Bob Munson Talks 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe Design

Available at US dealerships starting mid-2010, the 2011 CTS Coupe has enjoyed a great deal of success, quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed new cars for the 2011 model year. Now Bob Munson, design manager for the Cadillac CTS, comes to talk about the vehicle’s design language, which he describes as an archer's bow pulled taut.

Munson said he's pleased with the results. "We always knew it would be a polarizing design," he added. "Some people are going to love it. Some people are going to hate it. To me, you're not doing your job unless you get that kind of reaction. There's a lot of coupe and sedan designs that are understated. They're not trying to be a 'look at me' kind of car. The Cadillac CTS Coupe is very much an in-your-face, you-can't-help-but-notice car."

Munson first drew the lines that would become the CTS Coupe in 2004 as part of an exercise by Cadillac designers to describe the showroom of 2015. One evening at home, he sketched a two-door coupe that featured sharp angles, bulging wheels pushed to the corners and a fast, almost horizontal line from the roof to rear.

The coupe shape provided him with the ability to focus on form, Munson said. Sedans and SUVs, by their nature, have more design constraints than coupes.

"Coupes are emotional," Munson said. "They still have to function. You have to be able to drive down the road and carry groceries. You still need a back seat. But the emotional side weighs more heavily in a coupe than it does in a sedan."

"As a designer, you try to get better with each design," Munson continued. "I'm definitely still pushing myself to do that, but I'll be honest. After doing the CTS Coupe, it will be hard to top that design. If this is what I'm remembered for, that will be okay."

The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe has a starting price of $38,990.