CAR SHORTS

Cadillac has redesigned its price leader, the midsize CTS sedan, for '08, and the new model is due at dealerships in late summer, available for the first time with all-wheel drive.

With the familiar sharp-edged styling of Cadillacs, the second-generation CTS has a more rakish body and a 2-inch-wider track. Prices haven't been announced; '07 models begin at less than $31,000 and are available with 210-hp. or 255-hp. V-6s or a 400-hp. V-8.

Cadillac says it made the '08's interior more upscale with added ornamentation, and it made thinner front seats to improve rear seaters' legroom.

The CTS comes standard with rear drive again. A new, 300-hp., 3.6-liter V-6 with direct injection will be available, replacing the '07's V-8; a 258-hp. 3.6- liter non-direct-injected V-6 will be the base engine for North America.

Ford models get boost

Ford Motor Co. is getting a boost from an insurance group: The carmaker's new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX sport utility vehicles recently were deemed "top safety picks."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the Edge it tested, and the mechanically and structurally related MKX, earned the group's highest rating because the Edge that was tested did well in frontal, side and rear impacts and both models come with electronic stability control, a system that helps prevent skids.

On sale since December, the Edge and MKX are car-based sport utility vehicles, a type growing in popularity as rising gas prices make traditional truck-based SUVs less attractive for many consumers.