Cadillac sedan joins the 200 m.p.h. club
Two hundred m.p.h. It is such a nice, round number, a number that has been the Holy Grail of race car builders for decades. Sure, the proper measurement here in Canada is 320 km/h, but that number, while greater, just doesn’t have the same ring to it. With an announcement early Monday morning, Cadillac is set to become the second North American auto manufacturer to produce an honest to goodness 200 m.p.h.-sedan.
The first of course is Dodge, with the built-in-Brampton Charger SRT Hellcat. That beast of a family car boasts 707 horsepower and a claimed top speed of 204 m.p.h. (326 km/h) and did almost as much damage to the internet when it was launched as recent photos of Kim Kardashian’s posterior.
Ever since the launch of the current generation CTS last year, journalists have been pestering Cadillac PR types to find out when or if a CTS-V might appear in the stable. For years the performance variant has been the crown jewel of the CTS lineup.
The most powerful Caddy ever built, the brand’s new street fighter will be moved by an all new 6.2L supercharged V-8 engine, mated to a performance tuned 8-speed automatic transmission that sends that power to the rear wheels. Manual transmission fans will be disappointed to find that there is no row-your-own option available.
All that juice is said to take the CTS-V from a standstill to 96 km/h in 3.7 seconds, again just shy of the Hellcat’s 2.9 time. While few buyers will ever learn if the top speed is correct, pretty much every owner will explore the acceleration times. Likely daily. They will be able to check their results using the super cool performance data recorder that we’ve seen in the 2015 Corvette.
It goes without saying that the CTS-V will handle as well as it goes, so we can expect to start seeing Nurburgring testing numbers some time before the model reaches showrooms next summer.
Despite the obvious performance similarities, the Hellcat isn’t Cadillac’s intended target for their newest beast. Instead, they are hoping to draw Mercedes-Benz and BMW owners into dealerships. To that end, the interior focus is on performance and function, with the expected touch of opulence in the form of Mulan leather seats with suede microfibre inserts and seat backs and matching trim elements around the cabin. Connected consumers will be happy to find a large, 12.3 inch display, with Bluetooth, wireless inductive phone charging and 4G LTE connectivity. Apple fans will like the Siri Eyes Free and text-to-voice that converts incoming text messages to speech and reads them over the audio system speakers.
The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V will make its public debut in a couple of weeks at the North American Internation- al Auto Show in Detroit. Ford readying their own supercar, possibly for Detroit reveal Cadillac and Dodge aren’t the only brands to unleash new halo models with power that would make most superheroes blush. Honda is about to finally reveal the production version of its new NSX, quite possibly in Detroit. Lexus has launched its new RC-F Coupe. Both of these seem destined to prove themselves on the race track rather than on an executive commute with the kids in tow. The rumour mill has been running rampant about the development of a successor to the Grandaddy of them all, the Ford GT-40. The GT-40 was Henry Ford II’s answer to Enzo Ferrari’s refusal to sell the company to the American and went on to become legendary when it dominated Le Mans for several years under the guidance of Carroll Shelby. A second generation of the vehicle, called the GT, debuted in 2005. While it did not have the success of its namesake, the GT did earn legions of fans, who have yearned for a replacement after production ceased in 2006.
Autoweek has reported that the car is indeed in development, although it may not be called the GT and is not a retro-inspired design like the previous GT. The cars, at least the racing version, will in fact be built by Markham, Ont.-based Multimatic Motorsports, who have a long history with Ford, including wins at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring. The cars will be campaigned by Chip Ganassi, whose team can boast wins in Indycar, NASCAR, the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and more. Driving duties will go to Scott Pruett and Joey Hand, but with many wins under their belts. To date there is no word as to whether Toronto-based driver Scott Maxwell, a regular part of the Ford/ Multimatic equation, will get some seat time.
Ford’s plan is reported to be the launch of an all-out assault on Le Mans in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GT-40’s first win at the French Classic. We will get to lay eyes on the road car only on Jan. 12 in Detroit, although it is expected that the racing program will not be made public at that time. Hyundai hires BMW M engineer to strengthen performance line Many manufacturers look to European cars as a benchmark when they seek to elevate the stature of their products, but Hyundai and sister company Kia are taking a slightly aggressive tack. Rather than just studying existing models to see what makes them tick, Hyundai is hiring the executives that make the brands tick.
In 2006, Hyundai hired noted Audi designer Peter Schreyer away from the German marque and in 2012 he was named chief design officer of both Hyundai and Kia. The products created by the two automakers during Schreyer’s tenure have not only generated unprecedented growth for both brands, but have changed the market as well.
In a press release on Monday, Woong Chul Yang, vice-chairman of Hyundai Motor Company, said that the company is “effort to further optimize the dynamics of our vehicles, providing even greater rewards for keen drivers.” In simpler terms, they want to up their performance game. To that end, Hyundai has brought on Albert Biermann, formerly the VP of engineering for BMW’s M brand. Biermann’s official title is head of vehicle test and high performance development, which will include the development of new performance models along with being in charge of ride and handling, safety, reliability and NVH. The engineer’s appointment also comes at a time when Hyundai is about to start its second season in the World Rally Championship.
It will be very interesting to see what exciting new products come from the pairing of Schreyer and Biermann. Gary Grant is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. For more Toronto Star automotive coverage, go to thestar.com/autos. To reach Wheels Editor Norris McDonald, nmcdonald@thestar.ca.