A Cadillac CUE app will allow users to experience the system and try  it out in a virtual fashion so that when they get their new Cadillac they will be well prepared. Buyers of the all-new flagship XTS will receive a new iPad free with their vehicle. The iPad is customized with a  suite of apps that pertains to the Cadillac experience. The apps are the CUE app, the MyCadillac app and the OnStar RemoteLink app.

To ensure that the dealer can help with any extra questions you may have about your new iPad and tech-heavy Caddy, each delearship will have a trained “technology expert” to help troubleshoot and provide general assistance.

Cadillac is jumping into the tech game in a big way, and it is nice to see the forethought to make these technologies as approachable as possible, especially considering Cadillac’s usual customer base isn’t exactly the most tech savvy group.

“The team focused on grams, not pounds, every day of the ATS’s development,” Masch said. “Even the smallest of changes could contribute to the overall mass goal.”

While weight was stripped, comfort and luxury were still high on the engineer’s lists and thee managed to meld the two seemingly contradictory goals together. One such way was the use of special sound deadening that places the sound absorbing materials between two layers of laminated steel. THis process was originally used on the CTS.

Sporty, sophisticated and hopefully blisteringly fast, we look forward to our time with the ATS. IF you are interested in picking one up for yourself, it goes on sale this summer for a starting sticker of $33,990.

The ATS will also be offered with the same 3.6L V6 found in the bigger CTS with the same 320 horsepower rating, but price jumps to a rather more lofty $42,090. GM says the 3.6L car will have a 0-60 time of “well below six seconds.”

With a claimed “near 50/50″ weight balance, third generation magnetic suspension system and an optional manual transmission, the 2.0 Turbo would be our Caddy of choice. If the CTS-V has taught us anything, it is that Cadillac can do a serious performance car when it wants to, and the Germans should keep a close eye.

As it stands, the new ATS looks poised to take the small luxury sports sedan market by storm, and we can’t wait to get some time behind the wheel of one of these things. (Hear that GM? Give us a call!)

All three were displayed wearing 19-inch split-spoke wheels and the Black Diamond Tri-coat paint, and of course all three are powered by the earth moving LSA engine.

Moving away from the V cars, there was a pair of new ATS models cars. For the uninitiated the all-new ATS is Cadillac’s answer to the BMW 3-series. Designed from the ground up to be a world-beating small sports sedan the ATS looks to one up the Germans at their own game. The car has spent extensive time at the Nurburgring for chassis and suspension tuning. Look to see them hit the show room with either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, a 2.0-liter Turbo, or the 3.6L V6 from the bigger CTS. In keeping with sporty intentions of the car,  a six-speed manual is available.

Another new addition to Cadillac family was also present, the 2013 XTS. The XTS is a replacement for the aging DTS and STS sedans. Its exterior size places it directly between the two cars it replaces, and it continues to route power through the front wheels, with all-wheel drive as an option. V8 power is no longer available, but the 300 horsepower of the 3.6L V6 is more powerful than the old Northstar V8s found in the DTS. Combined with a much reduced weight, buyers shouldn’t have to worry about a lack of grunt. The interior looks to be class leading and includes Cadillac’s new CUE system.

The final pieces of the Cadillac booth include the Escalade, updated SRX and an area dedicated to Cadillac technology and engines. This includes a demo model interior to test out the new CUE infotainment system.

Check out all that Cadillac had to offer in the gallery below.

Photos Copyright Christian Moe © 2012

“It’s no surprise to me that readers chose the CTS-V — its blend of outlandish power, precise handling, and breathtaking styling, especially in coupe form, make it one of the best performance cars in General Motors history,” said Aaron Gold, editor for Guide to Cars, About.com.  It may pack a Corvette derived 556 horsepower supercharged V8, but the CTS-V isn’t a purpose built, lightweight sports car.  Sitting alongside the two door version is a four door sedan and a full-blown wagon and all three are filled with luxury galore.  Even still, the Cadillac is complete monster on and off the track and comes in the purist form available: three pedals and manual shifter.  Combined all of this together and you get a truly remarkable performance vehicle that can double as a perfectly useable daily driver. 

Source: Cadillac

To reach this goal, the XTS is designed to not only hold a full set of golf clubs, it will comfortably hold four full sets. One for each potential passenger of the new flagship sedan.

“We used computer simulations to model golf bags, as well as other common types of goods our customers are likely to transport,” said XTS chief engineer Sheri Hickok. “That also includes cases of bottled water, luggage, groceries and more. Just as we did with the rest of the XTS, we spent a lot of time maximizing every inch of storage space.”

This attention to detail has paid off. The Cadillac’s capacious trunk beats out the Audi A8L, BMW 7-series and the Mercedes-Benz S-class.

This distinction places Cadillac within an elite group of 50 companies out of the 800 studied. The 2012 Champions are decided by using a large collection of data on customer feedback, perceptions and opinions.

Cadillac has been working towards this direction by implementing changes to enhance the luxury experience owners receive from the brand.  “We’re in the midst of a mission to enhance every interaction a consumer has with Cadillac,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of Cadillac Sales and Service. “We are strongly committed to customer satisfaction, and appreciate this external confirmation of our efforts.”

This is just one more feather for Cadillac’s cap. With the Cadillac Escalade receiving highest honors in the 2011 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, and the recent declaration as “most-desired automotive brand” from Buyology Inc. Cadillac looks to be on quite a roll.

In 1912, however, Cadillac released the Cadillac Touring Edition which had one of the most important innovations of the modern automotive era, the electric starter. Before the electric starter, the main method of starting a car was with a hand crank, a difficult and often dangerous task.

Greg Wallace, director of the General Motors Heritage Center said, “It was one of the most significant innovations in the history of the automobile. “It was a complete game changer. Within a few years, Cadillac featured women in their advertising showing them as drivers, instead of passengers or bystanders.”

With the birthday of the electric starter, and the new advanced CUE system, Cadillac looks to keep its innovation portfolio packed.

CUE is a highly customizable user interface based around a standard eight-inch touchscreen in the center console. The CUE system was highlighted by Connected World for its inclusion of several industry firsts such as capacitive-touch control (the same technology the iPad uses) with proximity sensing, natural voice recognition and gesture recognition.

Beyond the advanced CUE system, the all-new XTS will also debut with a myriad of high- tech safety equipment like safety cameras, ultrasonic and radar sensors to increase driver awareness and reduce accidents.

The new Cadillac XTS strikes a great balance between entertainment, safety and convenience.

Source: Cadillac & Buyology Inc.