Кадиллак BLS: Еуропалық модель және тарихы

The Cadillac BLS is a compact executive car that was marketed in Europe by Cadillac, sharing General Motors' Epsilon architecture, as a restyled variant of the Saab 9 3. Development was carried out by Saab and the car was manufactured in Trollhättan, Sweden, alongside the Saab 9 3 and the Saab 9 5. Sales of the saloon began in March 2006, with an estate joining the line for 2007. Starting in 2007, the BLS was sold in the Middle East, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. BLS production reached 3,257 in 2006 Production ended in 2009. The BLS is the only Cadillac never sold in North America.

Auto Express 2/5'The BLS is OK, but offers nothing new in a market overflowing with talent.' Evo 2.5/5[+] Stylish and quiet[ ] Pushes no boundaries. Honest John 2/5Positives: 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 2/5'Average. It's built in Europe, shares most of its underpinnings with a Saab and will never see America meet the strangest Cadillac ever.'

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 range. 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. According to GM, BLS stands for "B segment Luxury Sedan", being in a smaller class than the CTS mid size saloon. This is consistent with the Seville Luxury Sedan, later known as the Cadillac SLS in China.