SPY PICS: SUV twins for GM Prestige

It's a lousy time to be working on the development of a new SUV. Passenger-carrying 4x4s have been copping it for being anti-social and anti-environmental. Now, they're even anti-commercial. Sales have been on the wane in the US, although they're still quite strong here in Australia.

In these difficult times, GM is launching two new SUVs, the Saab 9-4X and Cadillac BRX -- but at least both will offer the relative economy of diesel power. Both vehicles (more here) are built on the same basic platform (coded 'Theta-Epsilon'), but the Saab will run a range of petrol and diesel powerplants through the XWD drivetrain.

Cadillac's version is expected to be powered by the same direct-injection 3.6-litre V6 currently powering the division's CTS and built on the same architecture as the HFV6 Alloytec engine powering the VE Commodore. It's also rumoured Cadillac will subsequently offer the BRX with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel.

In these pics, the Cadillac is the vehicle with the rounder roofline and what looks like child's crayon scrawls on the white masking. Plainly, given the different rooflines, these two vehicles will visually distinct -- despite being built on the same platform.

-- with Carparazzi