Presidential limousine reveals publicly for first time the new design direction for the Cadillac's 2006 DTS production model
January 20, 2005
It's the second parade for George W. Bush, so his face is already familiar to many, but some folks may have noticed another new star in today's presidential inaugural parade: a jet-black, state-of-the-art Cadillac DTS limousine.
Revealing publicly for first time the new design direction for the Cadillac's 2006 DTS production model, the 2006 Cadillac DTS limousine takes the place of 2001 Cadillac DeVille limousine that served during the previous Bush administration.
The limousine makes a bold styling statement by incorporating Cadillac's contemporary design cues to the front and rear portions of the vehicle. Redesigned front and rear fascias integrate Cadillac's signature egg-crate grille with center-mounted wreath and crest badge, jewel-like vertically oriented high-intensity xenon headlamps and state-of-the-art LED tail lamps.
George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, was the first to travel in the new Cadillac DTS limousine during the parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue today.
The sight of the president waving from a Cadillac has become an American tradition, as the company's special vehicles and limousines have been serving the White House as far back as Woodrow Wilson, who rode through the streets of Boston during a World War I victory parade. A lavish 1928 Cadillac town car was used extensively throughout the Coolidge Administration. The Reagan administration used a 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine and the Clinton administration used a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that was delivered in 1993. Unlike previous models, Clinton's Presidential Brougham was designed, developed, and manufactured within General Motors to provide unquestionable protection. (To minimize exposure to external threats, for example, no sunroof or running boards were installed on the vehicle.)
The new production-model DTS (formerly named DeVille) is set to make its first public appearance at the Chicago Auto Show in early February and will go on sale in the third quarter of this year.
"General Motors and Cadillac are proud to write this latest chapter in American automotive history with the introduction of the DTS presidential limousine," said General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. "We are pleased that our historic relationship with the U.S. government and chief executive office has continued through the years."
With a new design and unique construction under the skin, the new Cadillac DTS limousine is completely handcrafted and dressed in a jet-black clearcoat finish. The vehicle is a considerably longer, wider, and taller version of the production-model DTS that will debut in February at the Chicago Auto Show and will go on sale in the third quarter of this year.