pimpscls

nice must be fast

gavriil

Source: auto-motor-sport.de

SpeedyV6

And here I am thinking that the best way to sell a Saab 9-3 in Europe is to call it a Saab 9-3.

Shows how little I know about marketing I guess.

gavriil

MT mag has a comparo of the CTSV vs the S Type R this month:

0-60
CTSV= 5.1
S-Type R = 5.2

1/4 mile
CTSV= 13.48 @ 105.3 mph
S-Type R = 13.69 @ 101.3 mph

60-0
CTSV= 121 feet
S-Type R = 109 feet !

600 ft slalom
CTSV= 65 mph
S-Type R = 65 mph

Curb Weight
CTSV= 3850
S-Type R = 4046

Price as tested
CTSV= $51,195
S-Type R = $63,120

1SICKLEX

I'd get the Caddy over the Jag anyday. And save some money in the process.

mattg

charliemike

The CTS-V has horrific axle hop if you try a normal 0-60 run ... that's why the MT time is so slow ... I think Automobile tested it vs an M3 and a M5 and commented that they wouldn't do normal acceleration runs if they owned the car because they'd go through rear ends like it was their job.

gavriil

Cadillac Ready To Invade UK - - - Source: AutoExpress


The Yanks are coming! Cadillac bosses have told Auto Express they want Britain to become one of the biggest markets in Europe for sales of the prestige US brand.

Speaking at the launch of the XLR - the company's £67,500 luxury roadster - they said there's a raft of new models on the way. And while there's no UK distribution network in place, all that's about to change.

"We expect to make an announcement in the next month or two," said Gerard Jansen, CEO of Cadillac Europe. "We are in discussions, and those will determine exactly how many Cadillac Experience Centres we open in the UK. We want 125 outlets in Europe, and London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham are all possibilities."

Caddy's plan to find British buyers has a big flaw - a lack of right-hand-drive cars. But David Leone, the XLR's chief engineer, said that would change, too. "The CTS (executive saloon) will be RHD, and right hooker designs for the SRX (cross-over vehicle) and STS (luxury saloon) have been designed, although they have not been approved yet."

David Leone had bad news for British fans of the Corvette, another model destined for Europe later this year. "The car won't be built in right-hand drive for the foreseeable future as it doesn't make business sense in relation to the numbers we would sell," he confirmed. That means there will certainly be no version of the C6 Corvette - unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January - and probably the C7, as well.
See page 36 of the current issue: Cadillac XLR first drive

shaHn78

Dont see much success there for Cadillac

gavriil

Euro Caddy - - By AUTOWEEK

GM Europe sources tell us Cadillac won’t sell CTS or CTS-V on the Continent, but there are plans for a totally different Caddy better suited to European dimensional tastes and needs. The sedan will sit on the same platform used by the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra and Chevy Malibu, and should go on sale by 2007. The new midsize Cadillac, most likely built in Sweden, will join XLR in the effort to re-establish the brand as a world-class luxury builder. There is a distinct possibility of importing the car to the United States.

charliemike

Wait, Cadillac is saying that they are going to build two cars: The XLR and the entry-level Mysterio (heh) and then export the XLR to Europe and import the Mysterio to the U.S.? WTF?

BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have no problems selling their 5-series, A6, and E-Class (respectively) in Europe but the CTS is too big?

Am I the only one that thinks this is nuts? Cadillac doesn't need a car cheaper than $30k ... it's SUPPOSED to be a luxury brand. That's why GM has Chevy, Pontiac, etc.

I just don't understand how corporations make money sometimes.

titan

Well, the article says that the CTS starts at $43,350 in Europe, with made my eyes pop. I don't get it either. I guess the 9-3 based model would begin at the euro equivalent of $30K; I don't know ... this shit is crazy. Don't get me wrong, I hope Caddy does well. If there was ever a time for a big intro and product blitz, used to establish itself as a world class maker in Europe, now would be the time when the exchange rates are the way they are.

gavriil

The CTS was designed with the USA market in mind. Just the USA market in mind. At that time Caddy had no plan to enter Europe aggressively.

What that means is that Cadillac is admitting that the CTS, because of its size, if competing in Europe, it would have to compete with the 5 Series, the A6 and the E Class. Which it cannot do! It's not competitive from every perspective.

So they're saying, let's make a 3-series fighter basing it on the 9-3 platform. Start from scratch! Makes total sense and it will make them learn how to compete with the Germans, right in their own turf. The ultimate test.

Note how slowly but determined GM is moving to eat these guys alive. First they start testing at Nurburgring, now they are going after them in their own market, and they dont give a shit if they have to build a car from scratch to do it. They are serious about this. That's why the Germans will be in trouble in Europe 7 years from now and they will be in trouble in the USA, 3 years from now.

gavriil

Wraps finally come off luxury Caddy - - Source: Autocar

Cadillac is another step closer to re-inventing itself after the unveiling of its all-new STS luxury flagship.

Yet the car maker has once again decided against offering another key new model to British buyers by not building the car with right-hand drive. The STS will follow the new XLR luxury roadster and the high-performance 400bhp CTS-V in being available only in mainland Europe.

Cadillac general manager Mark LaNeve said that anticipated low demand in right-hand-drive markets, like Japan and the UK, meant it wasn’t worth engineering the STS with the steering wheel on the right.

Unveiled at last week’s New York Motor Show, the new STS is based on a stretched version of GM’s Sigma platform used on Cadillac’s smaller CTS saloon.

It is believed the project was delayed by six months after GM product boss Bob Lutz sent the original hard-edged design back to the studio for ‘softening’.

When the new STS goes on sale in the US in September it will be offered with a re-engineered version of Cadillac’s 4.6-litre Northstar V8 producing 320bhp, or a new 3.6-litre 255bhp V6.

The luxury four-door will also feature GM’s impressive semi-active Magnetic Ride Control system, which adjusts damper settings to react to varying road surfaces.

titan

Yeah, the CTS would compete with 5-Series, E-Class, A6 in Europe, and they would eat the CTS alive. A new car based off the 9-3 is a good strategy... I just hope it works out for them. It's about time one of the U.S. brands really get SERIOUS about being a worldwide competitor. These GM/Caddy guys have tunnel vision about it. If they continue to let their nuts hang, and REALLY use GM's vast resources, they can be the "Standard of the World."

charliemike

(courtesy: Road&Track)

I take back what I said. If it looks like that I'd hit it.

heyitsme

That image above would be a great car(don't change a thing!) around the 27k range, rwd/awd, 220hp 3.6l, fwd is ok but not as exciting. Rwd would really make a big impact in attracting buyers to Cadillac as well as improving image if the car is quality/performance.

As far as the CTS I remember lutz saying its was too cheap inside to compete in europe, which was really annoying to hear, hopefully this attitude of "europe needs higher quality than the usa" is dead.

titan

The car pictured above looks great. They should definitely bring it here and not change a thing. Since it's based off the FWD Epsilon platorm of the 9-3, they should make it standard AWD for the states. Doesn't that 3.6L make 255 hp? If they dropped that engine in and keep the price steady in the mid-high $20K they'd sell like crazy. Is that car the size of a TSX or a TL? It looks about TL size, though it'd compete against the TSX in the U.S. market.

kansaiwalker1

Kinda looks like a Lexus IS fighter too. I kinda like it.

gavriil

Spy Shots: Cadillac CTS-V Plus - - - Even more horses for the CTS? Bet on it. - - by Brenda Priddy - - Source: The Car Connection

As if the 400-horsepower CTS-V Series isn't enough, we photographed General Motors' Performance Division engineers testing an even higher performance version.

Referred to as the CTS-V Series Plus by spectators at the Nürburgring, this CTS mule is said to be powered by a 6.0-liter V-8, and sources are estimating the horsepower to be in the 475-500 range. General Motors is aggressively testing this more powerful CTS, but production plans have not yet been confirmed.

The vehicle show here is actually an older CTS-V mule. The higher-performance CTS-V Plus uses a larger-displacement pushrod small-block engine, so the hood hump should disappear in production.

gavriil

Man, GM wont let the Germans take a breathing... If this car gets the green light for production, it's basically saying to BMW: "You thought the new M5 woult be king for the first couple of years as far as power? Guess again."

gavriil

So, I am guessing this engine must be closely related to the C6 LS2. But I doubt it will be the engine used for the C6 Z06. Mainly because rumors are strong for that engine to be displacing 6.3 liters.

jimcol711

incredible, GM is hot on the tail of the germans. the CTS-V and now this "PLUS" are probably the best american cars available today when trying to find a comperable alternative to BMW or Audi or Benz

gavriil

I am also eger to see what the new CTS interior looks like...

titan

Ditto. This is great news. Way to go Caddy.

Crazy Bimmer

Even im impressed and im a euro whore

heyitsme

Could be they are testing the 400hp c6 base vette engine to replace the old zo6 engine in the cts. Might just be a better engine, better power characteristics, etc. I doubt they want to keep the old engine in production when they kill the c5.

Kinda thought the sts would go after the new m5 cause 500hp is a lot for the ctsv, the stsv would then have to have like 600+hp.

gavriil

Hehehe... You know CS, this is what Lutz had as his dream 3 years ago when he got this job. To, one day, make people like you, think like you just described. And that's just the beginning. Five years from now, Audi and Mercedes will be even deeper in the whole.

gavriil

My opinion:

Yes and no to the above.

I think what happened here is:

THey saw the 500HP M5 monster coming out....We knew about this a year and a half ago almost, they probably knew it before that. So the thought was: "if we're gonna go all out against the Germans, we cant let them breath for now...later we'll be beating them, but for now we got to keep pounding in a way which shows we're par with the competition. The next CTS is not out for another 1-2.5 years so we wont wait for a 500HP next gen. CTSV because you got to add at least another year, if not two, for the V version after the next CTS comes out. So we're talking 3.5 years from now to have a 500HP answer to the M5. No way. So let's take the LS2 and massage it to 475 or 500HP and put it in next year, when the M5 is out, or soon after that. Appropriate modifications and several refinement points will also be addressed to the car."

So, this might be either an LS2B engine, just for Cadillac (which I am sure we will see in the STSV). I cant see this being the Z06 C6 engine, unless either this news above is wrong, or the rumor that the next Z06 will get a 6.3 liter V8.

I think GM is doing the right thing. You cant stop and party with a small win. You got to go all out for winning the war, which is what matters. The Germans are very well positioned to be a very serious problem 6 years from now, if left alone for that long. Fighting them now will ensure beating them before it's impossible to do so. Keep improving on the CTS is critical. A small CTS for the European market is also critical. The STS being better than what it is now, two years from now, is also critical. GM needs to keep pounding and up the ante, yesterday! Give me more and then after you do that, go back to work and give me some more...and that should be happening on all fronts (Opel, Holden, in Asia, etc.) that's what the attitude should be at GM. And Ford.

charliemike

This whole horsepower war thing is so GD stupid.

500hp in a sedan to do 65mph legally?

I love the CTS-V, but I'd buy that car if they made a CTS Sport with 300hp that looked just like the V-Series one. I don't need 400hp. I definitely won't ever use 500hp.

Give people more than they need and then make them pay through the nose for it. They should be using that R/D money to make cars as safe as they possibly can be and not just going a bazillion mph.

MaximaPower

GM is not making anyone pay for anything. they're just giving consumers alternatives to the even higher priced BMWs, etc.

good move IMO....CTS really kicks a$$

gavriil

Hold on a sec here. Why is 400HP more than you need and 300HP is not more than you need? Following your logic (65mph argument), I say 200 HP is more than anyone needs.

When trying to figure out how much power is more than enough, the answer is way more complicated than by judging from the engine output alone. Without ESP systems for example, 400HP would have been dangerous to put on a family sports sedan. Tire technology also affects the above directly (possible more than anything). There are tons of variables that would deem what HP would be "more than enough". ALso, road design and technology is and will be affecting more and more in the future. It's a multi-faceted, synthetic issue, the above.

I am amataurely guesstimating that, with today's technology, 500 HP is easily "tamable" to be more sporty than dangerous. Above that, you need exotic materials which pushes the price to exotic levels.

Python2121

if people want it, can aford it, then why shouldn't they have the option to buy something to give them an insane rush?

go buy yourself an s-40 if you want a "safe" car, but it will be a lot less fun then a 500hp beast

cusdaddy

So so so awesome. I'm really impressed with Cadillac as well as GM as a whole lately. They are making some big moves which hopefully will start to pay off in the end. This car will be awesome if it does arrive. They just need to fix the wheel hop issue first

JRock

Well the silver CTSv pics in the topic post look pretty slick. The heinous last-gen-Maxima-like fender flares on this ~500hp version and that hood scoop both look like utter crap though. The rear decklid spoiler looks nice though.

1SICKLEX

Holy crap that is gonna rock! PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE fix the interior.

Maximized

A 500 hp car is a handfull to drive. My friend has an ATI procharged C5 and you need 100 percent concentration to keep it going straight when applying the power. Most people cannot handle 200 hp.

charliemike

The reason I chose 300hp is that I'm looking at what that car weighs and the relative 30-50 and 50-70mph times (for passing). I have a Pontiac GP with 200hp and it does not accelerate fast enough during passing or merging to make me feel safe. I'm not talking about 2-lane road passing, but rather merging onto a highway/interstate from an on-ramp when a tractor-trailer won't move over and I'm running out of merge lane.

I guess I'd rather them spend money to make cars safer first and then worry about how fast they go.

chungkopi

how fast will this go? i read that magazines had hard time launching CTS-V(400hp). Gm claimed cts-v will go 4.6 but i believe it was only 5.2 seconds 0-60mph.

gavriil

OK nothing wrong with that. It's called Active Safety. In certain situations the 300HP car wont have enough power to "save you" from a situtation where accelerating would be vital. So more power is "always" good as long as it can be tamed/controlled by the driver by the various safety tech features you get (i.e. ESP, etc.).

Right, unfortunately it's much cheaper to act on more power. So, you'll be seeing that more than the rest of the passive, as well as, active safety items.