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Hotter Cadillac CT5-V could use the CTS-V's 6.2-liter V8

Cadillac is in the final stages of testing the high-performance variant of the CT5, prototypes are racking up miles all over the world, and a recent report sheds light on the engine screaming between its punched-out fenders. It's a V8, to no one's surprise, but it's not the twin-turbocharged, 4.2-liter unit many believed the sedan would use. Sources familiar with Cadillac's product plan told Car & Driver the hotter CT5 — whose name hasn't been revealed yet — will receive an updated version of the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that powered the mighty CTS-V. It developed 640 horsepower in the firm's last German-bashing super-sedan, though where engineers will peg the CT5's output remains to be seen. It will roast the rear tires through a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. The publication explained Cadillac chose the 6.2-liter because it's more compact than the 4.2-liter Blackwing engine it developed for the CT6. The former features a pushrod design, while the latter gets twin overhead cams that make it taller and wider. The CT5 is a new model, but its Alpha platform is older than Cadillac's newest V8. Cadillac hasn't announced what will power the flagship CT5. The model is tentatively due out in showrooms before the end of 2020, so we expect to learn more about it in the coming months. Seeing it in the metal for the first time during the 2020 Detroit Auto Show in June isn't entirely out of the question. What's next? If the report is accurate, the much-hyped Blackwing may end up being an orphan engine. It was developed specifically for the Cadillac brand, and inaugurated by the CT6-V that recently went out of production. The many rumors claiming General Motors will put the engine in other models to recoup its investment are falling like dominoes. It won't fit in the CT5, so there's no reason to believe it will end up in the smaller CT4; its flagship version will likely arrive with a twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter V6 borrowed from the ATS-V. An earlier report claims the next-generation Escalade won't use the Blackwing, either, because making it fit would cost too much. Looking beyond Cadillac, the only General Motors-owned brand that could use the Blackwing is Chevrolet, since we can't imagine the GMC Yukon will get it if the Escalade doesn't. The Tahoe/Suburban duo is off the table, too.

Cadillac Escalade gets $10,000 discount to ward off Navigator

Cadillac is once again defending its full-size luxury Escalade SUV from assault by the hot-selling Lincoln Navigator, offering $10,000 discounts to some current customers to keep them from switching brands. The discount, reported by Bloomberg, applies to lessees of 2016 model-year Escalades, with a $7,500 discount offered to owners, through May 31. It's at least the second time GM has resorted to incentives to keep customers in its cash-cow luxury SUV since Ford launched the all-new 2018 Navigator late last year. In November, Cadillac offered a $5,000 discount on the purchase or lease of the Escalade to any buyer who traded in a 1999 or newer Lincoln model. Analysts have estimated that the Escalade produces nearly $1 billion in yearly profit for GM. Escalade sales were up 14 percent in March and 8 percent during the first quarter, with retail sales up by double-digit percentages in both periods, higher transaction prices and market share expected to climb by 2 percent year-to-date, according to GM. That's impressive for a vehicle that has received only minor updates since the current generation went on sale for 2015. While it still trails the Escalade in sales, the Navigator has been riding a 63 percent increase in deliveries this year, with new models lasting on dealer lots an average of only 10 days and average prices ballooning to $82,500, according to Bloomberg. Ford earlier this year announced it was pouring $25 million into its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to boost production of the Navigator and Ford Expedition. You can read Autoblog's side-by-side comparison of the 2018 Escalade and Navigator with competitors including the Lexus LX 570 and Infiniti QX80. Related Video: Image Credit: Cadillac Cadillac SUV Luxury sales incentives lincoln navigator sport utility vehicle discount

New V6 engines are only the start at Cadillac

Cadillac debuted its new family of V6 engines Friday, but that's not all General Motors' luxury brand has in store for the coming years. The six-cylinder powerplants will certainly help Cadillac in the near term, but they're just two of the many parts of the company's future strategy. GM has invested $12 billion in Cadillac to help the brand grow over the next five years, and the company will launch eight new products between now and 2020. That all starts with the launch of the CT6 flagship later this year – a fullsize luxury sedan we'll see for the first time in New York on March 31. The CT6 will introduce several new features and technologies to the Cadillac range, and with its launch also begins the slow restructuring of Cadillac's model-naming system. The new nomenclature means CT and XT badges for cars and utilities, respectively. Cadillac says that of the eight new vehicles it plans to launch by 2020, five of them will be first-time offerings in market segments where the brand currently does not play. But it's not just about new products – new powertrains are an important part of the Cadillac story, too. After the new V6 engines – a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter and a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engine – launch later this year in the 2016 ATS, CTS and CT6, the company says it has a strategy for V8 power – possibly a twin-turbo application – as well as future electrification. Cadillac also says it's working on adding four- and six-cylinder diesel powertrains, though it's unclear which vehicles will make use of those engines. This new six-cylinder engine family is indeed important, with Cadillac's chief engineer, David Leone, calling it the "most advanced V6 in the industry." With 335 horsepower, the 3.6-liter engine is the highest output, naturally aspirated V6 powerplant Cadillac has done – and that's SAE-certified, and on regular fuel. Beyond that, the 3.0-liter mill (pictured at right) marks the first application of GM's active fuel management system on a twin-turbocharged engine. This means that when full power isn't necessary, the TTV6 can run as a 2.0-liter V4 in order to save fuel. New transmissions are also part of the V6 engine story. GM's all-new eight-speed Hydra-Matic 8L45 gearbox will be paired to the 3.6-liter V6, and the 3.0-liter TTV6 will use the company's existing 8L90 transmission that is already found in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups (with the 6.2-liter engine).