Cadillac unveils new SRX before Detroit show

The 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover vehicle by General Motors Corp. is set to display later this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new design is going to replace the SRX model first launched in 2004. In an attempt to lure luxury car buyers with new design and performance features, GM hopes the new model will compete with rivals like the Lexus RX, Acura MDX, and the BMW X3 and X5.

“For GM, it’s our most aggressive brand,” said Clay Dean, GM’s global director for Cadillac design. “We want to appeal to people that set the trends.”

A 3-litre direct-injection V-6 engine comes standard, with the option for a 2.8-litre turbocharged V-6. Although fuel economy testing wasn’t complete, GM estimates highway miles per gallon will fall in the mid-20s range.

Cadillac sales fell 24 per cent in the first 11 months of 2008, about on par with U.S. light truck and SUV sales overall. The automaker sold nearly 148,000 Cadillacs in January through November, including about 14,800 SRXs. But Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus division sold five times as many RXs.

The model is one of three launches GM has planned for the Detroit show that starts next week. There’s a new Chevrolet Equinox crossover that the automaker unveiled in December, and a redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan will make its debut.