After a surprise debut at this year's Detroit show, the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept appears well on its way to production.
The designers have prevailed as it looks as though the concept's striking proportions remain mostly unchanged. This spy shot also shows us that the coupe will have a B-pillarless look like the concept; the structural support is still there, but gets hidden by the butt-jointed seam where the door glass meets the rear quarter-window. The high trunk and small backlight still appear determined to quash rearward visibility, and as a result we expect parking sensors (seen through the camouflage cutouts on the rear bumper) will be standard on all coupes.
Many of the concept's details look to have made the final cut as well. The center-exit exhaust stays, though it is now a side-by-side affair as opposed to the concept's stacked tip. Side surfaces remain clean with help from hidden door handles that are reminiscent of those on the Chevrolet Corvette, and likely use a similar power-actuated release system.
We expect a V-6-powered CTS coupe first, hopefully followed by a V-series edition using the supercharged LSA V-8 from the upcoming CTS-V sedan. A CTS-based wagon has also been caught testing recently, and would give a more family-friendly alternative to the sedan and coupe. Formal introductions should take place at an auto show in the coming year.
Aside from engine options, the only big question we're left with at this point is naming. Specifically, we're wondering whether the two-door version of a CTS will be called CTC, and if so, what letter the wagon variant gets. All of that is for the marketing department to decide and, frankly, we're not too concerned with the combination of letters on the back. That is, as long as they avoid unfortunate acronyms like ETC and ESC that replaced the Eldorado nameplate toward the end of its life cycle.