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Fuel-economy

Okay, the auto business — despite some signs of improvement — is still just limping along. And even if you think the industry has really turned ye olde corner, the cost of oil — despite current gas prices in the $2.60-per-gallon range — is still hanging over the nascent recovery like Damocles' sword.

So, perhaps now isn't the best time for automakers to be introducing a wave of new high-performance luxury products — but that's exactly what's happening.

Take the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. Scheduled to go on sale early next year, the car is much more than a Cadillac CTS sedan minus two doors. The coupe continues to evolve the CTS brand's reputation for performance, technological advancement and style, and it should offer almost much everything one would expect from "the new focal point of Cadillac."

And, in a way, this actually includes important advances in fuel-efficiency and emissions reductions. I mean, I'm sure it took some serious work to achieve estimated EPA ratings of 17 mpg city/26 mpg highway in a car that's going to weigh in at more than 3,900 lbs. with rear-wheel drive and top two tons with AWD. If you compare the AWD CTS Coupe with its putative arch rival — a similarly outfitted BMW 3 Series — you have to give the Cadillac the efficiency nod for achieving about the same mpg ratings as the BMW but doing so with a vehicle that's approximately 200 lbs. heavier.

Of course, if you take off the rose-colored glasses, things look a bit different. There's just no getting around the fact that the CTS Coupe is heavier than the CTS Sedan and gets slightly worse gas mileage. There's no excuse, either. Per the GM press release, the AWD CTS Coupe will weigh 4,131 lbs. That's more than a full-size Cadillac DTS or Buick Lucerne; in fact, based on a quick perusal of the General's products, it looks like the CTS Coupe will be the fattest car in the entire lineup when it comes to market. At least until the debut of the CTS-V Coupe, which will follow the standard Coupe into production later in 2010.

The next-generation 2010 Lexus GX 460 (2009 model pictured), also set to debut in the near future, makes for an interesting contrast to the Caddy situation. Lexus went with, dare I say it, a smaller engine for the new GX, and, thanks also to some other enhancements, the result is a 13 percent improvement in combined EPA mileage. The old version, the Lexus GX 470 posted a HUMMER-esque line of 14/18/15 in the EPA's city/highway/combined ratings; the new model moves up to a claimed 15/20/18. True, these numbers are about the same as those of a much bigger, much heavier all-wheel-drive Chevrolet Tahoe, which posts a 15/21/17 rating, but at least they're better than before.

(Frankly, I'm not sure why the Tahoe would get worse combined mileage despite having the same/better city/highway numbers as the Lexus; I'll just point out that the government hasn't posted its "official" numbers for the GX 460 yet.)

But the real benchmark — particularly for Cadillac — remains BMW, which, coincidentally, also revealed some of its key new products recently. The next-generation BMW 5 Series (2010 model pictured) is set to arrive this summer, and the difference in approach between the Bavarians and Cadillac (and Lexus) is telling.

While the CTS Coupe seems to be taking a step backward in terms of managing fuel efficiency, and the Lexus GX 460 is essentially standing still, BMW is making some pretty big leaps forward. Eight-speed transmissions, regenerative braking, advanced engine technologies, and lightweight steel and aluminum construction are all in the mix, and, even if the results won't be winning BMW any Green Car of the Year awards, they still show a company that is serious about fuel efficiency. BMW X6 notwithstanding.

Notably, this includes the introduction of a 5 Series diesel in 2011. That car, the BMW 535d, turns in a combined 42.2 mpg on the European cycle in UK trim.

And as long as we're talking about BMW's drive to bring fuel-efficiency to luxury-market vehicle segments, let's mention the coming Rolls-Royce/MINI mash-up. Yes, it's true, the two BMW-owned companies will be collaborating on a limited-edition MINI Cooper that will be outfitted with a full range of Rolls-Royce accoutrements for 2010.

Which I guess means that GM better get working on that Cadillac version of the Chevrolet Spark.

Select photos via General Motors

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