Shame on Caddy for passing on CTS Cabrio

Chismillionaire says you can now forget the XLR which was an aborted attempt at the stunning EVOQ anyway-
This CTS cabrio concept looks better and is half the price of an XLR with only 14 hp less with a V6. No one who is going to buy a Corvette, is going to cross shop this anyway. Man, I know the economy is tough, but a hit is a hit is a hit.



DETROIT — Don't look for the Cadillac CTS coupe convertible to hit showrooms any time soon. Despite the fact that the CTS Coupe Concept was a runaway hit at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, our sources say GM has already done away with plans to produce the sexy new coupe in convertible form.

If Cadillac is serious about the CTS coupe competing with the popular European and Japanese coupes, a drop-top Caddy seems to be a no-brainer. The BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 already offer convertibles, the Lexus IS has a convertible in the works, and top Nissan exec Carlos Ghosn confirmed this week that the G37 convertible is headed for production as well. While the CTS coupe's overall success isn't dependent on the availability of a convertible model, BMW enjoys a 10 percent boost from its 3 Series coupe convertible, and the A4 cabrio accounts for nearly 20 percent of the A4 mix.

The CTS coupe was rumored to be getting a retractable hardtop, an engineering accomplishment already offered on the 3 Series and Volvo C70, and Infiniti and Lexus have already settled on retractable hardtops for the G37 and IS as well.

When queried about the possibility of a CTS convertible, or its early demise, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said, "We're pleased to be the subject of speculation. Maybe that's a sign that the CTS has struck a chord with some folks. This issue of a convertible is one of the very rare times where we decline the offer to comment."

What this means to you: All that time and money spent on the Pontiac G6 convertible to populate rental fleets, when the Cadillac CTS convertible would have been a car we'd actually want to drive