Hylton's: Cadillac XTS - Bottom of the 9th, bases are loaded. Here's the 3-2 pitch and.....

First thing I look at with a new car design are the angles and curves. I ignore interior, drivetrain and wheels. I envision it approaching, leaving, driving by or simply parked. I then think about how it's exterior style stacks up against the competition and in the case of the XTS, that means stacking it up against the Germans. Can I drive it up to a successful CEO's home with it and look like I fit in? Or will I end up looking like a wannabe? Status afterall, can be important and as far a luxury cars are concerned, you are what you drive.

When I first saw the initial rendering of the XTS concept car, I was excited. It had a unique sleekness at every angle. It's rear end had paid tribute to the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado and it's long hood, short trunk overhang screamed business coupe. Wow I thought, this thing is going to make the Mercedes CLS look like a golf cart. But what happened to cause the concept car to come out looking like a bigger CTS at this year's NAIAS?

Before I start getting emails from some of my GM friends, please don't interpret my comment as implying that the Cadillac CTS is a bad car - it's not. It's just that the top of the line sedan in any luxury car company must NEVER borrow from it's lower models - NEVER. In actual fact, it should be the lower models trying to imitate the upper models. As soon as the lower models look similar, you re-design the upper model and the process starts over again. Take a look at what BMW and Mercedes - they've been doing this for years.

Now I do like the side profile of the XTS at NAIAS - it's sexy, sleek and sophisticated. The interior is absolutely stunning. But why change the front and rear fascias so dramatically and more importantly to make the car resemble a lower priced Cadillac? I get the whole obtuse angle thing that Cadillac has been trying to throw into every model but honesty, it's starting to get long in the tooth. If I am going to pay a 10-20K premium for this car over the lower priced Cadillac, the last thing I want is for one of my golf buddies to yell "Hey Big H, did you just buy that? Nice CTS". Call me shallow but that would make me absolutely cringe.

I love what is going on at Chevrolet and Buick right now as I see nothing but sales on the horizon. The GMC Granite was a nice surprise and holds plenty of promise. Cadillac? Well, we are just going to have to stick around and find out if the upcoming XTS is the clutch hitter a bat.