The 2008 CTS… From an Interior Perspective
By Eric Clough
Director of Design, Cadillac Interiors
Designers are often asked, "What inspired you to create this design?" It's a natural question about the creative process, but it's seldom easy to answer.
Unlike an artist's singular vision, designers are awash with influences, competitors, requirements and history, and work in teams to synthesize a vision for a specific product for a select range of customers. What inspired us? The desire to create a bold new direction for Cadillac interior design, to build a car that is better than the competition, and to raise Cadillac to its rightful place as a luxury brand.
Our goals for this design were many: Create a bold new design direction for Cadillac interiors that is unmistakably Cadillac. Create an interior that is both the most sporty and the most luxurious in its segment, integrate the latest technology and make it easy to learn and use. Harmonize the form language of the interior with the exterior. Improve spaciousness and comfort.
From my perspective, the 2008 CTS clearly delivers on these goals. The new CTS has a dramatic, contemporary, world-class cabin featuring premium materials, advanced technology, and more spaciousness.
The CTS continues what began in the 2007 SRX: Cadillac's return to precision-crafted interior execution with expert hand-cut, wrapped and sewn panels, which create a uniquely elegant and luxurious feel. But it's not only the look and feel of the intricate French-stitched leather, Sapele wood trim and rich detailing that welcomes passengers into the car; advanced ambient lighting illuminates the driving experience like never before.
The CTS interior is dramatic in the daylight, but even more so at night. For inspiration, our design team looked at residential and commercial architecture, specifically focusing on nightclubs, restaurants and luxury retailers to see how different types of lighting create a unique ambience that could translate well inside the vehicle.
The results are impressive and include such luxurious lighting features as recessed indirect light pipes in the instrument panel and doors, and pinpoint spotlights that illuminate the center console, door releases and footwells, enhancing the feeling of spaciousness. Fifteen individual light sources are concealed inside the vehicle, offering a softly glowing ambience that can be controlled by the dimmer knob.
The interior abounds with expressive surfacing and dynamic lines, done with an integrated, sophisticated execution. Elements of the CTS' exterior design cues, such as the centerline crease, shield-shaped grille and taut surfacing, are carefully applied to the interior and provide harmony without harshness.
A few more of my personal favorite features include the individual climate control displays, telescoping navigation screen, highly sculpted and supportive seats, chrome accents and the analog clock, as well as precise fits and tight gaps on buttons, panels and doors. All of these elements, combined with an amazing suspension and powertrain, create an unparalleled driving experience.
The refined, tailored interior of the 2008 CTS exemplifies Cadillac's design standard of bold luxury and performance. I am very proud of the team that created it.
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Wow – that’s a nice interior !!
(hopefully it will not rattle or squeak in 6 months)
But it IS stunning…
Chris (Toronto)
I was in the backseat for a test drive in the 300hp version. Agreed re: the care taken in the interior design of this car.
Were I not ultra-psyched about my Saab, I would seriously consider buying this car over even the comparable BMW and Lexus models.
Talk about being psyched…I have GM in my portfolio. It’s a good day.
I agree the interior design is very good. A few things I would change: At 5ft 8inches my right knee seems to rest uncomfortably on the hard edge of the console. I like the big sunroof but dislike the flimsy cloth cover, I expect something of higher quality even if I operate it manually. My biggest gripe is to much road noise for a Cadillac. I test drove the car with my wife in the back seat to listen for road noise, she said, much more road noise than the Lexus GS350 we drove. She thought the noise was coming from the tires through the wheel wells and exhaust noise. Also I was expecting more refinement from the new engine design.
We will be choosing either the Cadillac or Lexus, I love the Cadillac’s new look inside and out but the Lexus may win out with much more refinement and better dealer expierences.
Eric,
Agreed – the CTS interior appears (in print and on the web) to be the finest ever created for a GM car. This – and the Enclave for Buick – are watershed achievements for GM.
I’ve spent 30 years hoping that GM would figure out that the interior is equally as important as the exterior and powertrain. You guys seem to “get it” now, so I’m thinking of wandering back over from the Audi side of the fence.
Kudos to everyone involved!
Ambient Lighting
You are wise to focus on this aspect of a cars interior and consider it essential and integral to its design. Lighting quality has always been the easiest way to determine the quality of a car. Cheap lighting always instantly gave away the secret that the rest of the car probably was made with as much consideration as what the designers put into the lighting.
As a customer lighting in the interior is foremost. 90% of anyone’s time with a car is inside of it and what a waste of design when it is blacked out by lack of lighting. Pay attention because most GM vehicles are still guilty of this. Dark spots under the dash, in the dash throughout the cabin often puts a dark cloud over any interior ambiance.
Of course, Lexus seems to get it right. At the auto shows they are always one of only a handful of brands to put their interior lights and accessories on. I know there is some good reason you don’t but you better, and yes it does matter. At the same time I think the lighting experts who put this cabin together should visit other GM products.
Finally, I think that you should showcase this new focus on fine lighting by advertising it, displaying it at the auto shows and adding a simple link to pictures with the cabin lights as they would appear in the evening.
Last, I think some lights especially those in the instrument panel should stay on all the time, period.
Awesome interior by the way.
I love the new CTS interior. My only complaint as a user is that I wonder if the Radio is usable with the Nav screen retracted. Also I’m not a fan of analog gauges, I love the old 90s digital gauges. Oh and I wonder why the rest of the GM line doesn’t get CTS like interiors… maybe not styled identically but I’d love to see more options and better materials. Rather then the rubber maid look of most of them right now (HHR, and Grand Prix are ones I’ve driven).
As a few side notes, I just took a new Grand Prix for a test drive, very cool. The interior was lacking, there were a few things that I thought could have been nicer, mainly the placement of the window controls (should have been padded) and the intrusive center radio stack.
I also have driven the HHR as a rental car and one thing I absolutely loved about it was the simple map light thats always on. It allowed me to read a map without turning the actual map lights on. I’m guessing its just a simple white LED that adds a bit of lighting to things at night, not intrtusive but very helpful. I hope the CTS has this feature.
As a whole I hope the CTS has better seats then the HHR and the Grand Prix. I am amazed at the variation in feel and quality among cars. The HHR seats had a nice cloth to them, but they were not comfortable for me. The Grand Prix seats are comfortable but the material was a bit cheap feeling.
Hopefully I’ll get to drive the CTS at an autoshow in motion event.
My son in California just bought a new CTS and he loves it. He is a member of the x-generation and is very proud to own the car. That says something, as he had a BMW before this!
Eric,
The area that was woefully overlooked was the placement of the ebrake. For those of us wanting more sport than luxury with the 6 speed manual, a floor mounted ebrake instead of a handbrake on the console is just plain wrong. This is an example of function taking a back seat to design, and performance not being top of mind. A true sport sedan would not have been designed with this gross oversight. Check any BMW.
With all the scrutiny that Cadillac has put into the CTS design, how does something so basic get overlooked? Will this be corrected in time for the coupe?
Cadillac is back! The interior design is so important, after all we spend most of our time inside our cars. I was very impressed with the Opel flex with the rear displays in the dash. Cool!
The design, and quality materials are light years ahead of the last CTS. Great job guys… Finally Caddy is world class once again!
I love the new CTS interior. The shapes and overall styling really pick up some of the car’s exterior styling points well. I hope to see you lavish similar attention to detail on the other GM brands.
This is the first GM car in ten years that I would lease. I wouldn’t buy it because I’m not convinced the NVH and squeaky dash factors are yet a forgone conclusion in a GM vehicle.
I have to say after driving a direct injection version (304 hp) this car is no dog. It can scoot when it needs to. Loved the gorgeous interior. Ordered a new one with dark cherry exterior/cashmere interiors, summer perf, luxury one, compact spare, Bose 10 speaker stereo without the navigation. Cannot wait until we get it, but dealer said it will take 8 weeks. So here we wait, hoping GM gets it into gear. Thanks for what seems another great car.
Dear Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant Employees,
Congratulations! I see that you will soon be building the Chevy Volt. I believe this is the most vital and important vehicle currently in development. It is the only car that gives us a real chance to help the environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil (and the national security implications that come along with it).
I have always owned Japanese vehicles, and so the Chevy Volt will be my first American made car. I was a little bit nervous, but in doing my research, I see that you guys have won several top quality awards, and so that makes me feel all the better!
Keep up the good work and hone your skills because you will soon be taking part in truly historic work.
Impatient for 2010,
O.Jeff
Mark,
The attention to detail you see on the Cadillac will never make it over to the other brands. The engineers and buyers are rewarded with content they take out, not by the sales that are generated. I’ll bet there are a room of them right now, scrutinizing over the very detail that impresses you, and trying to figure out how to get rid of it and hoping that you don’t notice. That is what is at the very fabric of this company and it is a disease that has been sanctioned by the top executives. Until GM changes how they reward their employees, this will never change. It is a damn shame.
the car looks nicer than anything ive ever owned. donno if i ever will afford a cts, but im a little confused about direct injection. n e ways, wat would happen if you add a supercharger or twin turbos?
Eric–
The most telling quote in what you wrote: “The CTS continues what began in the 2007 SRX: Cadillac’s return to precision-crafted interior execution…”
Having once owned a Cadillac from a year earlier than 2007, I resent the implication: Look at what we SAY we’re doing now; don’t look at what we ACTUALLY did for the previous 30 years.
Jeez–don’t you guys get it at all? The whole baby boomer generation is angry at GM for just this kind of statement and reasoning: We made garbage before, and we’re saying we don’t make garbage now. Forget what your experience has been, trust us. Why, praytell, should be really trust you?
BTW, I think you’ve done a nice job on the design, but the execution, well, that’s a different matter. I expected better for a Cadillac. But then again, I never expected my last Cadillac would die so totally and completely after just six months…
I like the new interior. I don’t understand why the ebony interior is not available with Blue Chip exterior. It is on the Escalade. This is the color combination I would purchase.
Please change and make this availeable on the CTS
I can’t wait to buy mine but LISTEN when will we get sirius radio with the cts? thats when I buy two.
bluebaby
Hey Brad go to cts drivers log and check out August 17th entry about all the hundreds of man hours spent on just the right amount of road noise they allowed, GM sound engineers said they could make it sound proof but there has to be a sound connection to the road, the driver needs that
bluebaby
I think the new CTS is Stunning on the inside. While I have not driven one yet or at night. I have seen pictures of the dash at night and it appears to be mostly bright blue or white.
As any pilot knows any color on an instrument panel in a plane is red at night so it does not distroy your night vision. Should be a law.
As we get older our night vision lessens and we need all the help we can get.
What I would like to know is if the lighting in the dash of the net CTS is bulbs and therefore can it be changed to red bulbs?
Thanks,
Noelvm
After reviewing the CTS, Edmunds.com declared that GM has no excuse for making anymore poor or just acceptable vehicles. I agree. You’ve demonstrated the ability to make truly compelling cars that sell on their own merits, not just their appeal to the “buy American” crowd, or the bargain shoppers attracted by massive rebates. Now its time to extend this level of excellence in class to every single product GM makes. If it doesn’t make sense to make a product the best in its class, or close to it, then don’t make it in the first place. Consolidate down to your best models and brands, then give them the budget they deserve. Finally, stop taking so long to bring cars to market. I hear the Camaro is being referred to as the 2010 Camaro. This is madness. If you introduce a product and say you’re going to build it, then build it. At this rate you’re at least two years behind your competitors. Bring that car out now.
I´m doing a research about corporate blogs, and this is one of the best I´ve seen around the blogosphere.
Very good iniciative! Keep on this way!
I hope the new design proves to be functional too. After the initial excitement subsides, the driver has to deal with the mundane driving tasks in daily commute. A good design will interface with the driver in an intuitive manner. The common chores should be easy to perform. For instance, changing the climate control, radio settings, visibility during turns, rear view visibility, operating mirrors, the absence of day and night time glare, operation of wipers during the rain, cleaning front and rear glass areas and operating the windows should be included in the design decisions.
Sapele wood trim
Mr Clough,
How closely has GM investigated where the sapele wood (also known as African mahogany) in the new CTS comes from?
It took me only about two minutes of Googling “sapele logging” to find the following:
Of course, this was from the Internet, and one must always be suspicious of such things, but could it be that sapele wood is not the most responsible wood to use in the CTS?
I’d like to know more about where the sapele wood in the CTS comes from.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
French-stitched leather
Mr Clough,
What exactly is “French-stitched leather?”
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
Appearance vs. Ease of Maintenance
Mr Clough,
The images of the CTS appearance look appealing, but what does your styling work mean when someone has to work on the car?
Did you take into account ease of maintenance when you were inspired to “synthesize a vision for a specific product for a select range of customers?”
The cockpits and instrument panels of military and most civilian aircraft are designed both with a regard for ergonomics and for ease of maintenance. In a fighter cockpit there are easily accesible bolts — remove only five or six of them and one has easy access to the underside in order to get at wiring or to replace instrumentation. It has an honest, functional, and meant-for-business look.
However, when I look at the CTS I see an instrument panel that will probably give mechanics — and the people who have to pay them — headaches.
An Example: One of my cars (not a Cadillac) recently had an air conditioning problem. The diagnosis was it would cost over $800 in labor to get at a $5 part between the dashboard and the firewall that needed replacing. Most of the cost was for labor to take apart and reassemble the dashboard.
If I had to have a technician at my local Cadillac dealer take apart and put together this CTS dashboard to get at an air conditioning duct, how much would GM charge me? And what are the chances that technician would have enough training that s/he could put it back together so it wouldn’t rattle or squeak?
My personal opinon is that neither outside nor interior stylists pay enough attention to ease and cost of maintenance.
I realize it’s a question of personal taste, but I would prefer a car interior that looks more like a jet fighter cockpit with easy-to-get-at, functional controls and switches, that are also easy to access and repair when necessary.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
The whole launch of the CTS seems to be well handled
Gary,
To sort of answer your question about how difficult newer cars and their all-recessed interior components can be, well let’s put it this way: It took me less than an hour to install a new CD player in my Toyota Tacoma.
In the case of many modern cars and more than likely GM’s case as well, most interior components are modularized into large chunks that can be easily removed with just a few release of clips and screws. I’d say that the center console of the CTS is all one piece that is probably easy to remove.
To me, most modern cars are put together like Legos. If you know what you are doing, you can dismantle them fairly easily.
…(hopefully it will not rattle or squeak in 6 months) – Chris (Toronto)
Hi Chris,
actually the interior of my (relatively inexpensive) 2001 Alero doesn’t rattle or squeak even after more than 6 YEARS and 73.000 miles. So I think, it’s even much more unlikely, that the interior of the all-new CTS will do such noises.
Hi Brad,
did you test-drive the Lexus and the CTS on the very same roads with the same model of tires? Not to forget, also a textured surface of the road could have big impact on the road-noise, coming from the tires. This, of course, hasn’t anything to do with the design of the vehicle. To be honest, I hardly could imagine, that this Lexus should be quieter than the all-new CTS in any noticeable way.
The 2008 CTS is excellent. A friend of mine just picked up a black one with 10 miles on it. The thing looks even more menacing in person, so I am told.
there are some delicious interior pictures of CTS at
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/first-drive-2008-cadillac-cts-interior-and-infotainment/363953/
Go check them out!
thx
i really would like to see HCCI engines be put into the CTS. There is great info about HCCI coupled with Youtube videos on
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/08/26/abg-tech-analysis-and-driving-impression-gms-hcci-engine/
It would be great if GM would pair HCCI engines with electric motors(hence, HCCI hybrid). Regenerative braking is simply an efficient way of driving. It captures lost enetgy and reuses it. I wouldn’t mind paying 40,000+ for a CTS HCCI Hybrid with a 40+ mpg highway.
Well, the interior looks great and bold for a luxury car. If Caddy is still the standard of the world, maybe you created another way to make a classy cabin without German conservatism that other people were mirroring when making cars (look at Peugeot 307 and Fiat Stilo, for example. 308 and Bravo broke this way of making interiors without meaning worse finishing).
All the plastic parts look well mounted. I also liked the individual digital screens for the dual-zone A/C. One thing that I would change in the CTS is the e-brake. Why not use an electric switch in the dash near the most left vent? Even the much more cheaper Passat has this device. It’d free more space for the left leg and also add a more European feeling of well-made thing. And also give one more sell argument. Even Bimmers are getting rid from the classic handle between the seats.
And, finally, when you’ll bring Caddies officially to Brazil? Start bringing this new CTS, just to erase any land-yacht image that our people still has when the name “Cadillac” is mentioned. Price the CTS below the 5-Series, the A6 and the E-Class. Give buyers a lot of options to personalize their future rides. Here in Brazil, luxury cars are almost sinonymous of only silver or black on the outside (and no other options of color) and black interiors. Break this taboo by letting buyers choose what exterior and interior colors their CTSs would have, as you do in US and Europe. Brazilians love to be well treated by a dealer. And maybe a Caddy level of treatment would even increase sells in the more mundane Chevrolet lineup…
Superb!
there is another glorious review of CTS by Edmunds at
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=122751
Enjoy!
michael:
Dont you get it? The automotive industry is about competition and continuous improvement. The fact that recent Cadillac interiors are going back to hand crafted precision does NOT mean that everything before that was garbage as you state. Cadillac is merely raising its game to go from an average player in terms of interiors to the top of the class. Boomers like you need to get off their soapbox every once in a while and ease up on all the self righteousness. Cadillac’s interiors in the last decade may not have been Audi quality but they were more than competitive with Infiniti, Lincoln, Acura, Volvo, etc. I would say Lexus and Audi were on top for much of the last 10 years or so but that advantage is slowly eroding with the new interiors Cadillac is introducing.
If your car had problems I feel sorry for you but to suggest Cadillac hasn’t been on the cutting edge of technology during the last 10+ years is totally innaccurate. Cadillac was lacking when it came to driving dynamics until 2002 or so, but their technology and interior designs were always competitive. You dont have to take GM’s word for it, just check out the vehicles for yourself.
I sat in a 2008 CTS with black intrior. It is better BMW, Lexus and MB. It is the best.
Dear Sj:
I have “checked out the vehicles” for myself. I stand by my outrage. Cadillac is still essentially telling those of us who actually bought one (when the quality was, well, at the level of a Yugo) that it doesn’t apologize for selling us such garbage. And NOW, we are supposed to believe the same company that made, say, the Aztek, is going to make an exceptional car? I don’t have stupid written on my forehead. I do not believe Cadillac (or GM, now that the strike is settled and the workers beat the company again) has any sort of handle on quality control. Hence, we will still have cars that die after a few months, rear ends that fall off after two weeks, brakes that fail while the car is being driven off the dealer lot, and engines that need to be replaced at 20,000 miles (all these things have happened to my family at various times).
No, I’m not being harsh or vindictive. I’m being angry at an attitude of hubris. “Trust us, we’re GM, and we would NEVER sell a product that isn’t perfect.” Next thing you know, GM will start offering to sell us the Brooklyn Bridge–with a rebate, too!
Finally, a personal thought about these Cadillac interiors. I’ve tried getting in and out of the new CTS. The salesperson had to help me out it was so painful. (To be fair, I’ve had the same problem with BMW, MB, and Infiniti, but not Lexus. Odd.)
Cadillac has raised the bar, but they are still not where they need to be to be truly competitive. Sit in any Audi interior – the attention to detail, the quality and fit and finish of materials is just at a different level. The beancounters that buy the cheapest parts that they can get their hands on for Chevy should not be allowed to buy for Cadillac.
Well, I agree about getting in and out of a CTS if you are 6′ tall. I couldn’t do it in the normal way either. I had to do it like I do in my 70 vette. You turn facing away from the car. You sit down, then pivot into the car. Same with exiting. Turn to the left, put both feet on the ground and then stand up. The curve on the roof is too low for people over about 5′10″. The Shelby Mustang I looked at had the same problem with the roofline.
You just have to adopt a different modus operendi.
noelvm
So hey dude. Can you change out the bulbs in the dash to red or not? It’s funny how you answer some questions and ignor others.
Nice CTS press:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/autos/0710/gallery.cadillac_cts_revew/index.html
Thanks,
Chris (Toronto)
You all must keep it up!
Keep kicking up the interiors by leaps and bounds with every new car.
1. We would like larger touch-screens. They should be the largest in the industry (and break all bounds).
Why can’t we have screens in non-nav vehicles? Not every color screen has to be a nav–and they would immediately uplift the image of base models.
2. The Escalade could be so much more than it is. Look at the Range Rover for example.
Eric
What about colors. Black interiors give me claustrophobia and tan interiors bore me. I like colorful interiors. What ever happened to red green and blue interiors. I want a choice of colors.
Well.. The car is stunning.. Inside and out. I agree with the wide body kit and the interior is light years ahead of the old CTS.
What its lacking? Simple.. PUSH START button… BLUE TOOTH INTEGRATION, which should be STANDARD in all CADILLAC models. Auto down and auto up and auto close on everything… More keyless integration and more keyless features like roll windows down with the beeper and up etc.
Those are SIMPLE things to implement that will really put caddy up in the first place.
you should market the CTS more to Asian-Americans. I guess most of them are more familiar to Japanese brands than American brands. You should target them specifically like in California.
The Volt is disappointing simply it is a FWD. I tihnk GM is making a mistake by not using the Kappa. The rear seat legroom problem can already be solved using thinner front seats.
I own a Catera and will replacing it with the new CTS some time soon. I would like for Cadillac to consider some other paint colors. A light to medium blue would go well with the light interior I think.
I was about to buy the 08 CTS in September right when it arrived fresh to my neighborhood Cadillac dealer; what stopped me from buying it was the translucent sunroof shade. If Cadillac fixes the shade for 09 Model I’ll buy it right away, otherwise I’ll buy either BMW or Mercedes.
GM! Just fix the shade and sign me in.
[...] of several production Cadillacs, most notably the new CTS. Here’s a look at some of his reflections on how they did [...]