Shades of Cimarron, or a new 3-Series rival? That's the question on the blackboard today, considering a report from Automotive News. Apparently, Cadillac's building a smaller, rear-wheel-drive model to slot below the CTS. The new model will ride on the company's coming Alpha platform, offering a lower point of entry to the coat of arms that once signified explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac's lineage. Thus was confirmed by way of that UAW paper summarizing a tentative labor contract with the General, and through AW sources. Such a premium workup of the new platform will join an, er, less premium variant for Pontiac. Other Caddy plans include a new CTS coupe and wagon in 2009, a rear-drive sedan to replace the DTS and STS in 2011, and a yet-unconfirmed vehicle powered by a fuel-cell version of the E-Flex plug-in hybrid powertrain that powers the Chevrolet Volt concept. Art and science, indeed?