Cadillac showed off its 2009 CTS Sport Wagon at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California, previewing the model's "Art and Science" design philosophy on its first ever estate. It should hit UK's showrooms late next year giving buyers a choice of either a petrol 3.6-litre V6 or a force-fed 2.9-litre diesel.

The latter is a compact, dual overhead cam V6 unit that delivers better fuel economy and reduced emissions over the petrol model. The CTS Sport Wagon will be present at several motorshows this year, probably debuting at the Paris, Mondial de l'Automobile in October.

Cadillac claims that the Sport Wagon follows the CTS saloon in being a great-riding car, with economy and plenty of space with 720 litres of luggage capacity behind the rear seats.

For the UK, the CTS Sport Wagon will include an entertainment system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive and a pop-up navigation screen as well as fancy hand-cut and hand-sewn leather.

Cadillac is particularly proud of the Sport Wagon's styling and hopes that the model will aid Cadillac's ambitious global expansion. It wants to specifically target the European market as the US company believes the CTS Sport Wagon will make a compelling alternative to large SUVs when it goes on sale next year.

Dejan Jovanovic - 19 Aug 2008