Surrounded by some of the finest vintage luxury and performance automobiles of all time, Cadillac today announced it would enter the high-performance luxury arena with its new V-Series line of products.
Cadillac executives also unveiled the design of the V-Series logo, which both hearken back to Cadillac's rich heritage as a pioneer in high-performance V engine technology and conveys the dynamic posture that will characterize the V-Series models.
V-Series enhancements will include substantially increased horsepower over the standard engine; manual or automatic-manual transmission; performance-tuned suspension; additional instrumentation; larger front air intake; dual exhaust with visible tips; larger wheels, tires and brakes; StabiliTrak standard; unique seating surfaces; and V-Series badging exterior and interior.
"V-Series represents the best of what Cadillac has to offer in terms of performance," said Jim Taylor, vehicle line director, GM Prestige Cars. The outstanding performance characteristics of the rear-drive Sigma-based CTS lend themselves perfectly to this type of high-performance variant. The CTS V-Series will be totally refined and balanced in many areas to deliver a driving experience well beyond expectations.
Unlike some other high-performance luxury models, Cadillac V-Series will be completely designed and engineered in-house in a cooperative effort with GM's recently established Performance Division.
"We have some of the best minds in the performance business working with Cadillac to develop V-Series," said Mark Reuss, executive director, GM Performance Division. The team is passionate and committed to creating vehicles that will be competitive with the world's best high-performance luxury brands.
Cadillac's performance heritage began in 1915 when it introduced the world's first mass-produced V8 engine, followed in the 1930s by legendary V16 and V12 models. More recently, Cadillac has led the way again with the high-performance 32-valve Northstar V8. The division returned to racing in the all-new Cadillac Northstar Le Mans Prototype (LMP) race car.
"While its colors are meant to depict the luxury side of Cadillac, its vertical orientation and its forward-leaning angle to the right are both meant to depict motion and performance," said Kip Wasenko, design director, GM Performance Division, who oversaw the design of the V-Series logo. This new V-Series logo draws on the proud technological heritage of Cadillac's past emblems, but renders that heritage in a thoroughly modern and sophisticated way.