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CTS-V Video on the Cadillac Blog
Just a quick note to mention that our colleagues over at the Cadillac Driver's Log have posted a very nicely done video of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V running a sub-eight-minute lap around the Nordschleife at Germany's famous Nurburgring raceway. The amazing run is believed to be the fastest ever by a production car and when you see the video, you'll really get a sense of just how intense it was. - Will Stewart, blog editor
Posted by Editor on May 14, 2008 6:44 PM
Comments
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126280?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*
No CTS Convertible?
What could have been the flagship Cadillac, and you're deciding not to make it?
Dumb move.
Posted by: John on May 15, 2008 10:24 AM
Thanks Will. Hell of a run by John H. Do you know if he made that run from a standing or flying start? The video is not clear on this.
I would also be curious as to where on the track the timing was started/stopped.
Posted by: Bwright on May 15, 2008 1:12 PM
What is beautiful about this picture is at about the same time GM's racing team breaks the unofficial record on the ring with a sub 8 minute lap, the Volt team has succeeded with it's first official test of the Volt drive train's promised 40 mile run on electricity alone.
The ring is not the only place GM's investment in a mobile America is making strides, take a look at ethanol this week. Sweat sorghum has been found by researchers to produce 4 times as much energy out of each unit of energy input compared to corn in the production of ethanol. What's more, it can grow in dryer conditions and Texas and Florida can get two crops of sorghum per year. In fact, the energy output of sorghum matches the output of sugarcane. The promise of ethanol from whatever feedstock is, as I always have said, is just a matter of time.
There is an important concept on this forum we have discussed and its worth mentioning again, that is what we talk about as far as product investment and technology innovation or conversely, what we fail to do concerning these because of cost cuts, fear due to market conditions, or limitations on capital, if we worry about the board or anything else that takes our eye off the ball is what defeats us. If we talk like the press about killing brands, cutting investments in everything short of the green hybrid subcompact mono designed one branded imported gas sipper, that is where we lose and the country does not advance but becomes poorer for it.
So in the end I would rather discuss innovation, technology, design, brand building, capital investment, 6 speeds, along with hybrids, hydrogen, diesel, ethanol, and so on. Don't listen to the gloom and doom of the press nor fear tomorrow. Then GM will win by delivering to the consumer exactly what it wants, and GM still knows it and does it best.
What does the consumer want? One thing, and one thing only, that is - EVERYTHING.
In the end the Toyota with its Prius, to BMW with its "ultimate driving machine" to OPEC with its monopoly will feel and fear the wrath of GM!
Posted by: Edward Hayes on May 15, 2008 8:58 PM
~ feel and fear the wrath of GM!
Great, that's all we need a "wrathful" mega-corporation.
Posted by: Rum Doodle on May 16, 2008 10:07 AM
That's a pretty impressive day at the track. I'm pleased so see that RWD performance is making a come back at GM - the new Pontiac G8, the return of the Camaro, the Corvette ZR-1, the Cadillac V-Series, the Solstice GXP, etc. Back in 2003 I could count on one hand the number of sub-15 second (1/4 mile) cars that GM made (Corvette and what else?). Now GM makes too many to count. I just hope the new CAFE standards don't kill the performance party.
Posted by: Bill Holthaus on May 16, 2008 10:18 AM
Sorry for posting this in this thread. But this is feedback for the blog editors. Please come to your senses and start promoting your efficient and low carbon cars. The oil prices will NOT come down. You need to clean up your image. Just talked with the head of a respected engineering school in the Middle America. All I heard was about the Toyota’s announcements to come up with 80mpg cars. I thought GM was the leader in this category. This is significant because here in the west coast, I rarely see Chevies in the road. You don’t want to also loose in the rest of the country.
Posted by: Alex on May 17, 2008 3:09 PM
Impressing performance of the CTS-V of course. It again shows, that the CTS sets new benchmarks in its class.
Well, that's a little off-topic, but I'd suggest that GM now should check the opportunities to support these poor people, hit by this horrible earthquake in China. I think this again would boost GM's image there, especially considering how important this country is to GM.
Posted by: Gereon (Germany) on May 18, 2008 7:29 AM
It's nice to see GM showing the world they can out run the best of them! It is amazing to watch the improvements GM is making to their product line and I am sure this will reflect in sales as people see these exciting cars on the streets. Keep it up!
Posted by: Bruce Bryan on May 18, 2008 9:51 PM
Alex,
Practically every other post on this blog is about the Chevy Volt, which when it arrives in 2010 will easily attain a MPG rating of close to 120MPG. Also- I was watching TV last night. There was a heavy ad campaign for the Tahoe Hybrid. Seems to me that just a few years ago, Chevy was still using the "like a rock" campaign. They've completely re-branded Chevy to be their Green car brand.
Posted by: edvard on May 19, 2008 10:33 AM
" All I heard was about the Toyota’s announcements to come up with 80mpg cars..."
Hi Alex,
for sure Toyota deserves credits for the efforts to design fuel-efficient cars. However, they will not only be offering 80 mpg-cars, but also performance-focused cars, as GM does. Honestly spoken, the 2 mpg-advantage (average) for the Toyota Avalon vs. the CTS (Direct-Injection) doesn't impress me much, when I am considering that the CTS even delivers 36 HP more than the Avalon. Lexus/Toyota's market share here in Germany is dramatically shrinking, down from nearly 5% (sometime in the last 2 years) to 2.8% in April 08, whereas the sales declined about 26% in comparison to the April 07-level. If Toyota really would be that extremely outstanding regarding fuel-efficiency, as claimed by many US-drivers, then I'd have to ask myself, why they are holding such little market-share in Germany, although we currently have to pay 8.90$/Gallon (in words: eight dollars and ninety cents!!!) over here, both for Diesel and Gasoline. Our only chance in Germany to running car inexpensively is to switch to LPG.
Posted by: Gereon (Germany) on May 19, 2008 12:21 PM
So intense that the driver had to readjust the radio station halfway through the lap.
M5 eat your heart out. Daddy's got a new Caddy!
Posted by: Juan Barnett on June 3, 2008 12:45 PM
