After telling us the manual gearbox isn’t happening any more in 2012 to the Cadillac CTS lineup we now get a perkier power plant for the lesser engined cars.

So what if you can’t afford the CTS-V Cadillac, maybe you’re a little short for the normal V8 as well, but it seems that starting next year that no longer means you have to skimp on performance.

Actually, that’s not true, even though Cadillac say the new V6 is a radical improvement, the 3.6 liter unit develops 318 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque.

This power is clearly enough for the majority of technical parameters on the 2012 Cadillac CTS, but since it’s just 14 horsepower more than the previous generation don’t expect any revolution to happen.

Another small performance improvement can be seen in the diet the aluminium V6 went through as the 20 lbs lost helps fuel economy.

After telling us the manual gearbox isn’t happening any more in 2012 to the Cadillac CTS lineup we now get a perkier power plant for the lesser engined cars.

So what if you can’t afford the CTS-V Cadillac, maybe you’re a little short for the normal V8 as well, but it seems that starting next year that no longer means you have to skimp on performance.

Actually, that’s not true, even though Cadillac say the new V6 is a radical improvement, the 3.6 liter unit develops 318 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque.

The ambitious plans come from the success of the larger SRX sport-utility vehicle which increased U.S. sales 11 percent last year. BMW’s second generation X3 has also proven to be a successful model for the Munich-based automaker making the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina run at full capacity.

The aforementioned Cadillac ATS goes on sale in 2013 and will be offered with both rear-wheel and all-drive options. The company describes the ATS as being “nimble, fun and quick,” traits typical of a midsize, sport and luxurious car.

Cadillac is ready for another flagship, perhaps something along the lines of the gorgeous Sixteen concept that was first shown in 2003. Except, once again, the economy isn’t ready. Worse, once-mighty GM doesn’t even have the money to spend on such a project — it’s got Chevy Volts and Cruzes that badly need building.

It’s been four or five decades since Cadillac built a car that came close to being “The Standard of the World” — the brand’s tagline until the 1970s — but with the new CTS, and especially the world-beating CTS-v sport sedan, its rehabilitation is well underway. The first step was, believe it or don’t, the King of Bling 1999 Escalade, which made Caddy a must-have for sports, music, and Hollywood stars. More important, it dramatically improved Cadillac’s chance of being considered for purchase by buyers under 50 years of age.

Engine and a number of new features is what GM offers corporate high crossover Cadillac SRX 2012. After nearly two years of presence in the North American market, began to enter the Cadillac SRX process improved. To add markers for high crossover of their 2012 version, GM has added corporate block 6-cylinder engine more powerful as well as auxiliary facilities feature.Highlights of the 2012 Cadillac SRX V6 engine block, 3.6 liter capacity, direct fuel injection completely new. Capacity to produce 300 horsepower and torque of 260 lb-ft, “engines” nascent bloc to replace the V6, 3.0 liter capacity, direct fuel injection are located below the hood Cadillac SRX contemporary versions. Compared to the “heart” new, old engine blocks with weak capacity 265 kW and maximum torque of 223 lb-ft. In addition to improved engine power, GM also equipped with FlexFuel feature Cadillac SRX 2012 for use gasoline, E85 ethanol or a combination of both. Currently, GM has not announced fuel consumption of the 2012 Cadillac SRX.

Cadillac Converj Concept will enter the production and is renamed to Cadillac ELR 2012. The Cadillac ELR will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. It uses electricity as its primary source to drive the car without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the battery’s energy is low, the ELR seamlessly switches to extended-range mode to enable driving for hundreds of additional miles.

The SRX was completely reworked in 2009 to be based off of GM’s new Theta Premium platform, internally dubbed the GM267. And its purpose was clear: to attempt to dethrone the segment-leading, proverbial Lexus RX350. So, because the current SRX has been with us for about three years now, Cadillac had sent the SRX back to the drawing board for a little mid-cycle refresh to further focus its aim on the Lexus. Over the life of the SRX, Cadillac was sure to listen very closely to the feedback given from customers and automotive journalists alike. And when egmCarTech reviewed the SRX twice (here and here) not too long ago, we liked it a lot. But there were some widely expressed concerns with the still lackluster powertrain when compared to the competition and to address those concerns, Cadillac made sure to focus on those concerns by axing the original two V6 powerplants for just one option. So, how does it fare?

Even if you didn’t live to see this time, Cadillac’s reputation and corporate philosophy of producing cars with precision engineering and stylish luxury is indubitably embedded in history. Essentially, they were America’s Mercedes-Benz.

Now though, Cadillac isn’t the only brand you’re confronted with when in search for a luxury automobile. Much time elapsed since the brand’s last peak, even facing death for some time in the 1990s. It was not until Cadillac introduced the CTS that they began to regain some of the luxury market share, which was mostly lost to the foreign offerings. Fast forward to today, post-General Motors bailout, Cadillac has certainly come a long way.

Cadillac may have a thing or two to say about its ATS plans - even as vague as they may be. David Caldwell, Cadillac spokesman, was recently quoted saying “There has been no recent radical shift in strategy,” in regards to the ATS. That either means the ATS Coupe hasn’t gotten anywhere on the table, or GM is still working hard at developing the variant. See what Caldwell did there?

As for those who have been reporting different variants on the ATS, including the convertible and wagon versions, Caldwell left the door open again saying “On either end of the spectrum the reporting is inaccurate.” But here’s the real statement that makes us believe that Cadillac hasn’t quite shelved the idea of ATS variants altogether: “We do plan to do variants,” Caldwell said. “We haven’t yet called our shot of how we’re going to execute that.”

What’s it all mean? To us it appears that Cadillac will play it safe by seeing how well received (or not) the ATS is in the marketplace before determining whether it’ll be ripping into variants of the model for public consumption.

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