i can count cilinders and horsepower and torque…. hate when companies believe we are all ignorants

BLS? You could just buy a Saab 9-3. It’s the same car for less money. I like the idea of a 3-series/C-class/E300 competitor for Cadillac…but not this. Besides, people DO count cylinders. Manufacturers have been talking up V6s in family sedans and slapping V6/V8 badges on many cars. Don’t think this won’t be held against them now. The motoring press will roast them, if nothing else.

even if the common american driver is often “as stupid as the cars he drives” this is no longer true for all drivers…well, this if you are not gonna buy a BRX…

HA “dont count cylinders” what an ignorant pompus jackass.

JUST ANOTHER REASON WHY AMERICAN CAR COMPANIES ARE IN THE ****TER

Can anyone say Cimmaron?

Let the Americans have their 4 cylinders with still mediocre fuel economy. =0

The 9-3 is a great car (and a great value), but once the automotive press gets word out that the BLS shares architecture with the Malibu, too, it’ll be the nail in the coffin. I’ve loved the idea of the BLS ever since first reading about it in the European press a while back, but this just doesn’t bode well for Cadillac IN the US.

Do you remember the “Cimarron – By Cadillac”? It was a Cavalier with every concievable option that would fit on the car. Twenty-five years ago, the GM brass thought the “yuppies” would choose this over a BMW 320i. What a joke! GM treated the customers like morons, and they paid for that mistake dearly! Well, to be fair, this Saab-based car is lightyears ahead of the old Cimarron on all counts. I don’t expect the BLS to outsell the larger CTS.

In stock form, the BLS looks….okay. However, you gotta remember that this will be marketed as a Caddy. Imagine one of these with an after-market grille kit, 22″ wheels, chrome (or gold) accents, fake cabriolet roof treatment, loud after-market paint treatment, etc. To each his own, but it’s gonna look cheap in a minute!

My bottom line comment: If they target the right folks, and give the advertising an intellectual slant, I think the BLS has a chance.

The Cimarron didn’t look like a Cadillac. The BLS looks like every other car in the fleet. It is a Cadillac and has been available for a while now, only not in the USA. The fact that is is coming here from Europe may actually help its sales.

As for the Saab connection, so what? Saab is not exactly Yugo, is it?

Didn’t the BLS totally flop in Europe both from the press and from horible sales? Why would anyone buy this car? I am no Caddilac fan, but they have done a good job of changing demographics (though not really by their own doing IMO), but this car will not sell as it is counter to every other car in the brand. A front drive 4 cyl Caddy? This doesn’t seem to appeal to those who would want a Caddilac.

My theory on the reason for this car:

GM/Caddilac needs another 4 cyl fuel efficient car to bring up the fleet average MPG so they can contiue producing gas guzzling Escalades, big Sedans and other SUVs.

Didn’t they already try this with the ill-fated Catera?

Saw a BLS on my trip to London last month and in the flesh its beautiful. Could be a worthy competitor to the Audi A series or BMW 3 series if Caddy gets it right when they bring it here.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with four cylinders, its just that, in practice, most of they time they’re stuffed in cars that are way too heavy and choked by four million catalytic converters.

in italy I’m still waiting to see my first europe-caddy, after, how, three years it is here?, but i don’t think it will a bls. the cetera was an opel/vauxhall omega, while this bls is connected not only with saab 9-3, but also with the opel/vauxhall vectra. and the diesel engine are from fiat/alfa romeo/lancia…did they say it is a caddy?!?

This car in the Euro press was ok, but they could not justofy buying this over a BMW. As for the car it is decent, built off the Saab platform handles well, interior is up to par in quality
Here is a link to a road test review….
http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/road-test.jsp?id=52
For those saying this is like a Cadillac Cimmaron, you are wrong. This car is not based off some economy car. It is based off the Saab 9-3. Not the Malibu, it is based off the Vectra (Opel) and yes the Vectra shares some parts with the 9-3.
The horrible sales is due to the fact GM did not set up a good dealer network to distribute the Cadillac. Poor planning on their part.
I am just curious to see if it comes here how it will be priced…It seems only a bit smaller than the CTS, so I am not sure as to why they would bring it here….very interesting.

here in italy it costs: 29.500-32.500 euros (175 bhp 2.0 liter turbo) 34.500 (210 bhp 2.0 liter turbo
37-500-42.000 euros (255 bhp 2.8 liter v6 turbo) and 29.500-32.500 euros (150 1.9 liter turbo-diesel) petrol engine by saab/opel and diesel engine and gearbox by fiat group. it is 6 inches shorter then the CTS, and, you won’t believe this, the CTS 3.6 V6 cost 2.000 euros less then the BLS 2.8 with the same equipment…there’s something wrong…

The Cimarron was the most underratted Cadillac in history. It was beautiful in design and execution, just everyone saw through to the Cavalier roots. But it was a fantastic ride and the BLS should provide the same success. Who cares if it has roots with the Malibu and Pontiac G6, if they make it beautiful like the Cimarron was, they should sell a ton of them.

This is the stuff that will be taking names and asking questions later. Why bother with a POS German car when you can have a superior Cadillac that is American luxury baby! It is our duty as Americans to support GM whether we like it or not. Gotta love GM!

“…when you can have a superior Cadillac that is American luxury baby…”

GM nnumber1-4ever…i hope you are jocking me..

.even admiting that caddy is superior to idontknowwhat, did you understand that this is NOT a cadillac? it’s almost a saab, so your “nationalistic” reason for buy it are wrong, and here in europe the problem is the same, why to get a cadillac faced saab if i can buy a saab…why a engine covered caddy if a can get an alfa romeo…why…

“The Cimarron was the most underratted Cadillac in history. It was beautiful in design and execution, just everyone saw through to the Cavalier roots.
…
It is our duty as Americans to support GM whether we like it or not. Gotta love GM!”

Bwahahahahahhahahahahha!

The next generation of this car is coming to the US, not this one. It will be on the Epsilon II platform which will be new in 2008. Eventually this car has to go RWD on the Kappa small RWD platform. There will be room for this when the new CTS comes out because it will be larger and will compete more with the 5 series/E class.

if GM will survive until 2008…

GM is actually doing well. Ford is the US automobile company that is at Death’s Door.

To compare this BLS (Bob Lutz Special) with the BMW 3 or Audi A is simply not right. The BLS is a Front Wheeler. Im not entirly sure but I don’t think Audi offers anything but All Wheel drive now. And Clearly a front wheel drive caddy makes little or no sense at all when caddy has been spending lots of money to develope rear wheel drive platforms for all its cars. I for one hope for GMs sake that they not go through with this plan. The only hope they have to make this fly is to offer it with some sort of all wheel drive, which if I’m not mistaken is something we will be seeing on the Saabs coming up soon. The current BLS is a shame, I had first seen it on Top Gear and Jerromy Clarkson tore it up. I guess it is a total rip off of a Saab. I guess the only real difference is the front end and some harder panel creases. And I’m not sure but I don’t think this car has done well in Europe either. I think its retarded to try and interduce the CTS to Europe (and the U.S.) as a German car alternitive then offer something as weak as the BLS to cloud consumers oppinions and image of Caddilac cars.

The BLS, from the photos that I have seen online, looks very hot. A perfect competitor to the Acura TSX if brought over as is.

Now if GM plays their cards right they will compete with the MB C-class, BMW 3 series, Subaru Legacy, Lexus IS, etc. This is an extremely hot market right now and if they make the right calls w/the powerplant, driveline configurations large wheels & brakes they will have a winner. If they configure the BLS to my likings I would pick that ride over all the others any day.

Oh and those of you who are saying that it is flopping over seas, that’s what I read too, but then again they still love Micheal Jackson, techno music & David Hasselhoff over there… Do you still want to take their reactions to heart???

What a cheap looking ride. I would put it in competition with the Mercury Milan or Chrysler Sebring before ever comparing it to a 3-series or the others Matt mentioned. Cadillac’s are for fogeys, ths car will be for fogeys on a budget. My Great grandpa may want one of these. How’s the trunk space? Can you get a built-in bedpan for the front seat? Can he get curb feelers and a white carraige roof?

Oh and Caddy’s are unreliable as I am finding out with my lemon SRX V8 that I paid 60 grand for 2 years ago. So maybe I’ll steer my GG towards a Lincoln instead…

Americans don’t count cylinders?! I won’t judge Taylor on one comment, but the comment sure as hell is stupid. Another example of a exec of an American auto company being out of touch. Granted, there are plenty of people who have never seen under the hood of their cars, but most of them know how many cylinders they have.