General Motors has just unveiled on Sunday the new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover vehicle. The car is set to go on display at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit later this month, replacing the SRX model first launched in 2004. In order to be able to compete with better-selling rivals like the Lexus RX, Acura MDX, and the BMW X3 and X5, the SRX's designers took elements from other Cadillac models and melded them into this one.

 

The vehicle looks faster than its predecessor, with a curving roofline and a more rounded nose. A 3-liter direct-injection V-6 engine comes standard, with the option for a 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6. General Motors estimates highway miles per gallon will fall in the mid-20s. Cadillac has a strong following among luxury car buyers, and the brand remains an important one for General Motors.

 

Unfortunately, Cadillac sales fell 24 percent in the first 11 months of 2008. The automaker sold nearly 148,000 Cadillacs in January through November, including 14,800 SRXs. However, rival Toyota's Lexus division sold five times as many RXs. The 2010 SRX is expected to be in showrooms in mid-2009 and the pricing has yet to be announced, but the prices could start in the $30,000.

 

However, the public will see the SRX at a California auto charity event in August, as the model is one of three launches General Motors has planned for the Detroit show that starts next week. Among the SRX, we can find a new Chevrolet Equinox crossover that was unveiled in December and a redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse sedan.