Despite being in a wee bit of trouble, GM is ploughing on with sexing up Cadillac like some sort of war dossier in an attempt to move the brand away from its octogenarian image. The CTS Coupé, due to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, should work just fine.

Some will call it an alternative to the 3 Series Coupé, which it technically will be, but as the CTS is Cadillac's entry-level car we reckon it should undercut the German significantly when it appears. Usefully, when it hits UK showrooms in 2011 it will be available in both rear-wheel and four-wheel drive forms, which should give it some of the credence of the 3 Series as a driver's car.

The spec will be high, with a limited slip differential standard as well as such fripperies as electric leather seats, Bluetooth, cruise control and all manner of stuff you wouldn't get on a bog standard Beemer.

Oh, and there's the distinct possibility of a CTS-V Coupé, which will be supercharged and most certainly see the Caddy veer into BMW territory - the CTS-V saloon is quicker around the Nürburgring than an Aston Martin DBS. Cut-price M3? Yes please.

We don't have much info on the new Coupé as yet - we'll have to wait until the LA show for that - but the production car is very similar to the concept coupé that Cadillac unveiled in Detroit in 2008. It will sit on the same wheelbase as the saloon, but shorter overhangs and a lower roofline will give it a compact, sporty stance. From launch a 300bhp 3.6-litre V6 will provide power, linked to either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes.

Mark Nichol - 27 Nov 2009