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Cadillac planning its own engines, halo cars

Cadillac is in the midst of some big changes. It's got a new chief executive. It's taking some distance from parent company General Motors and moving to a new headquarters in New York. And it's instituting a new naming scheme that will allow not only for a more clear progression in its lineup, but also for more models. But that's not the end of the story. Not by a long shot.
Speaking with Automobile magazine, Cadillac's new president Johan de Nysschen revealed his intention to develop several new models and powertrains. For starters, he does not want Cadillac to continue borrowing engines from the GM parts bin, but intends to develop a new range of engines specifically for the luxury automaker. The program will likely start with smaller-capacity engines but eventually lead to new V8s as well, taking the place of the long-serving Northstar engine that finally ended its lifespan a few years ago after some two decades of production. Along with other technologies, de Nysschen envisions possibly sharing these powertrains with other GM divisions, but developing them first and foremost for Cadillac.
The bigger question, however, is where those engines would go, and de Nysschen had some thoughts to share on that front as well. For starters, the former Infiniti and Audi exec sees room for an even bigger sedan above the upcoming new CT6 that will cap the current range. Maybe even two of them. But that's not all. Johan wants to see Cadillac get (back) into the sports car game with a new halo model or two - something it hasn't really done since the Corvette-based XLR roadster. A pair of new crossovers are also said to be in the works, flanking the SRX on both sides with smaller and larger models.

2017 Cadillac CTS-V Drivers' Notes | V is for velocity

The 2017 Cadillac CTS-V is as close to a four-door Corvette Z06 as you're ever likely to get. Underneath the carbon-fiber hood rests one hell of an engine, a 640-horsepower supercharged V8. It's only slightly less powerful than what you'll find in the Corvette. Thanks to GM's chassis wizards, the car's handling is an equal match for the powerful engine. This particular car packs in a number of options, including Recaro seats and the performance data recorder that allows owners to measure lap times and record video. The most expensive option is the $6,950 Carbon Black Package. This nets you a carbon fiber hood vent, front splitter, spoiler and rear diffuser. This car isn't cheap, but it does undercut the less powerful Audi RS7 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: This is a seriously fun, if also flawed, car. And the biggest contributor to the fun is the big lump of V8 under the hood. The supercharged 6.2-liter makes 640 horsepower, but Cadillac could've left the number off and just called it "effortless." The gentlest pressure on the gas pedal will result in you picking up an extra 10 mph without ever noticing. And when you stomp on it, you get this huge and immediate surge of acceleration. It's truly giggle-inducing. Although the CTS-V is big and heavy, it handles the power well. It gives you enough info on what's happening so you feel in control, and the chassis is impressively composed. The only real weak points I can find on the CTS-V (besides the low gas mileage) are the interior controls. They are abysmal. The infotainment screen is pretty poor, with a clutter of information at the main screen, and difficult-to-find commands for getting to other menus. But worse than that are the climate and volume buttons. They're all touch-sensitive spots on the center stack. They're not very responsive, and the vibratory feedback it provides isn't noticeable while driving. It doesn't help that the feedback feels pretty inconsistent, too. For me, I think I could learn to live with the infotainment, simply because I love the way the rest of the car feels and drives. But, Cadillac, you need to get to updating this ASAP. Associate Editor Reese Counts: OK, Cadillac's infotainment system sucks. Let's get that out of the way. Touch capacitive interfaces don't work well in cars. This does have the old version of CUE, so I'm hoping the next-gen system will fix some of the interface issues. Like Joel, this wouldn't turn me off from buying the car.

Cadillac CTS Vsport laps the N"urburgring in 8:14.10 [w/video]

You don't have to be German to test your car at the Nürburging. You just have to be serious about beating the Germans on their own home turf. That's why Nissan tests its GT-R at the Nordschleife to challenge the Porsche 911, and why Cadillac - which is no less serious about putting up a fight to German performance sedans - has returned to the 'Ring once again with its latest.
This time it's the turn of the new CTS Vsport, the sportier version of Cadillac's new mid-range sedan that aims to bridge the gap until the arrival of the next CTS-V. So how'd it fare? At the end of what we're sure was an exhaustive test session, the new CTS Vsport clocked a time of 8:14.10.
To put that into context, General Motors points out that the time places the new sedan six seconds ahead of the first-gen CTS-V, whose 400-horsepower V8 engine was actually less potent than the Vsport's new 410hp 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6. That's still a good fifteen seconds slower than the outgoing CTS-V that clocked a 7:59 in 2009 with its 556hp supercharged V8, but only a second behind the E60-generation BMW M5 with its high-revving 500hp V10.