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Do you see a halo around this car? In the auto business, halo effect refers to the luster a successful model can give its maker. Cadillac hopes the glow will come from the 2008 CTS (C-Series Touring Sedan). On these pages, designers John Manoogian and Jennifer Kraska explain how they have tried to pull this off.

Betting on halos is risky: Despite its name, the Aurora couldn’t save Oldsmobile, which G.M. shut down in 2004. The stakes are higher with ­Cadillac, ailing G.M.’s premier brand, which has had a dismal 2007. In June, Cadillac sold 31 percent fewer cars than in June 2006, despite offering the deepest discounts of any maker.

Plummeting sales have increased the pressure on Cadillac, whose last big success wasn’t even a car. The second-­generation Escalade S.U.V., beloved by celebrities since its 2002 debut, “moved the brand’s image upward,” says Karl Brauer, editor of car-buying guide Edmunds.com. But its ­cachet hasn’t spilled over to the maker’s staple sedans.

Cadillac decided it had to be more daring in order to change the perception of its cars. The designers have reworked every part of the CTS, reinterpreting elements from ­Cadillac’s past successes.

The result is a gamble: Makers of this entry-level luxury sedan, priced from about $35,000, hope buyers will see its retro allusions as hip, not old. Cadillac global product director John Howell insists ­customers will, arguing that the CTS is a “modern interpretation” of heyday Caddys. But critics may ask how far into the future retro designs can take you.

1. Dual Exhaust

The old CTS had only one exhaust pipe. Two on the new can’t match the Chevrolet Corvette’s four, but the designers hope to signal to car cognoscenti that this is a vehicle built for speed.

2. Chrome Lines

The metallic detailing along the roofline is a reference to grand metal-topped, old-school Cadillacs like the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, which had an all-stainless-steel roof.

3. Engine

The standard 3.6-liter engine is 20 percent more powerful than the old 2.8 liter. The designers also gave the engine bay a more polished look. The finish ties the CTS to such high-performance cars as those in Mercedes’ AMG series.

4. Crest

The Cadillac crest is bigger than it has been in decades, in an attempt to evoke the bold branding seen on CTS ancestors like the 1948 Fleetwood. “It's our signature to the world.”

5. Grille

The grille extends below the bumper, as on the Sixteen concept car, which won acclaim at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. The idea was to emphasize the V shape, Manoogian says, to “create movement.”

6. Lights

The headlights swivel with the steering. Manoogian says the big-finned 1959 Eldorado inspired the vertical taillights, which use light-emitting diodes that last 80 times longer than conventional bulbs.

7. Dashboard

The steering wheel and dash use visible French stitching to suggest hand-craftsmanship. Kraska says the sewing technique was borrowed from such cars as DaimlerChrysler’s $300,000-plus Maybach.