REPRINT FROM MOTOR AUTHORITY - May 1. 2015
Cadillac’s new ATS-V may be a genuine rival to BMW’s M3/M4 and Mercedes-AMG’s C63, but right now the American luxury brand doesn’t have an answer to more potent offerings from the Germans such as BMW’s GTS-badged cars and Mercedes’ Black Series models. That might not be the case for long as a senior Cadillac executive has revealed that a more aggressive V-Series tune is being looked at.
MUST SEE: 2016 Cadillac ATS-V First Drive Video
“We might have something down the road that is a little bit more aggressive,” Cadillac chief engineer Dave Leone told Car and Driver when asked about a more aggressive version of the ATS-V. The extra aggression is likely to come from extra power, stiffer suspension and lighter weight, as Leone ruled out adding things like all-wheel drive (because of the added weight) and switching to a dual-clutch transmission (because Caddy’s eight-speed auto is quicker and lighter).
Another source told the magazine that the more aggressive V-Series tune could be available as early as 2017.
DON'T MISS: 2016 Cadillac CTS-V Priced From $84,990, Starts Sales This Summer
That’s not all that’s planned for Cadillac’s burgeoning V-Series brand. Cadillac global marketing director Jim Vurpillat said that more high-performance models were planned. He said Cadillac would be adding eight new entries in five separate segments over the coming years, and one or two of these eight models could also get the V-Series treatment. This is in addition to the tamer Vsport branding that could be applied to even more models from Cadillac.
