Relax, Cadillac fans. As we surmised, General Motors’ decision to shutter its High-Performance Vehicle Operations will not leave the highly anticipated V-badged CTS coupe stillborn. While the Detroit automaker’s financial problems have pushed the shapely two-door CTS’s rollout back a year to 2010, as well as prompted the discontinuation of the XLR roadster, these spy images reveal that the car’s development has progressed substantially since we last saw a camouflaged mule running around last summer.
Photographed in near-production form (notice the tape over the V-series badges), this CTS-V coupe clearly displays the bulging bodywork, wire mesh grille, bigger brakes, and larger wheels and tires of the current V-series CTS sedan. Also visible are dual center-exiting exhaust pipes, which are expected to expel gases from the same 556-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 found in the four-door. Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and a more-sporting interior will be part of the package as well, with the upgrades allowing the vehicle to take over the brand’s high-performance-flagship role from the XLR-V.
Production of the CTS-V coupe in Lansing, Michigan, should start next summer shortly after that of the regular V-6 model, with pricing expected to be in the $65K neighborhood. It’s unclear if the coupe will introduce any new features to the CTS-V range, but Cadillac officials have said before that an adjustable traction-control system—developed in conjunction with the Speed World Challenge CTS-V race car—might be added in the future. What’s also unclear is if this vehicle will be the last of the V-badged Cadillacs, as the HPVO team that nurtured the beast—and numerous other tire-melting GM cars—has been reassigned to other GM projects more focused on fuel economy and turning a healthy profit.
Photographed in near-production form (notice the tape over the V-series badges), this CTS-V coupe clearly displays the bulging bodywork, wire mesh grille, bigger brakes, and larger wheels and tires of the current V-series CTS sedan. Also visible are dual center-exiting exhaust pipes, which are expected to expel gases from the same 556-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 found in the four-door. Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and a more-sporting interior will be part of the package as well, with the upgrades allowing the vehicle to take over the brand’s high-performance-flagship role from the XLR-V.
Production of the CTS-V coupe in Lansing, Michigan, should start next summer shortly after that of the regular V-6 model, with pricing expected to be in the $65K neighborhood. It’s unclear if the coupe will introduce any new features to the CTS-V range, but Cadillac officials have said before that an adjustable traction-control system—developed in conjunction with the Speed World Challenge CTS-V race car—might be added in the future. What’s also unclear is if this vehicle will be the last of the V-badged Cadillacs, as the HPVO team that nurtured the beast—and numerous other tire-melting GM cars—has been reassigned to other GM projects more focused on fuel economy and turning a healthy profit.