We heard rumors that the Cadillac Sixteen concept would come back as a V-12-powered production car at this year's New York show but unfortunately, that's only true in spirit. By that, we mean that the STS sedan has been revised for 2008 with a grille and fender-mounted vents inspired by the glamorous concept. Like those design elements on the Escalade and '08 CTS, they're big, chrome, and in-your-face American. Lower rocker moldings, a new wheel design, and a body-color rear fascia round out the exterior changes. There is indeed some engine news, but divide those twelve cylinders by two. The new STS will be the first vehicle equipped with GM's new direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6, making 298 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque (up from 258 hp and 252 lb-ft for the outgoing V-6.)
The base V-6 model will receive a few other upgrades, including a standard six-speed automatic transmission and some desirable new options like HID headlamps, Intellibeam auto-dimming headlamps, a head-up display, and a new handling package on rear-drive models. That package will also be available on both rear- and all-wheel-drive V-8 models.
You'll have to look a bit harder for the more exciting new features incorporated into the new STS. Surely inspired by BMW, GM has added active steering to its Stabilitrack system. A steering motor assembly combined with electronic controls measure wheel slippage and turn the front wheels into the skid when the rears loose traction. Straight from the Infiniti playbook is a new lane departure warning system that uses a small camera to read the lines of the road to alert the driver when those lines are crossed. A blind spot alert system is also new. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the new STS goes on sale by mid-summer.