the fword that time,
01/14, 7:10 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
…lay on your back in the back, CTS?
01/14, 7:12 PM
posted by:
corvette
i really cant wait for this car. i wouldn’t mind taking any Cadillac off the show room floor.
01/14, 9:04 PM
posted by:
Culley
The new coupe is almost perfect. I have had a couple of CTS’s and would have leased a V last time but the manual transmission and the fact that my car is often my “rolling office” just didn’t work. I trade for a new CTS in a couple of months and look forward to stepping into the Coupe as soon as I can. PS. Tell the marketing guys I am 46, make well over six figures, drive what I want and played Football and Rugby at school… “ultimate females automobile”?? I don’t think so.
01/14, 9:23 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
‘Culley’, your quote refers to BMWs.
01/14, 11:26 PM
posted by:
autonut
Culley, I had a classmate in college who was running back and guys guy, but now he is Susan and drive Caddy. It’s a joke, I don’t want to piss off rugby player.
But I am not a fan of design at Caddy. I associate Caddy with American Iron in a good sense. CTS does not do it for me.
01/15, 4:24 AM
posted by:
Veda
The new Cadillac design theme is certainly modern and expensive but hardly elegant. Though that fits well with the American theme, elegance is for Europeans.
01/15, 7:34 AM
posted by:
V2
To begin with, in future all Cadillac’s should be designed using more than just a ruler!
01/15, 7:47 AM
posted by:
purdue
How many above comments were made by native-English speakers? Anyone translate?
01/15, 9:34 AM
posted by:
autonut
purdue, this is a blog. u scratch a thought and move on. for perfect prose open NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com.
01/15, 9:56 AM
posted by:
anyclearer
I think they are hitting their target, Im 22 never really been a fan of the older caddys , but the new styling of the cts and now the cts coupe i think are pretty damn perfect. To say americans dont know elegance is bull. You deff dont know enough about americans or our designs. This car isnt your great grand dads caddy, this ones for your sons.
01/15, 11:39 AM
posted by:
Veda
anyclearer: yea, and I bet you live in the US. Go outside US anywhere around the world and ask why Caddies don’t sell even in hardcore import showrooms. You probably think Coach is the greatest luxury leather good in the world too…
01/15, 11:43 AM
posted by:
planet_drive
These are love it or hate it designs. I personally hate it, and I personally don’t know anyone who thinks these designs are attractive. I don’t think these new Caddys will draw a younger and more attractive crowd into showrooms. The few people I see driving these things were all close to middle age and overweight. Not exactly the kind of image Cadillac is aiming for.
01/15, 12:18 PM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
I love it. I hate GM, but I love this car. This article brings nothing new to the table. We know they’re going to build it, we know there will be a V-series treatment. Where’s the news here?
01/15, 12:44 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
‘Veda’, neither BMWs nor Mercedes are elegant … so your argument is out the window on this one.
‘planet_drive’, I love the new Caddies and I think they will draw a younger audience … me for one. You are allowed to have an opinion but I think this one is WRONG.
01/15, 5:53 PM
posted by:
MHW
A lot of ignorance being posted here, if Cadillac looked like the rest of the crowd you wouldn’t even notice them. There edgy design is what sets them apart, I am 35 and personally love the razor sharp no apologies design theme. Judging by what I am seeing on the highways, it would appear that Toyota is quickly becoming the new senior ride of choice.
01/15, 10:07 PM
posted by:
Veda
Impulsive: Exactly why I said “Europeans” since in general their designs are more elegant. I agree about Bimmers and Mercs, certainly not if you’ve said Audi.
01/16, 2:20 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
‘Veda’, understood.