2023 Cadillac Ct4 Premium Luxury on 2040-cars

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Forget everything you know about Cadillac V

Cadillac rolled out the CT4-V and CT5-V performance sedans to a rather confused group of journalists last night. What are these cars? Only 355 horsepower in the CTS-V replacement? And just 320 horsepower for the ATS-V successor? Surely, there's something out of place — you can get up to speed with all the details here. Cadillac understood our confusion and explained what was going on rather quickly. The explanation means you have to forget everything you know about what "V" means for a Cadillac, though. Any Cadillac with the singular "V" badge on it previously has denoted the absolute top-tier of performance for that particular model. The CTS-V had the Corvette Z06 engine in it and made 640 horsepower. The ATS-V had a boosted 3.6-liter V6 good for a raucous 464 horsepower. They were equivalent to BMW M, Mercedes-AMG or an Audi RS. We're not talking about the lesser M or AMG models, either. No, the last Cadillac Vs were meant to compete with cars like the C63 or M3, the top-tier of performance in those brands' lineups. This is where you're going to have to start re-learning, because that's no longer the case for a Cadillac with a V badge gracing the rear end. What Cadillac has essentially done is demote what V means, with the intention of offering "something else" above it. With this new strategy, we'd equate a Cadillac V to something like an AMG 43, M340i, or Audi with an S badge on it. Cadillac has even come out with a car similar to this strategy before in the V-Sport. That didn't confuse everybody, though, because the name was different, and the strategy was clear. Now, Cadillac V is just a small stepping stone to these mysterious high performance cars still to come. We asked for any information concerning these future track-ready, fire-breathing monsters, but mum is the word for now. The naming strategy for something above a V is uncharted territory, and it'll also force everyone to learn what the top of the Cadillac lineup is all over again. Cadillac CT5-V View 6 Photos Why confuse folks like this? Cadillac wants to take advantage of the V brand cache in more of its lineup than just two super sedans. Think future vehicles like an XT5-V, XT4-V and others like that. Now that V doesn't mean a Nurburgring-conquering 500+ horsepower luxury muscle car, it makes it far easier for Cadillac to get V badges on everything. Obviously, GM isn't the first to think of this strategy.

Cadillac is building an LMDh car, will compete in WEC and Le Mans

Cadillac returned to sports car racing back in 2017 with its DPi race car, and it has had a successful run with it. It won four Rolex 24 Hour races at Daytona from 2017 to 2020, and took home two championships. So it's not totally surprising that it will continue running in the IMSA series with a new LMDh-class car. But that also means that Cadillac can, and will, race in the World Endurance Championship series, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is because LMDh is a class that will be legal in both IMSA and WEC racing, as will the LMH hypercar class. So Cadillac will be taking on hypercars from Toyota, Peugeot and Glickenhaus. Audi and Porsche have announced plans to run LMDh racecars as well, so it will be a crowded field. There have even been rumors of a Dodge-badged version of the Peugeot 9x8 LMH car as well as a Lamborghini LMDh entry. Per LMDh rules, the car will feature a spec chassis and hybrid unit, but the engine and bodywork will be unique to the Cadillac. Unlike LMH, there are no requirements to build road-going versions, so we sadly won't see a wild mid-engine Cadillac hybrid supercar on the streets (unless Cadillac just decides to build one; don't hold your breath). But we'll still be excited to see another American manufacturer compete for an overall win at Le Mans. Cadillac will team up with Dallara, Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing for vehicle development and competition. The car will make its racing debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona in January of that year. All we have to go on for the car's looks is the rendering at the top, which suggests a seriously angular shape. It will also be called the LMDh-V.R, similar to the current DPi-V.R racecar. Related Video:

Cadillac scraps three-row CUV plans

Crossovers are one of the hottest automotive segments on the planet. Apparently, the idea of mixing the practicality of a station wagon with the looks of an SUV appeals to people whether they are in Cleveland or Shanghai because nearly every automaker is jumping into the market. So it was no surprise when early rumors suggested Cadillac was planning two, new CUVs to fit above and below the SRX. But things might have changed since then.
New rumblings indicate Caddy is taking a different route. Instead of two crossovers, only the compact is on the way, and the larger, three-row CUV on the Lambda platform to sit between the SRX and Escalade may be a goner. According to Ward's Auto, General Motors thinks that the other three-row, Lambda vehicles like the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia compete too closely with the proposed Cadillac. The decision comes fairly close to the 2017 intended production date.
As far back as 2010, this Lambda-platform based CUV was considered highly likely for production. However, Cadillac Senior Vice President Bob Ferguson was somewhat cooler about it when he discussed the new crossover briefly last year. He said the model could use the Escalade name, despite its unibody chassis, but no decision had been made yet to actually produce it.