First Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is angular, unhinged glory

We’ve already discussed the complete, audacious beauty that is the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. Not only is it one of the most attractive designs to come out of General Motors in decades, but it’s arguably one of the best-looking vehicles on the road today, proving that Cadillac (and GM, for that matter) is once again capable of delivering world-class designs.

Sexy? Yes. But can she cook?

We don’t have many complaints about the 304-horsepower, direct-injection 3.6-liter V6 found under the hood of the standard Coupe. It certainly means well and does a good enough job of keeping the CTS experience entertaining, but we’d be liars if we didn’t say we’d rather have a powerplant with a few more stones – 252 more, to be exact.

Enter the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. It has a supercharged V8 that makes 556 horsepower. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. It’s under $65,000. Not only that, but the largercojones found on the V sedan are translated into the coupe’s styling, making for a car that’s at once audacious and vicious, with a beating heart of total lunacy.

In the late 1990s, General Motors gave us the Opel-derived bar of soap known as the Cadillac Catera, telling us that it was “The Caddy That Zigs.” But the Catera is long gone (good riddance) and we’ve found a candidate that’s more worthy of carrying on that short-lived tagline. Take your blood pressure medicine, folks – the CTS-V Coupe is here. And it does a lot more than simply zig or zag – it utterly dominates the high-powered sports coupe segment.

Report: Whitacre wants a flagship S-Class rival for Cadillac

There was a time, not so long ago, that if you wanted a proper fullsize luxury sedan (short of a Bentley orRolls-Royce, at least), your choices were “largely” limited to the German three: the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. But that was before the Lexus LS came along, the Infiniti Q45 came and went, when Jaguar’s XJ was still a tight fit (and an unreliable one at that) and the Maserati Quattroporte didn’t really factor into the equation. Don’t even get us started on underdogs like the Volkswagen Phaeton and Hyundai Equus, but you get the point. Volvo recently became the latest rumored to be joining the fold, and now it looks like Cadillac could as well.

Substantiating earlier reports, the latest batch indicate that the call for a fullsize Caddy to battle the German stalwarts came right from the top, from GM CEO Ed Whitacre. And why shouldn’t it? After all, if the head of one of the largest corporations in the world needs a new ride, he shouldn’t have to look to a competitor like his Japanese counterpart Toyoda-san was spotted doing.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe headed to dealers ahead of schedule

When we had our first shot at the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe, we described it as “audacity in motion.” After all, the new Caddy coupe is indeed one of the most attractive designs to come out of General Motors in quite some time.

In an effort to get these hot new two-plus-twos out on the road as soon as possible, Cadillac is ramping up production of the CTS Coupe a bit early, and the first few models are starting to roll off of assembly lines at GM’s Lansing Grand River assembly plant. Pricing starts at $38,990 for the base, rear-wheel-drive model, which will be joined by the pavement-bending CTS-V Coupe later this year.

Check out the sexy new CTS Coupe for yourself in the gallery below, and hit the jump to read Cadillac’s press release.

2011 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V Coupe priced at $38,990, $62,990

Pricing for the Cadillac CTS Coupe and it’s V-equipped sibling has been released, and the standard two-door is priced at $38,990 while the 556-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 version reportedly comes in at $62,990.

We’ve contacted General Motors for confirmation and more information, so stay tuned.

Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept: Videos and Live Shots from Detroit Show

Making its world premiere at the Detroit motor show alongside the 556HP Cadillac CST-V Coupe, is the XTS Platinum Concept. GM calls it a concept model, but the 203.5 inches (5,170mm) long XTS is expected to heavily influence Cadillac’s upcoming flagship sedan that will replace the DTS, and quite possibly, the STS also.

The full-size sedan, which most likely shares the vehicle platform with the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, keeps all the usual styling cues of modern Cadillacs such as the sharp creases and vertical lights.

The concept’s interior blends leather, wood and other high quality materials with modern technology like the Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays that replace the traditional gauges and screens.

Under the Caddy’s bonnet is GM’s 3.6-liter V6 engine with direct-injection plus a plug-in hybrid system that deliver a combined output of 350HP and 295 lb-ft of torque.

Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept Foretells DTS Replacement

Meet the Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept that made its world debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Officially, the XTS is just a design study that showcases Cadillac’s emerging top-of-the-line Platinum series of models, but unofficially, it previews the Detroit firm’s DTS replacement in the full-size sedan segment that’s pegged make its way onto the market by 2012.

General Motors did not say which platform the concept is based on, but judging from the XTS’ wheelbase length of 111.7 inches or 2,837mm that is identical to the new Buick LaCrosse, we’d say that it rides on a modified version of the Epsilon II.

Even though it shares the same wheelbase with the LaCrosse, the XTS is 6.6 inches longer at 203.5 inches (5,170mm) and 1.7 inches wider at 74.8 inches (1,900mm).

You may have noticed that we haven’t said anything about the XTS’ exterior design. That’s because we can’t decide if we find it elegant or boring. We’re probably leaning towards the second, but feel free to tell us what you think in the comment section below.

The concept’s interior is a bit more intriguing style-wise, but nothing groundbreaking – or at least not for anyone under the age of 50…

Moving on the XTS Platinum concept’s hardware, Cadillac fitted the full-size sedan with a plug-in hybrid electric propulsion system (PHEV). It combines a direct-injection V6 petrol engine and electric motors to drive all-four wheels. The system delivers an estimated output of 350 horsepower (260 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).

CADILLAC XTS PLATINUM CONCEPT SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle type:

luxury sedan concept

Wheelbase (in / mm):

111.7 / 2837

Length (in / mm):

203.5 / 5170

Width (in / mm):

74.8 / 1900

Height (in / mm):

59.1 / 1500

Track (in / mm):

62.6 / 1589 (front); 62.8 / 1594 (rear)

Powertrain:

plug-in hybrid system with 3.6L Direct Injection gas engine (with variable valve timing); lithium ion battery

Suspension:

four-wheel independent with Magnetic Ride Control.

Brakes:

four-wheel disc with electric park brake system

Wheels:

20-in front / 20-in rear

Estimated power:

350 hp (260 kW) / 295 lb.-ft. (400 Nm)

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe with 556HP Supercharged V8 Unveiled Ahead of Detroit Show

This here is the ultimate iteration of Cadillac’s brand-new CTS Coupe and it will make its first public outing at next week’s 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. To the surprise of no one, the CTS-V Coupe packs the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine found in the sedan version. It produces a hefty 556-horsepower and 551 lb.-ft. of torque (747 Nm) propelling the 2+2 coupe from 0-60 mph (96km/h) in just 3.9 seconds.

Potential buyers will have the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shift control, which transfer power to the rear wheels through a limited slip differential.

The V-spec model also gets Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride Control with two selectable modes (Tour and Sport) and Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear.

Cadillac says that the Coupe has the same wheelbase as the CTS-V Sport Sedan, but its overall height is about two inches (51 mm) lower and its overall length is two inches (51 mm) shorter while the rear track is nearly an inch wider than the four-door model.

Visually, the CTS-V Coupe is identified by its bulged hood, specific front and rear fascias, and unique 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 rubber.

There are no pictures of the interior, but Cadillac said that the steering wheel, seat inserts and shifter are covered in microfiber while the integrated center stack is trimmed in Obsidian black material that is also applied to the center console and door trim.

Available options will include an exclusive new Saffron color and special Recaro sport seats that are 14-way adjustable and include pneumatic bolster controls in the seat cushions and backrests.

We’ll have more on the CTS-V Coupe after its official debut at the Detroit motor show next week.