Concept cars

2005 Cadillac BLS Concept

March 01, 2005

Cadillac didn't specify which engine the show car is fitted with, but given the 6,000 rpm redline on the instrument cluster and

The BLS will feature unique suspension and chassis tuning to produce a different drive than the 9-3. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

the twin exhaust pipes, it's a safe bet that the new 2.8L V6 is under the hood.

Though it's true that the BLS is based on the Epsilon architecture, the baby Cadillac shares many of the 9-3's unique traits in order to cut development time and cost. Both cars utilize subframes in order to isolate road noise, as well as a decoupled rear axle mounted on bushings to suppress vibrations. Though the Caddy features a MacPherson strut / four-link layout (the same as the 9-3), it is unknown whether the BLS will use the Saab's Re-Axs flexible bushing passive rear-wheel steering system. In order to prevent model overlap, the BLS will feature unique suspension and chassis tuning to produce a different drive than the 9-3.

In North America, Cadillac is in the fast lane and has nearly recovered from the sales slump that hit the brand in the late '80s. The BLS should help expand this North American phenomenon into a global trend. It's unlikely that Cadillac will offer the BLS in North America, because the vehicle would most likely steal sales from Saab, undermining GM's efforts to bolster the company. Even though the BLS has yet to go on sale, there are rumors that Cadillac is considering expanding the range to include a station wagon (like the 9-3 SportCombi) and even a convertible. Currently, the only vehicle that has been confirmed is the sedan.

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