As Americans celebrate the inauguration of a new president of the United States next week, another new Cadillac will grace Pennsylvania Avenue to lead the proceedings. President Barack Obama will ride in an all-new Cadillac Presidential Limousine, continuing a long tradition of Cadillac limousines that have served many U.S. presidents.

"Cadillac is honored to again provide a new Presidential Limousine," said Mark McNabb, North America vice president, Cadillac/Premium Channel. "This is a great American tradition that we're delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac's dramatic design and technology."

The image of an American president greeting crowds from a Cadillac limousine dates to President Woodrow Wilson and the early days of the automobile, and continues into a historic new era. The latest Cadillac Presidential Limousine is a completely new design, succeeding the DTS Presidential Limousine that debuted in 2004. The new car incorporates many of the dramatic design and technology features of new and highly acclaimed Cadillac vehicles in a purpose-built format tailored to specific and exacting specifications befitting presidential transport.

Inside and out, the Cadillac Presidential Limousine includes many of the brand's signature design elements. Assertive, modern and elegant, the front of the car includes the intricate, dual-textured grille made famous by Cadillac's most popular current models, the CTS sport sedan and Escalade. Vertical design elements, such as the car's front and rear lighting, mirror those used on production models.

For largely functional reasons, such as optimal outward visibility, the car is slightly more upright than its predecessor. However, this new Cadillac Presidential Limousine occupies roughly the same overall footprint on the road as the previous model, with a similar size and proportion.

The side and rear profiles of the new Presidential Limousine are classic, elegant forms, evocative of Cadillac's STS and DTS luxury sedans. Inside the cabin, the car includes the finest examples of Cadillac's recent renaissance in design, technology and craftsmanship. The cabin blends modern design and technology with old-world craftsmanship. Major aspects of the cabin are cut and sewn by hand, the same process used in popular Cadillac models such as the CTS sport sedan.

Naturally, many purpose-built aspects of the car are specially designed and prepared for presidential use. The rear passenger area includes an extensive executive compartment with ample seating space, outward visibility and useful mobile office features.

The car was designed, developed and tested by specialists who adhered to an extensive set of specifications. It was subjected to an extreme testing regimen to ensure performance that achieves precise functional requirements. In doing so, security provisions were undertaken at all times during development to ensure the car's functional capabilities are preserved and confidential.

An embroidered presidential seal is positioned in the center of the rear seat back panel, as well as on each rear door trim panel. Presidential seals are also affixed to the exterior rear doors. The U.S. flag is placed on the right front fender, and the presidential standard is located on the left front fender when the president travels in the vehicle. High-tech LED spotlights illuminate the flags at night.

History - Cadillac and the U.S. Presidency

Cadillac has built limousines and special vehicles for U.S. presidents, diplomats, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries since the early 20th century, an iconic aspect of the brand that continues today.

Cadillac's central role began during World War I, when many Cadillac engines and cars were transferred to military and government service because of their superior durability and power. One of the first chief executives to use a Cadillac was President Wilson, who rode through the streets of Boston during a World War I victory parade in 1919. A lavish 1928 Cadillac town car was used in the Calvin Coolidge administration.

In 1938, two Cadillac convertibles, dubbed the "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth," were delivered to the U.S. government. Named after the great ocean liners of the time, the vehicles were 21.5 feet long, weighed 7,660 pounds and were equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two-way radios and heavy-duty generators. Durable and reliable, the two "Queens" served Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

President Eisenhower, known as a car buff, rode in one of the first Cadillac Eldorado models ever produced during his 1953 inaugural parade. The Eldorado represented a high point in automobile design history, as it had the first wraparound windshield, a feature quickly adopted on other new production models.

In 1956, the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II convertibles replaced the original series. The vehicles were slightly smaller, but like their predecessors, were fully armored and featured state-of-the art communications. Moreover, the vehicles were fitted with narrow rims inside the tire in case the tires were shot out. The Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II served not only President Eisenhower, but also Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Both vehicles were retired in 1968.

The Ronald W. Reagan administration was delivered a 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - Presidential Series was delivered to the William J. Clinton administration in 1993. Unlike previous models that typically were Cadillac cars adapted and modified by independent limousine companies, the 1993 Presidential Brougham was designed, developed and manufactured totally within General Motors and Cadillac. This included an extensive set of security measures to maintain confidentiality, a process that continues today.

Currently, the 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine resides at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., while the 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.

Cadillac has produced two presidential limousines this decade that remain in service. The first was a Deville Presidential model delivered to President George W. Bush in 2001. In 2004, President Bush debuted a new DTS Presidential model. It was the first application of a new design that launched later that year for the production DTS full-size sedan.

Cadillac DTS extends its heritage of technologically advanced luxury and leading safety into 2011, including the DTS Platinum Edition that adds premium features and special paint options to its hand-crafted elegance.

Among the DTS’ advanced safety features are Lane Departure Warning and Side Blind Zone Alert. Lane Departure Warning uses a camera to provide visual and audible alerts in the event of an inadvertent lane change. Side Blind Zone Alert extends driver vision, using radar sensors to detect objects adjacent to the car in a driver’s traditional “blind spot.”

Like all Cadillac models, DTS now includes standard Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance, covering scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, replacement of engine and cabin air filters and multi-point vehicle inspections for four years or 50,000 miles. The 2011 DTS also debuts ninth generation OnStar technology, which includes significantly improved voice recognition capabilities.

DTS Platinum

The DTS Platinum returns for 2011, offering a distinctly higher level of premium luxury, with bright chrome details including 18-inch chrome wheels, chrome grille, chrome inserts on the exterior door handle lift bars, and an exclusive Platinum badge. It features the Northstar 4.6L V-8 engine, rated at 292-horsepower (218 kW)*, and other performance-oriented features such as Magnetic Ride Control and Performance Algorithm shifting.

The DTS interior is distinguished by subtle details that complement each other to create a luxurious and inviting environment. A choice of two unique interiors, Light Linen over Cocoa and all-Ebony, are complemented by light ash burl wood with decorative inlay, Tuscany full leather upholstery, French seams on the door panel inserts and hand-cut-and-sewn leather on the instrument panel top pad, console and door trim.

This extensive luxury package extends underfoot and even to the trunk, with unique floor mats and a richer trunk mat made of upgraded materials. A sunroof and DVD navigation system are standard, as is LED interior ambient footwell lighting.

A handcrafted, leather-wrapped heated steering wheel with authentic light ash burl wood and chrome rings – as well as chrome appointments, Alcantara headliner and visors, and an illuminated Platinum badge on the door sill plate – complete the package.

DTS-L

Based on the DTS livery sedan, the DTS-L is a long-wheelbase model that provides a great choice for executive transport customers and those who seek more privacy in the rear passenger area. It is eight inches (315 mm) longer than the standard DTS (extension completed by a certified Cadillac Master Coachbuilder) and, with the added length inserted behind the rear doors, provides an executive privacy seating position. The rear-seat passengers are concealed behind the C-pillar, rearward of the side windows.

The DTS-L is equipped with the 275-horsepower (205 kW) 4.6L Northstar V-8 engine and is available with most of the DTS’ luxury features, including heated and cooled driver and passenger front seats with memory settings; heated rear outboard seats; rear four-way power lumbar controls and adjustable headrests; Adaptive Remote Start; OnStar; XM Satellite Radio; DVD navigation and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Lane Departure Warning system

The Lane Departure Warning system uses a camera located between the inside rearview mirror and the windshield to detect lane markings on the road and alert drivers when they inadvertently stray from the lane.

When the Lane Departure Warning System is engaged, a driver traveling at 35 mph or more who crosses a detected lane marking without signaling is alerted in two ways: The system’s telltale light flashes amber, and an alerting sound of three beeps is played. The system is designed to alert drivers so they can take appropriate action to move the vehicle back into the lane.

A distinguishing feature of Cadillac’s lane departure system over competitive systems is its telltale light with the “LDW” symbol that indicates whether the system is ready to assist the driver. If the light is green, the system is able to detect lane markings and provide alerts. If the light is off, it will not. To avoid nuisance alerts, the system is designed to not provide an alert if the turn signal is on or if the driver makes a sharp maneuver.

Side Blind Zone Alert system

Side Blind Zone Alert uses radar sensors behind the rear fascia on both sides of the vehicle that signal an audible and visual alert if objects are detected in “blind zones.” The outside rearview mirrors feature turn signal LEDs and bold Side Blind Zone Alert icons.

Alternating radar beams in GM’s Side Blind Zone Alert system “sweep” adjacent areas, covering a zone of about one lane over from both sides of the vehicle, or 11 feet (3.5 m). The zone starts at each side mirror and goes back about 16 feet (5 m).

When the system is engaged, a driver will know that following vehicles in the adjacent lanes are entering the side blind zone when an amber symbol, located in the outside rearview mirror, is illuminated. The system is not designed to detect vehicles outside of the side blind zone that may be rapidly approaching, or detect pedestrians, bicyclists or animals. It’s designed to ignore infrastructure such as fire hydrants or parked cars. In addition, the system displays do not come on while the vehicle is approaching or passing other vehicles.

Powertrain details

The DTS is equipped with the technologically advanced Northstar 4.6L V-8 engine and mated to the Hydra-Matic 4T80 four-speed automatic transmission – a proven combination that assures powerful, sophisticated performance.

The Northstar 4.6L V-8 engine is available in two configurations: the 292-horsepower (218 kW)* L37 and the 275-horsepower (205 kW)* LD8. The L37 version is responsive, with more peak horsepower. The LD8 puts more emphasis on quick launch and part-throttle response with greater peak torque.

Refined chassis and Magnetic Ride Control

The DTS chassis combines performance and luxury capabilities to a degree never before reached on a full-size Cadillac sedan. Chassis tuning on the four-wheel independent suspension system achieves a smooth, quiet, refined ride. The DTS features a front cradle design, with the engine mounted to the cradle, and the cradle mounted to the body rails.

Integrated chassis control technologies include four-channel anti-lock brakes and traction control, four-channel StabiliTrak with Brake Assist, and Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). It is the world’s fastest reacting suspension, controlling body motions to a precise degree.

MRC provides electronically controlled, magnetic-fluid based real-time damping. It uses four wheel-to-body displacement sensors to measure wheel motion over the road surface and responds by adjusting the shock damping at speeds approaching one millisecond.

The system’s secret is the magneto-rheological fluid contained in its dampers, replacing traditional mechanical valves. Suspended in this fluid are tiny iron particles that respond to an electromagnetic charge. A revised piston profile introduced in 2008 improves damping capability and decreases shock temperatures, resulting in improved ride and handling.

Comfort, convenience and security features

The DTS is loaded with a broad range of helpful feature that enhance comfort, convenience and security. The features included:

• Heated and cooled front seats
• Heated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Standard dual-zone climate control on base packages and standard tri-zone climate control on uplevel packages
• Factory-installed Adaptive Remote Start with personalization
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Power folding outside rearview mirrors
• Front and rear ultrasonic park assist
• IntelliBeam automatic high-beam headlamps
• In-dash six-CD changer and MP3 player
• Radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC) with audible and visual alerts
• DVD navigation system
• Safety features

The DTS is equipped with a host of safety and security features, beginning with its body frame integral (BFI) construction; strategically engineered crumple zones in front and rear; and comprehensive use of high-strength steel. The vehicle’s crashworthiness is enhanced with structural foam and nylon structural inserts strategically placed in areas of the vehicle’s structure.

The DTS has six standard air bags, including an industry-first dual depth front passenger air bag and GM’s passenger sensing system. The GM co-patented technology deploys either a small or large air bag depending upon crash severity, seat belt usage and seat position. Additional standard features include a dual-stage driver frontal air bag, roof-rail curtain air bags, and front-seat side-impact thorax air bags.

As with other Cadillac models, all 2011 DTS models are now equipped with ninth-generation OnStar technology. The flexible speech recognition system interprets different sentences or phrases without actually hearing the exact two-to-three-word commands from the user.

For example, a subscriber who wants to place a call using the Hands Free Calling System simply says: “I would like to make a phone call” or “Need to make a phone call” instead of saying the exact “dial” or “call” command. The system will understand that the user wants to place a call and process the command. The system is capable of recognizing thousands of sentences that users may say.

Additionally, significant improvements have been made to the flexible speech recognition system to allow it to better understand many regional dialects. This means that a subscriber in southern Louisiana will be just as easily understood as a subscriber in Long Island or Minnesota. OnStar engineers in North America and China performed extensive validation testing across four languages (English, French, Spanish and Mandarin), more than 30 different dialects and vehicle models in a wide range of driving and noise conditions.