More to come... there will be 2 varients Cadillac V-Series vehicles

05/31/2019 11:00 AM | Anonymous

Many of our Cadillac V owners were disappointed at the recent announcement of the 2020 Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V which recently debuted at the Detroit Grand Prix event.  This disappointment primarily originates from the fact that both the CT4-V and CT5-V have significantly less horsepower than the ATS-V and CTS-V models they are intended to replace. These vehicles are not only less powerful but also feature less aggressive styling and are nowhere near the "V-Performance" level of their predecessors.

At Cadillac’s special announcement event in Detroit, GM President Mark Reuss said that there will be a second, even more powerful V-series model available at a later date.  Cadillac’s official press release also states the following:

“The new lineup expands the V-Series ethos, drawing more customers into the Cadillac Performance family, and the newest Vs are focused on elevated athleticism and luxurious refinement for customers wanting a dynamic daily drive,” said Reuss. “And this is only the beginning of the V family. Cadillac’s passion for performance shines on a racetrack. Stay tuned.”

It appears that Cadillac has adopted a two-tiered V-Series performance vehicle strategy, much like many of its competitors based in Europe. The entry-level performance models, like the new CT4-V and CT5-V announced on May 30, will be “accessible” models targeted towards a specific market segment.  These buyers are not "horsepower driven" and prefer driving a sporty vehicle that is somewhere in the $50K range or less.

In other words, these entry level V's are not the high-performance monsters that car enthusiasts have come to associate with Cadillac’s V-Series history such as the ATS-V, STS-V, XLR-V and CTS-V.  These new V-Series cars are a step up from the “regular” base models creating a new mid-level performance offering previously occupied by the former V-Sport vehicles. In fact, the new V-Series cars are basically a direct replacement for the CTS V-Sport and XTS V-Sport models.

Rest assured that above these models will be a level of higher performance Cadillacs. These to-be-named "high performance models" will be the direct successors to the well-known and highly respected V-Series models of the past. These "not officially announced" models will be the ultra-high-performance vehicles capable that are "track ready" with adequate horsepower, torque and handling to put that smile back on every proud V owner's face.

For those of you who lost sleep last night, just keep in mind the new CT4-V and CT5-V are meant to solve a competitive disadvantage that Cadillac had for roughly the past decade – the lack of financially accessible sporty-oriented models that German competitors have identified and are owning market share "outright".  If you are are a current V-Series owner, more than likely you are not interested in purchasing at CT4-V or CT5-V... you are looking for performance, handling and styling equal to or greater than the V you currently own.

One step above this entry level will be the “real” performance offerings, with extreme horsepower, more aggressive styling, special tires and adequate chassis and cooling hardware to be driven hard with a competitive advantage over other brands of luxury sport cars.  The Cadillac V-Series models have now been around for 15 years, and it’s about to get bigger. However, don't be surprised if this new line of luxury performance vehicles do not even display the current V badge... our guess is it is time for the "real" next generation of Cadillac high performance luxury vehicles to be born with a new identity! 

Tune in to the IMSA Weather Tech Championship Race on Saturday, June 1. Cadillac will have on track activity from Saturday from 11:24-11:29AM EDT at the Detroit Grand Prix IMSA event on Saturday.  This is a tease and sneak preview that Cadillac has planned with camouflaged "yet-to-be-announced" high performance vehicles.  The IMSA Weather Tech Sports Car Championship Race starts at 12:30PM EDT.

Stay patient. Remain resilient and don't give up on GM. Good things take time but are always worth waiting for!