2012 Chevrolet Spark

2012 Chevrolet Spark

WHAT: Slightly smaller than the Aveo, the Spark is designed, engineered, and built in Korea. The price should start below $12K.

WHY: If gas prices surge, GM will need fresh and attractive small cars to lure fuel-frightened buyers. Also shows GM’s commitment to building cars for all markets.

WHO: Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa, Kia Rio, Suzuki SX4, Smart Fortwo.

WHEN: Geneva show debut, Europe and Asia get it in 2010, we wait until 2011.

2011 Chevrolet Spark Confirmed for U.S

2011 Chevrolet Spark Confirmed for U.S

Once known as the Chevrolet Beat concept, which in 2007 won the most consumer appeal in an online poll against the similarly diminutive Chevy Groove and Trax concepts, General Motors’ upcoming global minicar will be known as the Chevrolet Spark when it hits European showrooms in 2010. What’s more, the Detroit automaker reverses its original position for the vehicle’s rollout—which it said would happen in nearly every market except the U.S.—by confirming it will land in American Chevrolet dealerships in 2011.

Presented in Beat concept guise at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, GM says the sharp-edged, three-door competitor to the Smart Fortwo and Toyota iQ will formally debut as the Spark at the Geneva auto show in March. Designed in Korea by GM’s Daewoo unit, which also will build the compact hatchback, the Spark will slot in below the current Chevy Aveo in the U.S. both in terms of size and price. GM is holding off until the official unveiling to release any detailed information on the Spark, saying only it will easily manage 40 mpg on the highway and play a key role in reinforcing the company’s self-held position as a maker of fuel-efficient, award-winning products.

2010, 2012 Chevrolet Spark

2010, 2012 Chevrolet Spark

Until recently, you probably hadn’t heard of the Chevrolet Spark unless you were a corporate lawyer for General Motors. The first-generation Spark—the Daewoo Matiz, as it was originally called—was blatantly copied by Chinese carmaker Chery. The resultant Chery QQ was so close to the Matiz/Spark that several body panels were interchangeable. GM and the Chinese fought it out in court before reaching a settlement.

Runt of the Litter

Although it would be hard to picture the previous Spark on U.S. roads, the new car, now on sale in Europe, is an entirely different thing. It has grown in all dimensions, but it still is a small vehicle. Most important, the new Spark looks like a real car, at least sort of. Angular lines, big headlights, and a prominent bow-tie grille make the Spark look far more substantial than its predecessor. With the top-of-the-line LT model's body kit, there’s actually a hint of sporty flair, although calling the lesser trims attractive is a huge stretch.

Despite the stylistic and dimensional changes, the main concept is the same. The Spark is still a tallish five-door hatch, perfectly suited to city traffic and the tight confines of urban living, thanks to its short length. The interior makes an attempt at being cool and mostly succeeds. Funky seating upholstery, body-colored trim, and a digital monitor inspired by computer games give the Spark a contemporary look. The front seating position is perfectly satisfactory, and with medium-size adults up there, rear-seat passengers still have enough legroom. There was enough headroom in the back for even this six-foot-four author.

Patience Not Included

Of course, having enough interior room is one thing; having fun behind the wheel is quite another. We drove the less tiny of the two gasoline-fired four-bangers offered, a 1.2-liter unit making 80 hp and 82 lb-ft of torque. There is also a 1.0-liter version with 67 hp and 69 lb-ft, but no diesel engine. (The previous model's 0.8-liter three-cylinder gas engine has thankfully been discontinued.)

We thought we'd have a little fun with the 1.2-liter engine but were rather disappointed with its real-life performance. The claimed 0-to-62-mph time of 12.1 seconds seems optimistic, and reaching the 102-mph—ungoverned!—top speed would take at least an eon and a half. Trust us—unless you own a runway as long as Peru is tall, you won't ever see triple-digit speeds. In an attempt at “speed,” you end up shifting all the time without much result. The abusively low levels of power are a bummer, because the chassis actually is rather competent, but you won’t find its limits with this engine.

At least the Spark is fun and useful in the city, and we think the Spark will find a market on this side of the ocean when it arrives late next year as a 2012 model. We just wish it had a bigger engine or a turbo for a little more straight-line oomph. Hop to it, GM.

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

In its quest to reestablish itself as the standard of the world, Cadillac is apparently overlooking no niche. Already the standard of the body-on-frame-domestic-luxo-ute and 556-hp-manual-transmission-station-wagon classes, the brand introduced a concept at the L.A. auto show that speaks to becoming the standard of the dinky-runabout segment.

The Urban Luxury Concept is a vision for the Cadillac of the downsized future. Inside its tiny footprint—just 151 inches long and 68.1 wide—the ULC houses four seats and a modicum of cargo space. Thanks to the upright seating position afforded by the car’s 56.9-inch height and the luxurious longitudinal space provided by the 97.1-inch wheelbase—which is identical to a Mini Cooper’s—none of those seats seem like a very painful place to spend an urban commute.

While a small, doorstop-shaped canvas is a tricky one to endow with strong design elements, the ULC manages to look like a Cadillac—albeit a Cadillac dinghy. The brand’s signature grille is up front, flanked by spindly vertical LED headlight arrays, and the chunky trapezoidal B-pillar recalls that of the CTS.

Easy Entry, Difficult Production Possibilities

Beyond the doors, which make up nearly the entire body side and swing up Lambo-style, the cabin is the most scintillating aspect of the Urban Luxury Concept. The onslaught of hard lines and various colors and textures is a bit overwhelming, but very attractive. It’s the boldest interior yet from the Art & Science school. While we wouldn’t choose to spend hours in a car this size with a beltline at our earlobes, we’d be happy to occupy something with an interior this sharp. The central speedometer is nestled between a pair of digital screens, and spokes that stretch back to the base of the steering column give the illusion of a deep-dish steering wheel without any clumsiness.

For motivation, the ULC employs nothing more exotic than what’s found in a dozen or so microcars in the European market. Beneath its stubby hood lives a turbocharged, 1.0-liter inline-three with stop/start functionality, mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Cadillac says that this combination could be good for fuel economy of up to 56 mpg in the city and 65 on the highway, but doesn’t specify if its estimates are based on our EPA testing or the very optimistic European cycle.

While GM is currently expanding into smaller segments—witness the upcoming Chevrolet Spark—Cadillac won’t be doing so any time soon. The brand must first establish the upcoming sub-CTS ATS before it wanders into any smaller streams. In any case, the more attractive small-car concepts we have, the more the idea that such vehicles are cool will catch on. We’d be happy to see Cadillac as the standard of the torchbearers.

2012 Cadillac XTS, ETS

2012 Cadillac XTS, ETS

We’ve known for some time that Cadillac is working on a smaller rear-wheel-drive car to battle the BMW 3-series, likely to be called ATS. Other intel has recently uncovered plans to crown the brand’s range with something big.

Big Cars Can Beget Big Sales

The car seen here isn’t the latter model, but it is big. Previewed by a concept of the same name and seen here lightly camo’d, the XTS is a large, front-wheel-drive sedan that’s set to replace the aging STS and for-the-aged DTS. Yeah, we had relegated those cars to the back of our minds, too, but as irrelevant as they may seem, Cadillac still needs a bigger-than-CTS sedan; together, the STS and DTS still make up a decent chunk of Cadillac’s U.S. sales—about 16 percent in 2010. That, and the Chinese market will eat this thing up. (We’ve heard some rumors that the name may be changed to ETS for production, so don’t be too surprised if that happens.)

The Buick LaCrosse will lend a hand—or, more precisely, a platform—sharing its Epsilon II underpinnings. The XTS is likely to be the longest Epsilon-based car, quite possibly outdoing the LaCrosse’s 197.0-inch stem-to-stern measurement. The 3.6-liter, direct-injection V-6 that’s also used in the CTS will be the only engine at first. Later, Cadillac will add a hybrid version, possibly a plug-in, using the front-drive two-mode system briefly offered on the Saturn Vue. A smaller, less powerful V-6 and a turbocharged six making well over 300 hp also are possibilities for the future, as is the addition of all-wheel drive.

Concept Shape Retained, Interior Shaping Up Nicely

As far as extra-stretched Buicks go, the XTS looks pretty good. At least covered in camo, this mule looks a lot less ungainly (more gainly?) than the XTS Platinum concept. The greenhouse shape is similar to that of the concept; a skillful tape artist has obfuscated the detail, but it’s pretty clear that the backlight’s angle has been preserved, draping back over the trunk and likely hiding the cargo compartment’s bigness. Under the front camouflage, it appears this mule is wearing a spiffier grille that’s very similar to the concept, complete with a single section of the egg crate appearing on its chin.

While the concept’s proportions may not have been graceful, its interior was, and we’re delighted to see a center stack in these spy photos that looks a lot like the concept’s. Note the lack of physical buttons and switches, meaning this brightly-trimmed interface is going touch-sensitive like Lincoln’s controversial MyLincoln Touch. On that large central screen, we’re expecting to see a version of GM’s recently announced, MyLink infotainment system. Hopefully it will be accompanied by a few unique features for this big, not-a-flagship sedan.

As to when we might see the results and what’s wrapped around the new cabin, we expect the car to show up within the year. The “where” is a little more tricky; Cadillac may decide to unveil it at a Chinese auto show or one on our turf. We’ll let you know when it happens.

2015 Cadillac UP

2015 Cadillac UP

What it is: A set of proposals, actually. One calls for this top Caddy to be a full-size execu-cruiser—bigger than the upcoming XTS—built to challenge Europe’s large sedans. Derivatives may eventually include a large personal-luxury coupe—think BMW 6-series and Mercedes CL-class.

Why it matters: The CTS has rekindled respect for Cadillac, but GM’s premium division needs a prestige sedan to move a step closer to resuscitating its “new standard of the world” mantra.

Platform: A heavily modified version of GM’s rear-drive Zeta component set.

Powertrain: Speculation hovers around a supercharged V-6 or a naturally aspirated V-8, possibly both, mated to GM’s six-speed automatic. A hybrid version is likely.

Competition: Audi A8, BMW 7-series, Jaguar XJ, Mercedes-Benz S-class.

What might go wrong: This project is still not approved for production, so it may never see the light of a dealer’s lot.

Estimated arrival and price: If approved, the top Cadillac would arrive in late 2014 as a 2015 model. Base price: about $80,000.

2012 Cadillac, 2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan, Coupe, Sport Wagon

2012 Cadillac, 2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan, Coupe, Sport Wagon

That which is great can still be improved upon, and so it is with the 2012 Cadillac CTS, which gets 14 additional horsepower from its top-spec V-6 and some small styling and equipment changes.

The revised direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 now puts out 318 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque, thanks mostly to intake changes, including larger valves, revised ports, and a tweaked camshaft that keeps the intake valves open longer. (The same engine makes 323 hp in the updated 2012 Chevrolet Camaro.) Compared to last year’s 3.6-liter V-6, this year’s iteration is nearly 21 pounds lighter; 13 pounds were saved by integrating the heads and exhaust manifolds, 2 pounds from a lighter-weight front accessory-drive cover and new connecting rods, and 5.5 came out from using a plastic intake manifold in place of last year’s aluminum piece. The base 270-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 carries over unchanged, and can still be mated to both a six-speed automatic and six-speed manual. The manual is no longer available with the 3.6-liter, however.

The 2012 CTS’s standard-equipment list sees Bluetooth added to all models and a blind-spot monitoring system to the coupe (good thing, because the two-door’s rakish roofline and wide C-pillars make for huge blind spots). A new Touring package is available with either engine and with any body style, and adds a dark-finish grille, metal pedal covers, dark wood trim, and V-style suede stuff covering the steering wheel, shift knob, and seat inserts. Polished 19-inch wheels and Recaro seats—disliked by most of us for feeling overstuffed and for rocking back and forth under braking and acceleration—come with 3.6-liter Touring models, while 3.0-liter examples get pearl-nickel-finished 18s and the regular seats, albeit now sueded. Sedan and wagon buyers who spec the pack get an extra-special bonus: chrome exterior door handles.

The line-wide cosmetic changes are less extensive. The grille sees new finishes and a revised Caddy wreath with “sharper colors,” and its mesh insert is flusher with the frame. That’s it.

The 2012 CTS sedan, coupe, and wagon go on sale at the end of this summer.