Cadillac will use Frankfurt to launch its new world saloon, the CTS. Due to go on sale in the middle of 2002, the CTS must succeed in Europe if Cadillac is to become competitive as a global brand.

And that means the CTS must tempt fleet buyers away from brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar and Lexus.

It looks better than previous European Cadillacs - its crisp, lines suggest for the first time that the Cadillac brand is looking to the future to develop a recognisable architecture that will work outside the USA.

The design approach - called 'Art and Science' by GM - was first seen on the Evoq concept car a couple of years ago.

The CTS is built on a new rear-drive platform, and is powered by a 3.2-litre V6 engine built at Ellesmere Port in the UK, giving a 0–100kph time of less than seven seconds. It will also be offered in Europe with a 2.6-litre engine.

In order to adapt the platform to European tastes, the CTS has been extensively tested in Germany, particularly on the Nurburgring race circuit. It also offers a manual gearbox option - the first in a Cadillac for almost 50 years. (September 2001)