Cadillac CTS Coupe 2011: Originally a bold roughing
Bob Munson, design manager of the model Cadillac CTS, admits he was taken aback the first time he saw the CT section 2011.
"I told myself that this car probably came from another planet, has said Munson, it looked like a prototype that took the road. The cut is undoubtedly upsetting, but in a good way. "
The cutting CTS has quickly become the new vehicle in 2011 being the largest number of praises journalists. This is the most amazing vehicle the Cadillac line designed according to the principle of the taut bow.
Road & Track described the new sport luxury Cadillac cut as being a vehicle that was like the movie The Exorcist, made all heads turn. An article in the New York Times reported that the cutting CTS is akin to landing a stealth bomber in the vicinity. Popular Mechanics says that the cut CTS was one of the 10 best cars of 2011, while AutoWeek magazine recently awarded high performance version of the CTS-V cut, as the best of the best cars of 2011.
The development of cutting CTS was a special project by Munson, who began his career in the service of design GM in 1970 while attending Kettering University Flint, Michigan has. For Munson and the Cadillac design team, the cut comes from a process of creating virtually limitless. While drafts of departure usually serve as inspiration to design the final model, the original drawings of cutting CTS have been used as if it were the final plans.
Munson was the first drafts of cutting CTS in 2004 as part of an exercise carried out by Cadillac designers whose aim was to describe what would be the living demonstration of 2015. One evening at home, he draws a cut two doors characterized by the precise lines, prominent wheel well beaten back in the corners and a nearly horizontal profile of the roof to the rear.
The character of the same cup gave him the opportunity to focus more on the form. Sedans and SUVs, by their nature, more restrictive design that cuts.
"The cuts are more emotive, Munson has said, they must all the same be helpful. We must get at the grocery store and bring the shop. The seat is also necessary. However, the emotive component in a cut is more tangible than a sedan. "
Mike Simcoe, then director general of the external design in North America, examined the roughing the vehicle displayed in the Cadillac studio and asked the execution of a model to scale as complementary project. Paul Scicluna, a talented sculptor at GM, made the cuts a reality. Bob Lutz, then vice president of Product Development, and Ed Welburn, vice president of global design, after seeing the full-size clay model, insisted that it is a production vehicle.
As the prototype turned into a production car, the designers and engineers of Cadillac is working together to try to preserve every detail. It was not question of designing the two-door version of a sedan. The track was widened, roof lowered and the increased vehicle length to give the cut a bolder stature.
The engineers have tried to leave the dual tip exhaust in the center in order to effectively wrap the rear fairing in the corners. Of special stamping techniques of metal have been developed to preserve the lines and accentuated profile of the original version. A group was created to determine the way to make taillights tip, question of giving a classic futuristic look at the back of Cadillac.
Munson said he was pleased with the result. The design of cutting allowed the vehicle to stand out from the crowd. An article in the Wall Street Journal described the cut as "a great and alternative car, type of car Frank Gehry and Bruce Timm, creator of Batman, would like to design if their lives depended. "
"We knew it was an extreme design, Munson has said, some will love it, others hate it, I think the job is done well if we get this type of reaction. There are many cuts and sedans that go unnoticed. These vehicles do not try at all costs to get noticed. The Cadillac CTS is cut decidedly, like it or not, a car that is noticed. "
The development of CTS was cut under the responsibility of a group of passionate automotive design according to Munson. The cutting CTS is essentially a designer dream come true.
"As a designer, it keeps trying to improve, Munson has said, and that's what I'm trying to do. However, in the case of cutting CTS, I have the difficulty ay happen. If one remembers me for that, I'll be very happy. "
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