Cadillac Names New 'V' Model, Gives Two Others the Last Rites

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Something needs to carry Cadillac’s performance banner into the future, and, with three of its four sedans slated for execution within the next year, GM’s luxury brand has decided the sole remaining car should be it. Tough decision, that one.

At least it’s not the XT5.

Late Wednesday, Cadillac announced the flagship CT6 V-Sport, bowing for the 2019 model year, will henceforth be known as the CT6-V. In the Cadillac stable, V-Sport models see a significant uptick in power, with the real scorching stuff carrying a -V signifier. Luckily, the CT6 V-Sport stands to gain an engine of considerable output when it arrives in the spring.

Automotive News reports that GM product chief Mark Reuss announced the name change at a dealer conference in Las Vegas yesterday. The move comes after the brand received an “overwhelming response” to the CT6 V-Sport that appeared at the New York Auto Show in April, Reuss said.

For this variant, the full-size sedan makes use of a new, in-house designed twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8, adding a new power level above the CT6’s current top-flight TT3.0 V6. A 10-speed automatic and all-wheel drive helps put the power to the road. With 550 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque on tap, the CT6-V’s DOHC V8 tops the turbo six by 150 hp and 127 lb-ft. Still, it’s a notch below the CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and its 640 hp and 630 lb-ft.

Luckily for the CT6-V, the CTS line won’t exist much longer. The model disappears after 2019, as does its ATS-V baby brother, now relegated to coupe form only. This should help boost the CT6-V’s panache and credentials.

As the CT6 prepares to carry the V series designation into the future, it won’t have to go it alone. Cadillac President Steve Carlisle claims there’s more V models are on the way, but the identity of these vehicles isn’t known. Next year, Cadillac plans to launch a sedan model splitting the difference between the ATS and CTS, with a smaller sedan to follow. There’s also a larger crossover coming to bridge the midsize XT5 and full-size Escalade.

Looking eastward, a quick glance at the product offerings at BMW and Mercedes-Benz tells us the V designation probably won’t remain a car-only phenomenon for too much longer.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Mechimike Mechimike on Sep 21, 2018

    Cadillac just doesn't seem to know what it's market is. Or it keeps changing who it thinks it is. Or something. My mom bought a new Cadillac about a year or so ago. She's about a year out from retirement; my dad retired a couple of years ago. She bought a Cadillac sedan- whatever the biggest Cad sedan they make is. She did not want a CUV. She did get AWD (because winter where they live). It has a V6. Mom drove Oldsmobiles and Buicks her whole life. Dad was a Chevy and Dodge man (He's got a new Silverado pickup now). They are Cadillac's market. And the rest of GM had better be paying attention, because in order for Cadillac to sell Cadillacs, they need to sell Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles....oh, wait.... Well, they need to sell Chevrolets and Buicks to younger people, who will then develop a positive opinion of the brand (Hey, that Impala was pretty good, I'm making some more money now, maybe I could step up to something nicer...) and maybe keep GM on the radar when they get older. No, they see everything in a vacuum. The demographic for people willing and able to spend 50K+ on a car is also people 50+, for the most part. Marketing to those people is not fun, so no one wants to do it. But that's where the money is. My grandfather used to walk into the Mercury dealer every 3 years and drive out with a brand new Grand Marquis, trading in his old one with 20,000 miles on it. _That's_ who you want to sell cars to.

    • See 1 previous
    • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Sep 21, 2018

      @SixspeedSi The XTS is damn fine facsimile of a Oldsmobile 98. (Which I mean as a compliment.)

  • Michael500 Michael500 on Sep 21, 2018

    This is what it will look like when the aftermarket gets to it and at the SEMA show: https://www.flickr.com/photos/newyorkdailyhoto/412340652

  • SCE to AUX I've never been teased by a bumper like that one before.
  • 3SpeedAutomatic R&T could have killed the story before it was released.Now, by pulling it after the fact, they look like idiots!! What's new??
  • Master Baiter "That said, the Inflation Reduction Act apparently does run afoul of WTO rules..."Pfft. The Biden administration doesn't care about rules. The Supreme Court said they couldn't forgive student load debt; they did it anyway. Decorum and tradition says you don't prosecute former presidents; they are doing it anyway. They made the CDC suspend evictions though they had no constitutional authority to do so.
  • 1995 SC Good. To misquote Sheryl Crow "If it makes them unhappy, it can't be that bad"
  • 1995 SC The letters on the hatch aren't big enough. hard pass
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