Just as excitement was building around the reveal of the Cadillac CTS Coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show, GM's CEO Fritz Henderson suddenly resigned. Of course the two events were not linked but the departure of the guy that replaced Rick Waggoner a few months ago is a shocker, tarnishing what should have been a shining moment. Why Henderson quit is not known but some say it was due to disagreements with the government overseer. Although things were looking up for General Motors, the collapse of deals to sell Opel, Saturn and Saab did not look good for the now ex-CEO. Things can be tough at the top.

Meanwhile the new Coupe made its first appearance in production form and critics say it's much better looking in the metal than in photos. I hope so, because I never cared much for Cadillac's "Art & Technology" knife-edge styling but then, I've always liked a few curves in my cars. Uh, yes, you can take that remark both ways. At any rate the CTS looks more attractive in this photo than in anything I've seen to date and leaves me keen to see it in person. It will come in rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive versions. A 6-speed manual transmission will be standard, though only available with rear-wheel-drive. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V-6, rated at 304 horsepower.