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Cadillac teases two new V-Series prototypes at the Detroit Grand Prix

We told you earlier this week that there would be more to come from Cadillac's V-Series of performance vehicles following the introduction of the brand's CT4-V and CT5-V performance sedans. We just didn't expect it to come quite so soon. Cadillac surprised attendees of the 2019 Detroit Grand Prix as two new prototypes took to the track for what we figure must have been demonstration laps in between other official race events. A CT4-based machine wearing funky blue camouflage joined a red-hued CT5-based prototype on the track, with driving duties split between Mark Reuss, president of General Motors, and Ken Morris, vice president of Product. Cadillac CT4 V-Series prototype View 3 Photos Exactly what's powering these prototypes is still a mystery, but we have our suspicions that these two beasts are putting down a lot more power than the 320-horsepower CT4-V and 355-hp CT5-V that underwhelmed enthusiasts earlier this week. We wouldn't be surprised if there was a version of Cadillac's twin-turbo Blackwing V8 engine under the hood of this V-badged CT5 prototype. Cadillac is being coy with further details, saying only that these two vehicles "represent the next step in Cadillac's V-Series performance legacy." So we'll just have to wait for now. But in the meantime, feel free to peruse the images above and speculate in the comments below.

Driving the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V at the old Elkhart Lake road course

The placid community around Elkart Lake, WI, looks about as far removed from a glorious motorsport venue as you can imagine. A turn of the century downtown gives way to old-school resorts, beaches, and boat launches around the picturesque lake, with farms framing the rolling hills all around. But it was those very same meandering country lanes that gave birth to one of America's greatest racing circuits, some 65 years ago. Between the first race in 1950 and the opening of the dedicated Road America track in 1956, the roads around Elkhart Lake provided the setting for some great post-war racing. Competing on public streets was ultimately outlawed across the country, but not before drivers risked life and limb in the name of glory in the Wisconsin summer. Cadillac asked us out to the area recently, not to talk racing history, but to look forward at one of the most track capable cars the company has ever offered: the 2016 CTS-V. We got to drive the 640-horsepower beastie for an entire morning of hot laps at Road America, but unfortunately, we're not allowed to tell you about all of that right now. You'll have to wait until the embargo lifts on August 3, at which point we promise a full recounting of our adventure. Having the CTS-V for a full two days though, and in the spirit of the motorsport that imbues the air in Elkhart Lake, we took the Cadillac on a drive around the old 6.5-mile road course. Come for the new Caddy, but stick around to find out what the hell Wacker's Wend is. Cadillac Luxury Performance Videos

Cadillac tipped to call flagship something other than LTS

Cadillac wouldn't be Cadillac without large sedans in its lineup, and while the XTS has had to hold down that end of the fort all on its own, it won't have to for too long. That's because the luxury brand in the General Motors portfolio is preparing to roll out its new LTS, stylistically previewed by the Elmiraj concept pictured above. Only now, the latest thinking is that the upcoming flagship model may not be called LTS at all.
As Automotive News points out, Cadillac's naming scheme is all over the place at the moment. The ATS slotting below the CTS makes sense (alphabetically), but where do the ELR, SRX and especially the Escalade fit into that naming hierarchy? And how would LTS - as the project has been known until now - sit above the XTS?
Fortunately, Cadillac may be on the case, as two of the division's most recent senior appointments seem keen to rationalize the naming scheme. One is Uwe Ellinghaus, who joined Cadillac as chief marketing officer late last year. Speaking of the brand's nomenclature last spring, Ellinghaus was quoted as saying, "We are aware that this is currently a weakness of the Cadillac brand." And his new boss is bound to agree.