Cadillac CTS Delivers An Award-Winning Package - Spearheading Cadillac’s arrival into the Australian automotive market is the highly acclaimed Cadillac CTS sedan, which was launched today at the 2008 Australian International Motor Show. - Recipient of the prestigious 2008 Motor Trend Car of the Year in the United States, the Cadillac sports sedan offers a remarkable blend of dramatic design, innovative technology, interior luxury and undeniable performance. - “Cadillac has a long history of offering customers exciting, highly specified vehicles that offer a combination of luxury and performance and the CTS is the all-new generation vehicle that exceeds that expectation,” said Director of GM Premium Brands, Parveen Batish. - At a glance, there is no mistaking the CTS for anything but a contemporary Cadillac. Building off Cadillac’s design ethos of Art and Science, the CTS exudes strong road presence and bold, sharp design. The CTS is packed with infotainment and safety technologies and creates a dynamic driving experience through a highly developed ride and handling package. - “CTS is earning the acclaim of luxury buyers, the most discerning critics,” said Jim Taylor, Cadillac global general manager. “It has earned a position as one of the premier luxury sports sedans, further strengthening Cadillac’s historic resurgence into the top tier of global luxury brands.” - The Cadillac CTS will be on-sale in early 2009 with pricing to be announced closer to the sales date. - Design - The new 2009 CTS has an athletic form that reflects its combination of luxury and performance. The evolved styling theme has produced a ‘faster’, coupe-like profile and strikes a sporting stance, while the more sculpted bumpers emphasise the car’s wider track and enhanced chassis dynamics. - Signature exterior cues include vertically oriented “light pipes,” horizontal spline lines and a dihedral-shaped hood which enhances the CTS’s dramatic presence unlike most traditional luxury sedans. - The athletic form of the CTS is characterised by sculpted fenders. They feature side air extractors that recall a styling element from Cadillac’s 2003 ‘Sixteen’ concept car; and an UltraView “double” sunroof is available, spanning both the front and rear seats. - Nine-spoke, 18-inch wheels surround the CTS’ high-performance brake calipers and rotors (available in a premium multicoat or a high-polish finish). - Interior elements - The 2009 CTS cabin features advances in surface development, technology, materials and construction which all combine to highlight technical precision with elegant, hand-crafted details and precise tailoring. - Analogue instrumentation is streamlined and defined by bright accents. An integrated centre stack design, with either satin metallic finish as standard or optional genuine Sapele Pommele wood, blends into the lower instrument panel that sweeps forward and away of front-seat occupants. The hand-assembled centre console leads seamlessly into the centre stack, providing a sportier “cockpit” feel for the driver and passenger without compromising space. - Heated and ventilated seats incorporate “thin-seat” technology for maximum occupant comfort and enhanced rear-seat room. French stitching is used throughout the interior, including the upper instrument panel, door inserts, seats and gear shift. The leather-wrapped steering wheel includes standard integrated controls for cruise and audio system. - Clean, white ambient light emitting diode (LED) accent lighting, positioned in the door pulls, foot wells and recessed between the upper and lower instrument panels, creates a discreet theatre-style night lighting. - Powertrains - Direct injection technology helps the CTS offer more power while maintaining fuel efficiency and lowering emissions. Combining greater power with smoothness, efficiency and technical sophistication, it delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion. - With the 3.6-litre, VVT direct injection Global V6 engine, this translates to a power output of 227 kW* and 370-Nm* of torque and a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. Unlike many of its competitors, the 3.6-litre engine runs on less expensive regular unleaded petrol. - The CTS engine is matched with a fuel-saving electronically controlled Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission. The Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic features Driver Shift Control sequential manual gear shifting, a technology which enables on-demand clutch-less manual shifts. - Driving dynamics - Cadillac’s development team set goals to achieve near sportscar levels of grip and handling, while also emulating the dynamic poise and ride smoothness of prestigious luxury cars. - CTS prototypes were extensively developed and tested at Germany’s Nordschleife circuit at the Nurburgring and on city streets and country roads across Europe, China and North America. - The CTS chassis enables a great balance of performance and luxury. The hardware includes structural enhancements via a tower-to-tower brace; large, four-wheel disc brakes and premium steering. Two suspension tuning levels are available with one featuring firm but compliant sports suspension and the second option of a performance handling suspension for more spirited driving. Both suspensions are paired with 18-inch alloys. - The CTS uses an independent short/long arm (SLA) front suspension system. Its performance characteristics are optimised with the use of aluminium for the upper and lower control arms, as well as the knuckles, reducing overall mass. - Hydraulic control arm front bushings are used for motion control and help minimize high-speed road vibration by damping energy transmitted through the vehicle structure. Hollow front stabilizer bars bring weight savings and are sized specifically to each of the three available suspension levels. - A multi-link rear suspension, with a fully isolated sub frame, delivers excellent suspension kinematics that contributes to a superior ride with excellent handling. It provides maximum tuning flexibility so that the suspension can be tuned to react in a predetermined manner, such as during high-lateral cornering forces, where the rear wheels will respond with the correct camber and toe to avoid rapid destabilising changes. - The CTS features advanced chassis technology in the form of Cadillac’s StabiliTrak® electronic chassis stability control system. It integrates the car’s standard four-channel ABS with the full-function traction control, hydraulic brake assist and engine drag control systems. - Craftsmanship and quietness - Every CTS features Cadillac’s “cut-and-sew” interior process that combines advanced technology with the hand-rendered precision of expert craftsmen. Coverings for components such as the instrument panel, center console and door trim are cut, sewn and wrapped by hand. This enables details such as decorative French stitching and the near elimination of gaps and seams, for a superbly tailored appearance. - Quietness is another measure of the CTS’ craftsmanship. Detailed analysis of sound and vibration was lavished on the CTS during its development. This reduced overall cabin noise via improved body sealing and sound insulation. It also focused on tuning the quality of the remaining sound. A perforated pattern, for example, has been added to the inside of the tailpipes to increase resonance, adding more pleasing, low-frequency sounds to counteract high-frequency noise. - On the exterior, quieting elements and manufacturing techniques include an innovative laser brazing process that affixes the roof panel more crisply; installing the windshield glass without visible rubber seals and joints; and triple-sealed doors. - Infotainment and vehicle technology - CTS features integrated infotainment and technologies including advanced iPod®/MP3 capabilities. Designed in consultation with the engineers behind the iPod and other computer and entertainment industry experts, the centre console of the CTS is tailored for MP3 players, iPods or other digital music devices. They can be charged via a USB port, which also enables play lists to appear on the car’s retractable eight-inch touch-screen display, and steering wheel controls can be used to advance tracks. - The CTS is also fitted with a 40-gigabyte hard drive which allows pausing and rewinding of live radio, as well as “ripping” tracks from CDs. The hard drive enables 60-minute “buffering” of the car’s radio, meaning that passengers can “pause” a live broadcast in order to take a phone call, or even leave the car to run an errand, or simply rewind to listen again. - Developed by Bose, the CTS’s sound system delivers concert-quality sound normally reserved for home theatres. The 300-watt, 10-speaker system incorporates the exclusive Bose Centerpoint technology, producing rich and spacious sound. - The Keyless Access system enables passive vehicle and trunk entry and keyless ignition via a personalised keyless fob. With the fob in a pocket or purse, a person can approach a locked vehicle, pull the door handle and open the door or boot. - In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a Smart Remote Start system which operates from as far as 60 metres. It not only starts the vehicle via fob activation, but also activates the climate control and the optional heated and cooled seats, depending on temperatures outside and inside the car. - Safety features - The 2009 CTS is designed to continue Cadillac’s reputation for providing safe occupant environments in luxury vehicles. Features such as a robust body structure that helps absorb crash energy and six standard air bags – including a dual stage driver front air bag, roof-rail side curtain, seat-mounted pelvic/thorax side airbags and a dual depth passenger frontal air bag – helped it earn a Top Safety Pick recognition by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States. - The new Pedestrian Protection system senses a collision with a pedestrian through the front bumper sensors and activates a mechanism that lifts the bonnet to create additional clearance to hard points in the engine compartment, reducing severity of the impact to the pedestrian’s head. - GM’s Adaptive Forward Lighting system for the bi-xenon HID headlamps automatically adjusts headlamp direction for improved night driving visibility. The system turns the headlamps up to five degrees inboard and up to 15 degrees outboard on each lamp. - Safety is also enhanced by a rear park assist system, tyre-pressure monitoring, front safety belt pretensioners, active head restraints and automatic rain-sense windscreen wipers. END OF RELEASE - TOP ----- August 15 2008 Mercedes-Benz to Introduce Advanced Driver Fatigue Safety Technology - Stuttgart - Accident researchers at Mercedes-Benz are acutely aware of the danger in nodding off at the wheel (the "one-second nap"). In the view of these specialists, long holiday journeys without intermediate breaks involve a high risk of overtiredness, which drivers often fail to notice in time. As such Mercedes-Benz has developed the innovative driver support system Attention Assist. This is able to recognise driver fatigue at an early stage, and warn the driver that a break is called for soon. The system will enter series production in 2009. - Scientific studies indicate that around 25 percent of all serious accidents occurring on motorways are caused by overtired drivers. In other words, overtiredness is responsible for more accidents than driving under the influence of alcohol. - During long-distance journeys in the dark, or under unchanging conditions at a constant cruising speed, the risk of the "one-second nap" is greatest because the driver's attention lapses and monotony increases the danger of falling asleep. Studies have shown that the reaction times of drivers can be 50 percent longer after only four hours of non-stop driving. The risk of an accident is doubled after this length of time, and after six hours of driving it is no less than eight times as high. - With the newly-developed Attention Assist, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its practically-oriented commitment to accident prevention as already demonstrated through innovations such as the Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) and Brake Assist, which have already led to a measurable improvement in traffic safety. - Attention Assist monitors the driving behaviour of the driver, generating an individual driver profile which is constantly compared to a flow of sensor data. This continuous monitoring is important, so that the system can recognise the driver's transition from alertness to drowsiness and warn them in sufficient time. - Steering characteristics as the most important indicator of fatigue - In addition to the vehicle speed and linear/lateral acceleration, the Mercedes system also registers steering wheel movements, indicator and pedal operation, plus a number of specific control operations and external influences such as side winds or uneven road surfaces. Monitoring the driver's steering behaviour has proved to be particularly relevant, as an overtired driver has difficulty in keeping the vehicle precisely on track. They make minor steering errors which are often quickly corrected in a characteristic manner. Intensive tests by Mercedes engineers involving more than 550 male and female drivers have shown that this effect already commences during an early phase of the onset of fatigue – usually before the highly dangerous "one-second nap". - The heart of the Mercedes system is an extremely sensitive sensor that enables the steering movements and their speed to be monitored very precisely. - During the first few minutes of each journey, Attention Assist uses these data to compile an individual driver behaviour pattern which is constantly compared with the current steering behaviour and driving situation by the onboard electronic control unit. This enables the system to recognise the typical signs of overtiredness and warn the driver accordingly. This is done by an acoustic signal and a display in the instrument cluster with the clear-cut advice: "Attention Assist. Break!" END OF RELEASE - TOP ----- Jul 02 2008 Stuttgart/Riyadh – Mercedes-Benz Buses and Coaches Mercedes-Benz Buses and Coaches has received a major contract from SAPTCO (Saudi Arabian Public Transport) for 300 Mercedes-Benz Travego coaches. The first 150 coaches will be delivered before the end of this year. The other 150 will be delivered at the beginning of next year. This is the first time that SAPTCO has ordered the Travego coach. Amongst other duties, these ultra-modern, two-axle coaches will be used for journeys between the pilgrimage cities in Saudi Arabia. SAPTCO is the country's biggest bus operator and has a total fleet of 2,500 vehicles, more than half of which display the Mercedes three-pointed star. The Mercedes-Benz Travego is the top model in the Mercedes-Benz coach range and epitomizes outstanding safety, comfort and environmental compatibility. The coaches are powered by Mercedes-Benz OM 457 LA diesel engines, producing 310kW (422 bhp). All the vehicles will be fitted with an uprated air conditioning system, with a 39kW cooling capacity, in order to cope with the extreme climatic conditions. END OF RELEASE - TOP -----
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