With a crowd of journalists crushing the Cadillac stand, Johan de Nysschen, president of GM’s luxury division, took the stage to give everyone a first look at the much anticipated new super sedan from Cadillac.
Mr. de Nysschen shared a few details about the state of the Cadillac brand – Cadillac sold over 74,000 cars in China last year, their average sales price is $47,000, higher than Lexus and BMW, and they will launch eight new vehicles by 2020. He also talked briefly about Cadillac’s overall strategy as one in which they would take BMW, Mercedes and Audi head-on. With that brief set up, it was time for the main event.
The lights dimmed and a chest thumping soundtrack erupted with pounding drums and a wailing guitar riff intended to give everyone in the audience a sense of the power under the hood of the CTS V. Once the car was on stage, Mark Reuss, Executive Vice President for Global Product Development, set the expectations for the car very high, “We’re here not just to compete, but to win!” He then shared the details with everyone in attendance.
When it comes to what’s important about the CTS V, here’s really all you need to know:
6.2L supercharged V8
640 Horsepower – more than BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
0-60 in 3.7 seconds
Top Speed of 200mph (320 kph)
Standard track-ready disc brakes
Magnetic ride control with track mode
Internally developed 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
In testing at the Nurburgring, the CTS V got airborne three times
As a package, Mr. Reuss described the CTS V as a car that will “Amaze you with its performance and delight you with its hand-crafted details.”
After seeing this beast in person, with its subtle ice-white paint scheme, we’re inclined to agree.