Cadillac BLS In Depth

Press Release

Exterior offers Cadillac style and safety

• Styling: Brings bold Cadillac design to new markets and customers

• Safety: Body structure and restraint systems offer protection

• Interior: Luxurious, spacious ambience

Expressive design has always been a Cadillac hallmark. Elements such as vertical headlights and taillights and a unique wedge shape that tapers to the front have characterized Cadillac’s CTS, STS, XLR and SRX models. The new BLS continues this distinctive style.

The design: Contemporary lines, elegant details

The BLS features striking vertical lines in the front and rear, enhanced with a V-shaped chrome-framed grille and similar V-shaped styling of the center high-mounted brake light and license-plate surround. The large side faces convey a sense of strength and solidity.

In front, jewel-like, vertically oriented headlights featuring bi-xenon technology (optional) reside directly above integrated fog lamps and on both sides of the prominent, chrome-framed egg-crate grille. Body-colored door handles and chrome rails along the windows add a luxury touch.

The BLS features the latest LED technology in the center high-mounted brake light, which is prominently positioned on the trunk lid and extends across the full width of the vehicle. The advantage of this technology is that the brake lights illuminate faster, which improves the avoidance response times of surrounding drivers. The LED brake light bulbs also last significantly longer than conventional bulbs. The vertical taillights are another design element that leaves no doubt the BLS is a Cadillac.

The vehicle’s distinctive wedge shape is not only pleasing to behold, it is also very aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.31.The dual-purpose center high-mounted stop light also functions as a spoiler to improve the airflow over the body, reducing fuel consumption and increasing driving stability.

The body: Compact, torsionally rigid and safe

The BLS, which is tailored specifically to the needs of European automobile drivers, is one of the most compact models ever built by Cadillac.

Following are several key dimensions:

A safety cage protects the interior. The passenger compartment is made predominantly of high-strength steel and features posts for extra strength. In the event of a frontal collision, the energy is distributed to three main load paths and defined deformation zones. Deformable crash boxes behind the front fenders prevent damage to the body in impacts up to 15 km/h.

To protect occupants in side impacts, the door pillars function much like a pendulum, ‘hinging’ at the top and swinging in at the base in a controlled movement. This deflects the energy of the impact from the occupants’ head and chest regions to less vulnerable areas of the body.

The body structure uses a combination of lightweight aluminum, higher-strength and super high-strength steels. The Cadillac BLS has a torsional resistance of 19 kNm per degree, benefiting driving comfort and passive safety.

The interior: Luxurious ambience and generous space

The BLS’s interior features a three-spoke leather-covered steering wheel and an analog clock in the center stack, which, like the two cup holders in the center console, is chrome-ringed. The circular instruments have white numerals and red needles on a black background.

The interior features high quality fabrics and materials, with gleaming black decorative elements (“black piano” design). A red walnut wood veneer is available in combination with heated and electronically adjustable front seats with memory for both driver and passenger.

The BLS is spacious. The headroom in front (988 mm) and legroom at the back (892 mm) are the best in its class. The trunk capacity of 425 liters can be increased by dropping the rear-seat backrest which has a 40/60 split.

The protective devices: Assistance in emergency situations

The BLS features the following available safety features:

• Front air bags with a volume of 60 / 101 liters (driver/passenger)

• Side and curtain air bags, which protect the driver and passenger as well as the outer two rear-seat passengers in the event of side-impact collisions

• Active headrests in the front seats, which reduce the risk of whiplash injuries by limiting the movement of the head in a rear-end collision are standard on all models

• Headrests and three-point seatbelts for all five seating positions

• Pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioners and force limiters on the front seats and exterior rear seats