Let’s just call this one the Cadillac XTS Platinum "Concept." For reals y’all, this is one of, if not the most production ready "concepts" we’ve ever seen. For its part, Cadillac stuck to the "It’s just a concept" mantra. Though they might as well have all been nodding, elbowing and winking. If When the new XTS sees production it, will replace both the STS and the DTS.

For you tech geeks out there, this new Caddy is fairly intriguing. The all-wheel-drive powertrain is motivated by a plug-in two-mode hybrid consisting of the brand’s 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 coupled to an electric motor. Cadillac was tight-lipped on the power rating, hemming and hawing before saying "around 350 horsepower."

That may not sound like buckets of oomph, but when compared to the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid – the XTS’s probable direct competitor – makes 295 hp. The XTS theoretically makes 295 pound-feet of torque, too. For those of you not geeked on the hybrid bandwagon, Cadillac’s general manager Bryan Nesbitt posed an interesting hypothetical question, "Is the largest displacement engine the only symbol of luxury?"

Early next Tuesday morning, Cadillac will unveil a concept version of its new XTS flagship at the Detroit Auto Show. A report from Canada’s CTV now says that production of the XTS will begin at General Motors’ Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant in early 2012. Rumors of a Cadillac to be produced at the plant east of Toronto first began circulating last July. The XTS will join the Chevrolet Impala and Camaro as well as the new Buick Regal at the facility. The XTS is expected to be based on the Epsilon II platform but with all-wheel-drive.

The addition of the Cadillac and the Buick could necessitate an extra shift at the factory which would likely result in 750-1,000 of GM’s previously laid-off workers being recalled. Last year, GM closed an adjacent Oshawa factory that had been building full-size pickup trucks.
Thursday, February 25, 2010 - Comments (0)

For the past decade, Cadillac has been transforming itself from a brand that built big, floaty old-school luxury cars for old-school customers into something much more contemporary to compete with the best premium brands from Europe. Unfortunately for General Motors, the process has been only partially successful. The Escalade has been a huge sales success for the brand and the CTS has achieved both critical and commercial acclaim. The STS and the first generation SRX, however, never quite struck a chord with the market and the DTS is just old.

A new SRX debuted last year, but now it’s time to flesh out the rest of the lineup. The CTS in sedan, coupe and sportwagon forms is one of Autoblog’s favorites. It’s time to spread that goodness to both a smaller and larger sedan. Last August we saw styling concepts of both those cars, dubbed the ATS and XTS during a visit to the GM design studios. GM isn’t publicly showing the 3 series-sized ATS just yet, but the XTS is debuting today at the Detroit Auto Show. The XTS Platinum concept is a preview of Cadillac’s new flagship that’s expected to start production in early 2012. Read on after the jump to learn all about it.