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How sweet the sound: Cadillac’s 2016 CT6 packs a 34-speaker Bose system

Cadillac CT6 Bose
Cadillac
The 2016 Cadillac CT6 won’t appear until the 2015 New York Auto Show next week, but General Motors has already let a lot of information slip. It’s disclosed details on the powertrain and chassis, and even teased the entire car in an Oscars ad.

Now, the company is turning to the CT6 interior, with details on the car’s outrageous audio system.

The CT6 will feature a new Bose Panaray system with 34 speakers that Cadillac says was designed exclusively for this car.

The first in Bose’s “Advanced Technology Series” automotive sound systems, it borrows technology from Bose’s home entertainment and professional audio arms.

Bose and Cadillac promise unprecedented sound clarity for an in-car audio system, but aren’t ready to disclose details beyond that improbable speaker count just yet.

Those speakers are placed “strategically” throughout the cabin. Almost all of them measure less than four inches in diameter, meaning there are plenty of nooks and crannies where they can fit.

As a competitor to top luxury sedans from the German trinity of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, the CT6 is expected to be heavy on tech, giving Cadillac a chance to show off its cleverness.

One other feature that has already been confirmed is a streaming-video rearview mirror. It uses a TFT display and HD camera, and improves rearward vision by 300 percent, Cadillac previously said.

The car itself will feature a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 producing at least 400 horsepower, and a chassis made mostly of aluminum, which should make it among the lightest vehicles in its class.

Like the somewhat banal name, the CT6’s styling will probably be fairly restrained for a brand flagship. Think plus-sized CTS.

Whether all of these elements can coalesce into an appealing luxury car could have as much impact on Cadillac’s image as its bottom line.

Over the past decade, Cadillac has worked hard to distance itself from the floppy land yachts it used to build, cars only suitable for Florida retirees.

The current ATS and CTS are competent cars, but what Cadillac still lacks is a prestige model worthy of its old “Standard of the World” tagline.

Will the 2016 CT6 be that car? Find out next week when the 2015 New York Auto Show opens.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
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