GM Sigma platform
Encyclopedia
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
rear-wheel drive automobile platform
Automobile platform
An automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
. The architecture debuted in 2002 with the 2003 Cadillac CTS
Cadillac CTS
The Cadillac CTS is a mid-size car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors currently available in three body styles: Sedan, Coupe, and Sport Wagon. It was introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, replacing the Cadillac Catera. The CTS and the supercharged CTS-V variant have been named...
and is adaptable for all-wheel drive and extended wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
versions. Development of the Sigma platform began at Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
before 1998 as GWRD or Global World Rear Drive.
The long-wheelbase Cadillac STS
Cadillac STS
The STS is a mid-size luxury sports sedan / executive car manufactured and sold by Cadillac. It is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission with performance algorithm shifting and driver shift control.- Origins :...
replaced the front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
GM K platform
GM K platform
The General Motors K platform was the basis of the Cadillac Seville model over two entirely different automobile platforms.* 1970s GM K platform * 1980– GM K platform...
Cadillac Seville
Cadillac Seville
The Cadillac Seville is a luxury-type car that was manufactured by the Cadillac division of American automaker General Motors from 1975 to 2004, as a smaller-sized top-of-the-line Cadillac...
. The CTS was a replacement for the rear-wheel drive V-body
GM V platform (RWD)
The V platform is a rear-wheel drive automobile platform that underpinned various General Motors vehicles from 1967 through to its final discontinuation in 2007. The V platform was developed in the 1960s by the European subsidiary of GM, Opel, however, it was not without significant revision over...
Cadillac Catera
Cadillac Catera
The Cadillac Catera is a mid-sized automobile manufactured in Rüsselsheim, Germany, as a rebadged variant of the Opel Omega—and marketed by Cadillac in North America as an entry-level model, with approximately 95,000 examples manufactured from 1997–2001.A Sport model was offered beginning in...
.
The Sigma platform has a four-wheel independent suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
with control arm
Control arm
thumb|right|300px|Double Wishbone SuspensionIn automotive suspension, an automobile's control arm or wishbone is a nearly flat and roughly triangular suspension member , that pivots in two places. The broad end of the triangle attaches at the frame and pivots on a bushing...
s in front and multi-link in the rear. GM's High Feature
GM High Feature engine
The 3600 LY7 are members of General Motors' new High Feature engine family of modern DOHC V6s. This new family of engines was introduced in 2004 with the Cadillac CTS. Holden sells the HFV6 under the name Alloytec. The High Feature moniker on the Holden produced engine is reserved for the twin...
V6 and Northstar
GM Premium V engine
The Northstar engine series of automobile engines is General Motors' most technically complex 90° V engine architecture. The family is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar V8, but the family has also seen use at Oldsmobile...
V8 are most common, though the small-block V8
GM LS engine
The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...
has also been used. GM's 5-speed 5L40/5L50 automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
is used throughout the range.
All Sigma vehicles are built at the purpose-built Lansing Grand River
Lansing Grand River
Lansing Grand River Assembly is a modern automobile factory in Lansing, Michigan. Opened in 2001 by General Motors, the plant produces vehicles on the company's Sigma platform. It is the main plant for Cadillac...
factory in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
.
Vehicles based on this platform:
- Cadillac CTSCadillac CTSThe Cadillac CTS is a mid-size car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors currently available in three body styles: Sedan, Coupe, and Sport Wagon. It was introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, replacing the Cadillac Catera. The CTS and the supercharged CTS-V variant have been named...
2003–2007 - Cadillac SRXCadillac SRXEngine options include the High-Feature V6 and the 4.6 L Northstar V8. It is based on the GM Sigma platform and comes with a five or six-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive are available....
2004–2009 - Cadillac STSCadillac STSThe STS is a mid-size luxury sports sedan / executive car manufactured and sold by Cadillac. It is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission with performance algorithm shifting and driver shift control.- Origins :...
2005–2011 (SLS continues in China)
Sigma II
Sigma II, larger and wider than its previous counterpart, debuted with the 2008 CTS, and shares more parts with the larger Zeta than the smaller Sigma I. Sigma II is more flexible and features the Direct Injection 3.6 HF V6 as its primary engine and a new more powerful 3.6 L DI HF V6, as well as supercharged smallblock V8 for the Cadillac CTS-V. Sigma will stay a Cadillac exclusive. Coupe and wagon versions arrived for the 2011 model year.Vehicles using this platform:
- Cadillac CTSCadillac CTSThe Cadillac CTS is a mid-size car manufactured by the Cadillac marque of General Motors currently available in three body styles: Sedan, Coupe, and Sport Wagon. It was introduced in 2002 as a sports sedan, replacing the Cadillac Catera. The CTS and the supercharged CTS-V variant have been named...
2008–present - Cadillac CTS-V 2009–present