Cadillac’s New Mass-Reduction Philosophy

Cadillac's new approach to trimming vehicle weight, starting with the 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan, involves scrutinizing the materials and design of all components, according to Chief Engineer David Leone.

The General Motors Co. division also has scrapped its former system of engineering a model to handle the stress of its most powerful powertrain option. Now Cadillac sizes most components around the requirements of the base powertrain and adds reinforcement as needed for higher-horsepower iterations.

In the CTS, the strategy resulted in a car that is 200 lbs lighter, even though it's five inches longer.

One of the biggest changes is the new car's all-aluminum doors (except for a steel side-intrusion beam). Each door weighs about 17 lbs less than the previous all-steel design.

Cadillac also switched to a new high-pressure die-cast aluminum structure to support the front strut towers. The new component consolidates 15 separate parts and cuts weight 40%. An aluminum front chassis cradle is 60% lighter than the assembly used in the previous-generation CTS.

The new sedan features a rolled steel B-pillar made with a technique that varies the cross-section to put strength only where it's needed. Leone says the component's 40% greater torsional rigidity improves the performance of the car's double-pivot MacPherson strut suspension in front and new five-link rear axle in back.

The 2014 CTS offers three engine options: a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that makes 272 hp, a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 321 hp and a twin-turbo 2.6-liter V-6 that delivers 420 hp. Driveline combinations include 6- and 8-speed automatics and two- and four-wheel drive.

Cadillac notes that the new CTS twin-turbo V-6-powered Vsport model recently cut six seconds off the Nurburgring lap time for the old V-8-powered Vsport.