Cadillac BLS

The Cadillac BLS is a compact executive car marketed in Europe by Cadillac. Based on General Motors' Epsilon architecture, the BLS was a heavily restyled version of the Saab 9-3. The development was done by Saab and the car cost more than one billion kronor (approximately $140 million) to design. It was manufactured in Trollhättan, Sweden, alongside the Saab 9-3 and the Saab 9-5. Sales of the sedan began in March 2006, with a station wagon joining the line for 2007. The BLS was introduced to the Arabian, Mexican, South African, and South Korean markets for the 2007 model year. It was never sold in the American market. The BLS was not successful; in 2007, Cadillac produced 2,772 cars at the Trollhättan factory, with 282 sold in Germany, a market with total annual sales of 3.15 million. Production figures for 2007 were down from 3,257 in 2006. Production of the BLS ceased in 2009 as a result of the poor sales.

Features

File:Cadillac BLS rear.JPG

BLS Sedan rear

The BLS was available with a diesel engine (a 1.9 L turbocharged four-cylinder) and two petrol engines (a 2.8 L turbocharged V6 and a 2.0 L available with two power levels).

At 184.3 in (4,681 mm) in overall length, the BLS was almost six inches shorter than the CTS, the smallest Cadillac available in North America.

Engines:

• 1.9 L Fiat turbodiesel I4 16v, 150 hp (110 kW)
• 1.9 L Fiat turbodiesel I4 16v, 180 hp (132 kW) (2007-)
• 2.0 L Ecotec LK9 I4, mid-pressure turbo, 175 hp (129 kW)
• 2.0 L Ecotec LK9 I4, high-pressure turbo, 210 hp (154 kW)
• 2.0 T FlexPower 200 hp (147 kW)
• 2.8 L HFV6 V6, turbo, 250 hp (184 kW)

Reviews

• Auto Express
  'The BLS is OK, but offers nothing new in a market overflowing with talent.'
• Evo
  [+] Stylish and quiet
  [-] Pushes no boundaries.
• Honest John
  Positives: Based on the Saab 9-3 so decent handling. Well proven mechanicals. Saab-grade safety.
  Negatives: The ride is far from forgiving. Automatic doesn't work well with the V6 turbo, which also has overly light steering.
• Verdict On Cars
  'Average. It's built in Europe, shares most of its underpinnings with a Saab and will never see America - meet the strangest Cadillac ever.'

Name

The BLS is known by many as the "Bob Lutz Special" - a reference to Vice Chairman Bob Lutz who oversaw all GM product development at the time. Lutz, a supporter of badge engineering, wanted to leverage the SAAB 9-3 to fill holes in Cadillac's product gap.

The reference to Bob Lutz can be viewed both as support and as criticism of his strategy. While the BLS was a market failure, many of the techniques of badge engineering employed in the BLS resulted in other GM product successes, most notably a significant improvement in overall passenger car product quality and performance output.

Under Lutz's revamped strategy, most Cadillac model names had no meaning (aside from preceding models, such as DTS for Deville Touring Sedan, or CTS for Catera Touring Sedan). Hence, the BLS has no official name for its abbreviation - fueling the community namesake.

While GM has never formally said why the BLS bore its name, it is likely the B was chosen for being smaller than the CTS mid-size sedan, L for Luxury, and S for Sedan. This is consistent with the Seville Luxury Sedan, or later the Cadillac SLS.

External links

• Parker's BLS Review
• WhatCar.Com BLS Review
• Car and Driver Article on BLS Debut
• Auto Express Review BLS 2.0T