The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon made its world premiere at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in Monterey, California on last 15 August 2008.

The first view of the car’s intricately sculpted rear profile expresses Cadillac’s “Art and Science” design philosophy, already implemented on the CTS luxury sport saloon and the CTS Coupe Concept.

The Sport Wagon is defined by Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager as a "compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles."

The new modelrides on the same wheelbase as the CTS sport saloon and is 7 mm shorter overall, yet still offers a generous luggage capacity of 720 liters behind the rear seats.

US models will be available with 3.6-litre V6 engines, while a 250-hp 2.9-litre turbo-diesel engine is being developed for European and Asian markets. 

Design

“It’s a taut design that not only suggests sleekness, but delivers it,” said Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac.  “Indeed, the drama of the saloon is amplified in the CTS Sport Wagon, as the centreline cue that is part of the exterior and interior is more prominent and plays a stronger role in defining the design at the rear of the vehicle.

“The more you study the rear of the CTS Sport Wagon, the more you see.  Functionality was certainly a guiding factor during development, but so was the idea to inject emotion into the normally sedate wagon category,” adds Dean.

One of the more interesting integrations of form and function is found in the seamless roof load management system. 

Rather than abrupt stanchions, brackets and cross bars that protrude above the roof line, the CTS Sport Wagon’s system blends with the roofline, maintaining an uninterrupted appearance. 

The central section of the roof panel angles downward inside the roof edges, allowing an unobtrusive placement of the cross bars – and creating a subtle fin effect at the trailing edges of the rear panels.

“They’re not fins in the classic sense, but they work to help disguise the cargo load system and, yes, they acknowledge Cadillac’s design heritage,” concludes Dean.

Dimensions

• Wheelbase (mm): 2880
• Length (mm): 4859
• Width (mm): 1842
• Height (mm): 1502

(Source: Cadillac)