While the words “Cadillac” and “Nurburgring” don’t classically go hand-in-hand General Motors is apparently out in Germany proving that its CTS-V can hold its own with just about anything orbiting the Green Hell., and they’ve got the photo to prove it.
GM announced early this afternoon that driver John Heinricy was able to pilot the LSA V-8 powered V car to a potentially record-breaking time of 7:59:32, which is said to be the fastest “documented” lap by a sedan…ever. We’re even more excited to hear that one of Cadillac minions caught the lap on a video that is set to be released within a few days.
+ Autoblog: Green Hellraiser: Caddy CTS-V storms Nordschleife in 7:59:32
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Detroit’s own D Business magazine featured a recent interview and photo session with Cadillac boss Jim Taylor, in which the executive talks about the CTS Coupe that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this year, as well as a pair of very interesting theme motorcycles.
A motorcycle enthusiast himself, Taylor commissioned the Cadillac chopper in the photo above from Great American Chopper of Clawson, Michigan. More interesting still is a second bike that’s still in the works, which will feature a hybrid engine capable of running on ethanol or in a pure electric mode.
The hybrid Cadillac bike is being built by V20 Consulting of New York City, and has been tasked with displaying “GM’s strength in science and technology.” The bike is purported to be capable of a 0 to 60 sprint of 4.5 seconds, and should be unveiled for the public at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
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It looks as if Cadillac is preparing to bring drivers the CTS wagon they never knew that they always wanted, as evidenced by these new spy shots of a sport wagon variant from the lens of Brenda Priddy & Co.
Priddy tells us that General Motors will start production of the wagon at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in the spring of 2009. Sales targets for the car will be in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 12,000 units per year, with untold numbers of groceries, camping equipment, and dogs set to be hauled.
Even in this bulky cladding we can’t help but feel that the edgy lines of the CTS will make a handsome translation to wagon form. Have a look at the spy images in the gallery below or click through the jump to read Priddy’s thoughts. Make sure to leave us your thoughts on the CTS wagon, in comments.
Jaguar and Cadillac have a lot in common and a lot at stake. Do the new XF and CTS have what it takes to bring their companies back up to the world standard?
One of the surprise debuts at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, Cadillac seems to be moving right along with the development of its forthcoming Cadillac CTS Coupe.
Breda Priddy & Company were able to capture these new images of the two-door Cadillac, which could be dubbed the CTC when it begins production in May of 2009. The best news related to these new pictures seems to be that the coupe looks a lot like the attractive concept car, with the largest variation from the show version looking to be the revised front fascia.
Priddy also tips in with the fact that the Coupe will come equipped with a backup camera not found on the sedan version, as well as a “touch pad setup” in place of standard door handles. Check out our gallery of CTS coupe spies below, and then give us your thoughts on the tester in comments.
(Click through the jump to read the photographer’s take on the new Cadillac.)
Car and Driver spied the 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe out on a test spin. From what we can see, GM decided to keep the dual center-mounted exhaust – something none of us expected. Also obvious from the pics is the parking assistance sensors.
We’ll have to wait until more pics are spied to check out the front end. But, until then, enjoy the fine rear-end on this Cadillac. You know you want one.
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The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is set to hit GM showroom floors this fall. For those who can’t wait, here’s the first promotional video for GM’s supercharged via Germany beast.
The two-minute video showcases some of the cars stronger features, like the Eaton supercharger, Brembo brakes, dual-mode Magnetic Ride Control, and the Tremec six-speed transmission.
Enjoy the CTS-V tearing through the water-logged terrain to a bass-heavy soundtrack.
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Cadillac general manager Jim Taylor is challenging his dealers to amp their sales up to the levels of 2005, after a modest retail dip in 2007.
General Motors’ luxury brand managed to move about 187,000 units last year, down from 192,000 in 2005. Taylor’s self-styled “reasonable challenge” is to get the brand’s sales back up to 190,000.
Cadillac sales would seem to be getting a bit of a natural boost anyway this year, the Escalade Hybrid SUV will launch in August, and the snarling CTS-V is set to follow it in September. But Taylor understands the weakening economy may make small victories important ones.
“I am being conservative because we are going into an uncertain economic state,” said Taylor.
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The 2008 Cadillac CTS has outscored the BMW 328i and Mercedes-Benz C300 in Consumer Reports‘ ratings. Among the upscale sports sedan field, the CTS was the only model to receive a rating of “Excellent”.
David Champion, Consumer Reports’ senior director of automotive testing, said, “The Cadillac CTS now competes toe-to-toe with some of the best German and Japanese sport sedans. There are more safety features and interior amenities in the new model. Fit and finish is greatly improved, and the interior is much more pleasant than in the previous generation.”
The Cadillac CTS also won Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year” award.
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Shanghai General Motors Co. Ltd. (Shanghai GM) is a 50-50 joint venture formed by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC) and General Motors (GM) in 1997 and has been a successful passenger carmaker since its establishment. Now it seems that Shanghai GM is taking its overseas business a step further this year by exporting its Cadillac SLS to Middle East countries. The move would make Shanghai GM the first joint venture luxury car exporter from the Middle Kingdom. The carmaker has exported over 20,000 Chevrolet Lovas and Buick GL-10s, and sold 4,380 SLSs last year.
Cadillac SLS (Seville Luxury Sedan) bowed at the Auto China 2006, a.k.a. the Beijing Auto Show. Compared with Cadillac STS (Seville Touring Sedan) in North America, the 100mm lengthened SLS model has more room for its passengers in back seats, a change made to meet the “special demands” of the local market. The 4.6-liter flagship SLS is powered by GM’s Northstar V-8 engine which produces 320 horsepower.
Shanghai GM’s SLS gained recognition last November at the 9th Middle East International Motor Show in Dubai, and then got an export sales contract at the end of 2007 which was described by local media as significant for the Chinese luxury automaker. It’s reported that Shanghai GM is still looking for other export opportunities, but the Middle East deal is the only thing we can confirm at this point.
Edmund’s Inside Line is reporting that the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept that dropped jaws at this year’s Detroit Auto Show will begin production in June of 2009 – via the Lansing Grand River plant.
The annual production is expected to be between 15,000-20,000 units.
We’ve just got the latest spy photos of the up-and-coming Cadillac BRX crossover, and it looks like we were right - the resemblance between this future luxury sport-utility and the recent Provoq concept are uncanny.
So how’s this a Caddy and not a Chevy (Equinox)? We’re seeing a character line down the side of the prototype that starts high at the C-pillar, and runs lower as it progresses towards the front fenders. Also notice the window line that’s outlined in chrome; a similar treatment adorns the new CTS‘ window frames as well. Headlamps appear to be stacked in Cadillac’s “new traditional” style; likewise, we can somewhat see a very sharp edge for the taillamps - another Caddy cue.
(Click through for more on these sneak peeks into the future BRX)
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