When discussions began nearly a year ago about what car to bring to Today’s Technology Center booth #W-20 for IMTS 2016, Cadillac’s CT6 was a clear favorite. Not as flashy as the Chevrolet Corvette that we brought to McCormick Place in 2014, or as radical as the Buckeye Bullet electric speed racer from 2012, the CT6 represents where automotive manufacturing needs to be by 2025 to meet fuel economy standards.
A mixed-metal vehicle with extensive use of high-strength steels, sheet aluminum, extruded aluminum, and several exotic alloys, the CT6 is forcing its manufacturer to explore new production techniques and develop entirely new systems.
It’s the role that Cadillac has often played for GM – a nameplate that sells expensive vehicles that stretch the limits of what engineers can accomplish. And as Cadillac perfects those techniques, they flow down to Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet. For example, when the Cadillac CTS launched in 2003, it featured never-before-used welding techniques such as laser-brazed steel sheets to connect vehicle side panels to the roof – creating a smooth, flat seam between the two. The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu uses that technology to create a sharply raked rear deck lid, giving the trunk a spoiler-like look without adding plastic trim.