CTS-V Answers the Challenge
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
Today, at the Monticello Motor Club in New York, the Cadillac CTS-V stood tall in the V-Series Challenge, a race pitting the CTS-V against several of the best production sedans on the market today — those that showed up, that is.
Here are the results from the track. There were no winners or losers today – the point was to have fun with great cars because that’s what they’re all about, and to show that GM vehicles can compete with the best in the world, in every class. It was a great day for the CTS-V, and an exceptionally fun day for me. I’ll have to issue another challenge so I can do this again sometime soon, although I wish I had started doing these when I was younger!
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Its a shame Jaguar backed out instead of standing behind their product. MB should have fielded the new E63 as well but I suppose they don’t have any in the States yet.
Congrats Bob. The CTS-V is a very capable car, and it’s nice to see GM run this kind of challenge. Would be cool to see it more often. Good to know there’s at least one American automotive executive that knows how to drive!
…the point was to have fun with great cars because that’s what they’re all about, and to show that GM vehicles can compete with the best in the world, in every class.
Mr. Lutz,
You say in every class, and that you want to have fun. Now let’s see you go up against Alan Mullaly of Ford.
The Cars Volt v. Ford Focus BEV
The Place The back lot of NBC on Jay Leno’s “Green Car Challenge” course.
That is a good idea and will get a some attention for the Volt but the Focus BEV is not a EREV vehicle like the Volt and how do you know Alan Mullaly would race against anyone?
I would like to see Jay replace the Focus for the Volt then challange guests to match the Volts capabilities in both the short “green car” curcuit and then one at the Pomona Drag Strip followed by a 10 lap race around Willow Springs.
The top 9 competitors for the year would then race the Volt cross country.
This will get attention and show the Volt’s multi-faceted performance capabilities in power, handling, range and overall MPG.
…how do you know Alan Mullaly would race against anyone?
I don’t know. That’s the point of a challenge. Put the challenge out there and see if they’ll man up and accept or not.
You dont take a bicycle to a car race and you dont take a pony to a horse race.
// I’ll have to issue another challenge so I can do this again sometime soon…//
Why not a challenge using the Volt against some of the other electrics? The idea above of racing Ford’s Alan Mullaly on the Jeno Leno Show is not bad. You’d have lots of viewers.
Mr. Lutz,
Great show! I’ll bring a Viper if you do a ZR1 challenge next….
Cheers,
Andi
ps, i’ll bring my copy of Guts for you to sign as well.
Very cool event Lutz. I can’t wait to see more CTS-Vs on the road! Please keep us updated on new Cadi sports cars — I can’t wait to hear more on the ATS and I have big hopes for an ATS-V!
Isn’t there anyone else who sees a problem here? The top three finishes DID go to a CTS-V, but all done by professional drivers. Michael Cooper is some kid with an M3, and he managed to get rather close, beating the CTS-V in the hands of Baruth (who is a long long ago LeMans winner).
And of course, Cooper beat Lutz too.
I hate to say it but its hard to say the CTS-V wins hands down when to do it, GM had to pull three pros out of the stable.
I still think Siler had a shot against Lutz had Jaguar not pulled out.
The 21 year old has supposedly been trained at Skip Barber. The GM drivers are not professional racers, they just have some experience. One of the best times was by an engineer who helped develop the car- he is no professional racer.
How you you know the 21 year old couldn’t have beat his own time in the CTS-V? You don’t know for sure.
Uh, I believe Audi, MB and BMW have access to a few professional drivers. Oh that’s right, they declined to show up…
Exactly. People are claiming the deck was stacked and other cars “may have” outperformed the CTS-V but we will never know since the other guys wouldn’t play.
I never thought I’d see a 77 year old man driving an AT Caddy CTS-V would blow the doors off of an BMW M5. As far as Jaguar and Merc goes sad to see them chicken out when a push became a shove….Great going Bob… Sorry “Maximum Bob”!!
Would like to see more such contests between everyday cars and their automakers.
Obviously the competition thought the deck was stacked. Nonetheless, independent sources have shown consistent results. The V is amazing and at the price, the fastest four dour sedan on the planet.
I don’t think the competition thought the deck was stacked, I believe they didn’t want to lend any credibility to Cadillac by participating. They knew that lending their products to this event would’ve proven than an American automaker can build a super sedan on par with theirs and that’s the last thing they wanted. When you are charging $15k-$30k more for a car that offers slightly less performance than the CTS-V you don’t want to see any head to head comparisons that would make the Cadillac look like a bargain.
Nice job Bob! I would have liked to seen a G8 GXP in there, just for posterity’s sake.
Sheth, Not sure what you mean by Jaguar “backing out.” Unless I’m missing something — and according to the standings above–they finished 11th in an XF model.
No, they backed out. They said an XF-R would be provided to a blogger but then renegged because they had concerns about the brakes performing well enough over the course of 5 laps. The regular XF is obviously no competition for the CTS-V and Jaguar would never have sent that car to the challenge.
Ray,
This is probably what he’s talking about: Jaguar Pusses Out Of Jalopnik Vs. GM Race
It’s true. Stuart Schorr, Jaguar’s main product PR man, told us flat out he expected the XFR would lose to the CTS-V, so it’s not that he’s afraid to lose to “Maximum” Bob Lutz.
Instead, they’re afraid the XFR can’t handle the strain. Specifically, the brakes. Without better brake cooling, Schorr tells us his folks are concerned the XFR just can’t put the necessary laps in without endangering the driver.
Kudos to Cadillac for hosting such a fabulous event for car guys everywhere!!! For all of us there, it was a day in car heaven.
I drove the ‘09 Jaguar XF Super in this event. In the spirit of setting the record straight, concerns re Jaguar performance and brakes are totally misplaced.
This was my first time on a track. The car felt amazing. I ended up besting an Audi RS4, and finished within 30 secs of Nurburgring record holder and racing legend John Heinricy in his CTS-V. My brakes didn’t fade. The XF-R has superior brakes to my model.
The CTS-V clearly rocks. But Jaguars are no slouches. Anyone shopping a German supersport sedan, do yourself a favor and check out the Jag & Caddy.
Mr. Lutz, VERY COOL Challenge! How about this for the next one: Which vehicle, that gets over 30 MPG Hwy, is the most fun? Let the blogs determine the tests.
Congrats Bob now just turn this into a t.v. commercial for the kool-aid drinkers here in so cal and wait for all the crying, awsome Bob!
bluebaby
Frankly GM needs to do much more like this as it shows they are human and understand a car is just not for getting to/from a store.
Congrats to Bob Lutz as it showed how great a design comes from an American nameplate where someones grandfather can whip on much younger folks.
It also shows where other nameplates talk big in marketing that when push comes to shove they are a no show to doing down to earth compares as this CTS-V did.
As to the 21 year old, are you kidding me his reflects are much better then Bob’s is and the guy had track experience. In the end for little money GM got a lot of free press that most of us as customers could understand and root for.
Keep it up Bob, next time do this with a ZR1 or Z06 Corvette
I have a 2009 CTS-V – an outstanding car. Before that I had an STS-V and probably 6 STS rides before that back to 93 when the North-Star was introduced. I’ve seen Cadillac make big strides in moving to the top on performance lately. This CTS is a keeper. My daily driver is an H2. My wife has a Saturn Sky Red Line Turbo. Another great car that sadly is a legacy now. She only drives it top down so up here in Mich it has low miles. In the mean time she drives a Ford Sport Trac. Last month I ordered a ZR1 to replace my 01 Vette. That’s 5 top rides in my garage. Any questions?
This should be in future Cadillac advertising. You can even admit the BMW M3 is an awesome car, but there’s no way you’d ever put a 1999 Cadillac ANYTHING in the same list as a BMW M3 or M5.
I also like the ideas of doing tests like this involving other GM cars. They don’t all have to be about speed. You could do ecoTesting with a Volt, payload testing with a Silverado…. I’d like to see CORR style racing with GM’s answer to the Ford Raptor.
GM doesn’t need to be as good as the competition. GM needs to whip the competition. Why? Because if GM can’t… then the car needs work until it can. Why? So people know that GM cars are better, because at the end of the day, it’s still all about the product.
Ray
Dear Mr Lutz,
I admit You have good PR in the U.S. But from perspective of European Cadillac enthusiasts it’s embarassing to watch this kind of advertising. Why? Because V-Cadillacs are not offered in Europe. And Cadillac as a whole is completely neglected here. Infiniti makes some advertising for example, Cadillac has done nothing for the last 3-4 years. Not offering the CTS-V was the biggest mistake.
Please make similar challenges in European cities. There’s also an opportunity of good PR move, in 2012 European Soccer Cup tournament will take place in Poland/Ukraine. Companies are able to become sponsors of soccer arenas. Make an offer, let the stadium in Warsaw be called ‘Cadillac Arena’!
Mr Lutz,
I just read that your CTS-V had an automatic transmission. How could a former Marine Corps fighter pilot opt to use a car with an automatic transmission instead of with a stick?
That’s not good for your image. You’ve let us down.
The car is faster with the automatic. When it set the record at the Ring an auto CTS-V was used.
Nevertheless, it’s still disappointing to see a former fighter pilot use an automatic.
Why is that? Airplanes come with manual transmissions?
If you have to ask, I probably can’t explain it, but I’ll try:
Fighter pilots are stalwart individualists — rugged cowboys and resolute knights of the modern era who don’t take the easy way — just because it is easier. People who realize and believe that taking the time and making the effort to develop the skill to do things correctly makes them better and hardens them. People who believe that taking the easy way — such as driving a car with an automatic transmission — negates individual decision making and their finely-honed skill, and is something only a less stalwart and indomitable person would do.
No Sheth, airplanes don’t come with manual transmissions.
If Bob Lutz wants to pilot his CTS-V around a track to prove the car’s capabilities, good on him.
However, that doesn’t address the fact that a small, but vocal amount of people still prefer to have their cars equipped with a manual transmission.
I’m driving a 2006 Acura TSX. It is coming up on four years old. I’m not about to pay the Cadillac premium to get a CTS in any flavor, as it is significantly more expensive than a current TSX. Right now, the leading contender to replace my current vehicle would be a Volkswagen Jetta, which, wait for it, I can get with a manual transmission. Cheaper than a TSX too.
So, other than the CTS, which is priced higher than I care to pay, what GM sedan can be had for approximately 30K, will get me the same mileage as a TSX, AND can be had with a manual transmission.
Lets leave out the arguments that current automatics with paddle shifters are superior to a manual. Don’t care to drive an automatic, end of discussion.
Sheth Jones,
It’s a well-known and widely-acknowledged truth that people who are truly confident in their skill as drivers prefer manual transmissions.
Those who are less confident of their skill, who are slothful, who would rather have someone or something make decisions for them, and who don’t enjoy driving, tend to prefer automatics.
Axel,
You forgot to add that as a rule, drivers who use manual transmissions are better people.
Automatic transmissions are for people who aren’t really engaged in driving and who drive as though their brains are on automatic too. Automatics are for people who aim their cars instead of drive them.
I think GM aims to win that one with a CTS as well.
Bob,
Congratulations on blowing the competion off the road! Cadillac’s victory is strengthened by the fact that many “competitors” didn’t even have the guts to come to the race. I love James R. Healey’s comment in USA TODAY, “The European makers, who sell the most likely rivals to the CTS-V, have steered clear of the challenge. But not out of fear of losing, they say.” Yeah, right!
Mark Anderson
While the cadillac may be a nice car this model is out of the price range of most consumers. Moreover, most are not ‘Rap’ stars and associate the brand with a different socioeconomic sector entirely. Two very definite stikes againest the brand. With the majority of the people I associate the only time they will be seen in a cadillac by choice is when it’s a hearse.
Believe it or not some do not buy vehicles based on what they think others will say. Your inference that people wouldn’t buy Cadillacs because minority celebrities drive Escalades is insulting. If you look at the average person driving a Cadillac today they refelect the racial mix of other luxury brand owners. The idea that most Cadillacs are driven by “rap stars” is absurd and if if it weren’t I would question the relevance to someone who is tolerant.
You also note that the CTS-V is out the price range of most customers as if that makes it an anomaly. Have you priced the M5 or XF-R? Both are thousands more expensive than the CTS-V. These cars are not aimed at middle class people. If you cannot afford the CTS-V there are cheaper models available from Cadillac. If you can’t afford a Cadillac you can check out the other GM brands.
Sheth – It is not my fault that GM has lost its market share and the confidence of the majority of the buying American public. The insult was not intentional simply a statement of fact. GM vehicles are now considered a step DOWN. This is the perception they should have changed (and/or worked to prevent). Now it is too late.
Government motors will never repay the ‘Loan” and we (the american taxpayer) are stuck with the dept. The illegal way that Obama let them screw over bond holders while handing control to the UAW speaks volumes.
I now walk away from this site, you and everything GM or UAW touched.
The bumber sticker on my LEXUS reads “GM = GOVERNMENT motors.
Farewell
PS. Are you sure that you don’t work for GM??????…………lol
Sheldon,
Now the truth comes out so we can see how unreasonable you really are. The bailout is over but you continue to cry over spilled milk. When you can’t find fault with the vehicles being dicussed you shift to bailout talk because that’s all you have left. Everyone is entitled to an opinion on the bailout but that doesn’t change the fact that the CTS-V is a world class car. I don’t buy cars based on my political views- apparently you have a different perspective. Instead of talking about the vehicles you are using this blog to air your grievances with the government. Wrong place, wrong topic.
Sheth,
Sheldon is perfectly on-topic. GM is in the business of selling cars and Sheldon should want to be a customer; GM should want every body to be a potential customer. Building a CTS-V isn’t going to win Sheldon back and it’s on-topic for him to point this out and why.
You might not like Sheldon’s point of view but that doesn’t mean you can wave it away. There’s too may Sheldons out there.
The CTS-V doesn’t improve the odds of me buying a GM car, either, and I’m not particularly uncomfortable with the bailout. I’m uncomfortable with how GM went bankrupt and deeply dissatisfied with the post-bailout change in direction – or lack thereof. GM doesn’t seem to be doing what’s necessary to win me over; I’m not a halo-car kind of guy. The vast majority of the market isn’t halo-car kinds of guys, either, so this is very relevant. GM needs competitive small cars and solid mid-range hits. And they need to express confidence in vehicle reliability in a more tangible way.
None of this is cheap or easy. Putting a giant pushrod engine in the CTS is probably not all that cheap but it was probably also relatively easy (as in, straightforward engineering changes).
But it’s biggest problem is that it’s not going to help. You know… at least the Corvette is shown off in the showrooms that Middle America should be visiting. Few are going to see a CTS-V when they’re out car-shopping.
Charlie H:
Let me clear: I really don’t care how you or anyone else feels about the bailout. If you dislike the bailout and dislike everything GM does one could ask why you waste time blogging on a GM run site. There are plenty of other vehicles out there so I suspect your presence here has nothing to do with your desire to consider a GM product and everything to do with you trying to find a forum to berate them with the SAME points over and over again. Since you have stated GM has done so much wrong in your eyes why would anyone who believes in logical thinking ever believe that GM has any chance of making you a convert? As I said, Sheldon’s comments were irrelevant to the blog entry. I would love to know what in depth knowledge you have about GM’s operations that qualify you as an authority on how much change has occurred over the last few months.
“The vast majority of the market isn’t halo-car kinds of guys, either, so this is very relevant. GM needs competitive small cars and solid mid-range hits. And they need to express confidence in vehicle reliability in a more tangible way.”
Please explain what any of this has to do with the CTS-V. Where did GM claim that it was abandoning the segments you mentioned to foucs on the CTS-V? Have you not heard of the Malibu, Acadia, Equinox/Terrain or LAcrosse? Those vehicles are all very competitive and priced between $21k-$40k. This idea that conducting the CTS-V challenge proves that GM is worried about lower end segments is absurd to say the least. GM already knows about its shortcomings in small cars which is why the Cruze, Volt and Aveo are on the way.
We’re pleased that the government helped GM. Its a plus for America. We’ll be more pleased when they complete the initial public stock offering and get the government out.
GM does have the high confidence among car buying public overall. GM has the highest quality and the best technology overall.
Recent polls in April and September 2009 show that 72% to 81% would consider buying an American car indicate high confidence in the American auto companies.
The disallusionment has been on styling mostly and the lack of choices in luxury and affordable luxury cars both sedans and coupes that seems to have frustrated Americans.
Luxury and affordable luxury car buyers are looking for V-8s in different categories, the prestige V-8, the performance V-8, the small fuel efficient V-8.
Some buyers are ok with a V-6 on account of price while some want a 4 cyclinder for economy. Buyers may chose a 4 or a V-6 because its the base model they could afford. But many really would like to have a V-8 deep down.
Top end luxury buyers expect the V-8 and expect the best from the car company.
The CTS-V is clearly among the world’s best,and arguably the best in class.
The 2010 Buick LaCrosse seems to have broken the styling barrier with upper end car buyers and has the appeal.
Buick should have a full- line of cars with style including a Park Avenue Ultra to take on the BMW 7 series on style and a Riviera sedan/coupe to take on the BMW 5 and M3.
Buick should have a small fuel efficient V-8 option (4.0 to 5.3L).
The American people want a wide range of vehicle choices, they don’t want the government telling them what to buy and that is going to become increasingly clear.
Even those who own a compact car, also have a variety of other vehicles from mid sized to full size to sports cars to SUVS and trucks. Compact cars are around as a second car, not the mainstay or a first choice.
All car companies know they have to please the luxury and affordable luxury demand in the market in order to survive and prosper.
Lexus spends its entire effort trying to go after the affordable luxury and luxury market in America. Lexus offers V-8 engines, high profile models, and puts on a show at the auto shows. They’ve become the competition. But Lexus falls short of the luxury styling of BMW or Cadillac.
Americans took opportunity to trade the old truck behind the barn for a cheap government give-away called cash for clunkers just like they would any coupon ad from store. Don’t read any sort of market into the cash for clunkers deal. Why not take a free-bee $4,500 when it pays about have the cost of a cheap compact. Americans still don’t want to buy compacts. They don’t chose them in the market place in general.
They might buy a compact for a college car, but then quickly change their mind and not want their son or daughter to risk driving a small car on account of safety, or utility. Small cars are not really desireable, comfortable, or practical. They are just for convenience.
edwin writes, “We’re pleased that the government helped GM. Its a plus for America. We’ll be more pleased when they complete the initial public stock offering and get the government out.”
Government in is good? Or government out is good? Please make up your mind.
Congratulations on a very good showing. CTS-V shows that Cadillac CAN compete with highly-regarded luxury sedans, using a super-charged LS V8. This engine should appear in more of Cadillac’s future offerings, including the ATS and the future S-Class competitor.
Superior design, compelling interiors and strong performance must characterize Cadillac for it to return to greatness. And of course, Cadillac needs the Cadillac of warranties, with a win today and a commitment to tomorrow.
Again, congratulations for developing such a good CTS and showing the naysayers that Cadillac is (more than) competitive.
Mr. Lutz,
Next on your agenda: Go after the records Craig Breedlove set in 1968 with an American Motors AMX:
AMXs set 106 world speed records at a track in Texas
The deck wasn’t stacked. Riiiiiight. I’d be willing to sell pro wrestling tickets to anyone who believes that.
RD:
How was it stacked? Independent testing has shown the CTS-V is faster around the track than the C63, M5 and M3. It has not been tested on a track vs the new E63 which costs about $90k without options. Motortrends has already determined the CTS-V is superior to the Xf-R and M5.
Face the facts, this $60k car can beat a $90k German super sedan.
Sheth,
You, of all people, should know there is no direct correlation between cost and track performance.
If I could get my hands on a brand new 1968 AMX (which would have cost about $5,500) I could give a $60k CTS-V a pretty good run for its money.
You’re high if you think a stock AMX could finish within 30 seconds of the CTS-V. 0-60 in 6.5 (vs. 3.9)? 1/4 mile in 14.5 (vs. 12)? Skid pad of 0.7 (vs. 0.92)? Good luck.
btw – the “stock” record-breaking AMX were not stock. They were “…modified for power, handling, and strength by World Land Speed Record holder Craig Breedlove’s speed shop.”
We’ll never know will we Kesley?
All I said was that I could give Bob Lutz in a CTS-V a pretty good run for his money driving a 1968 AMX ~ and I could. And considering the money each cost to purchase when new, that would be a pretty good feat.
And also considering the AMX was made by a small company in Kenosha, WI without many financial resources, yet still won major awards for engineering with the AMX, plus set 106 world speed records, I’d say AMC did pretty good.
And yes, I know Craig Breedlove made mods to the pure stock AMX before making his record attempt.
You can’t really be so naive as to believe gm used an unaltered production car for the race. I’m sure they had the cars checked out by journalists from car magazines who can find a dangling participle but wouldn’t know a piston from a radiator.
I’m glad gm is beginning to pull out of its financial woes but that doesn’t mean I have to believe their propaganda. I really do hope they succeed and improve sufficiently for me buy a car or truck from them someday.
Mr. Lutz,
This weekend I watched a documentary on Cuba and the survival of the great cars that were built in the 1950’s and that are still running in Cuba. As a Cuban-American and as a PBG Dealer what can we do to bring that love back today and reliability? It was great to watch these people and most of all how they made me feel about these old cars! Can we do some type of campaign to bring nostalgia back and sell ourselves again?
It’s curious that GM has never used the durability of that 1950’s Detroit Iron to their advantage in a marketing campaign.
When you think about it, that really says a lot of positive things about how those cars were built, and that they are still running over 50 years later in Cuba is a great tribute to General Motors.
You have to wonder if a 2010 car would still be running in 2060? Those 1950’s Detroit cars were purely mechanical, and anyone with an aptitude in mechanical and metal machining skills can keep them running.
Today’s cars require much more than mechanical and machining skills to repair, and it’s doubtful that a 2010 car will be fixable 50 years down the road because the software and computer code will have evolved so much.
That’s an interesting question. If our society were to ever collapse, which would we better off with?
1. A 1950’s-era car that is purely mechanical and that almost anyone could keep running if they put their mind and energy to it.
2. Or a modern car with computers and sophisticated electronics that no shade tree mechanic could possibly keep running in some future dysfunctional world.
I guess my choice would be something like a VW Beetle or a WW II-era Jeep that one can keep running with not much more than a pair of pliers, a set of wrenches, ViseGrips and a couple of screwdrivers.
I recall in high school keeping a 1953 Chevy with a straight-six running with only the limited mechanical skills I possessed. I even did my own valve and ring jobs. I doubt few high school kids can do that today on a modern car.
kudos to Lutz and GM for showing the world that GM is THE WORLD STANDARD! in performance along with quality, reliability and dependibility (Witness the POS Jag which is the laughing stock here). It also shows how sickeningly overrated any German vehicle is when you look at the facts. The Germans are 30 thousand dollars more expensive, 100 times more ugly, 100 times cheaper and woefully unreliable. Now has been proven that they aren’t capable of beating good ol GM American Iron.
Long live the CTS-V and long live Cadillac. The Standard of the World
Bob-I just saw on a video chat that there was a new Pontiac G6 in the works before the axe dropped. I bet its an Epsilon II like the new Regal. Just curious if you can throw us sad Poncho lovers a bone, and post the design pics of the next gen G6? Just wanted to see if Pontiac was really heading it the right direction that it seem to have been.
Thanks!
Eric
Mr. Lutz, Cngratulations on a the CTS-V proving it is a class leader.
As far as the mainstream CTS market goes, is there any chance GM will put a V8 into the CTS to compete against the BMW 550i?
GM already matches up against the rest of the 5-Series with:
CTS 3.0L V6 vs 528i
CTS 3.6L V6 vs 535i
and the
CTS-V vs the M5
How about a CTS DI 5.3L V8 vs 550i
A V8 powered CTS would attract luxury buyers who prefer V8 power for their cars and the 5.3L with Direct Injection will easily surpass the 550i’s MPG of 15/23 and could match the 528i 18/27 rating, but with V8 power.
GM can offer the 5.3L Di V8 on the new CTS Coupe where many in the segment look for V8 performance and spread it across the CTS lineup the next year, this will also give buyers who would like a CTS-V but cannot afford the price for all of the world class performance features it offers.
Of course there are 6.0L and 6.2L V8’s available for GM but I think a DI 5.3L with AFM will give space between it and the CTS-V while producing more than adequate perfomance with class leading MPG.
Congratulations on a the CTS-V proving it is a class leader.
A ‘class leader’ for anyone that wants to take their new car off the showroom floor and run it in circles around a race track. But is it a class leader for the more mundane things for which the vast majority of people use their automobiles?
Travis, Many owners of cars with capabilities similar to the CTS-V do exactly that (at least out here).
I know of a few enthusiats who go to the local road course on the weekends to let off some steam and enjoy the capabilities their Corvette, M3 or CTS-V offer them. The CTS-V and M3 are not volume market cars they are made to demonstrate that the platform is capable of very high performance levels and that if you own a lesser model the basic “DNA” is in your car. This is something that owners of “prestige” cars look for and demand in their cars, and if you are lucky enough to live in Germany you can enjoy the virtues of the CTS-V on the sections of the Autobahn.
Personally I would be happy with a 5.3L V8 equipped CTS, the hard part is whether to pick Coupe, Sedan or Wagon.
Sierra,
It’s about balance. There are literally a hundred million or so commuters in the United States. People whose primary concern is a reliable, economical car that will get then to work and back safely and with some degree of comfort..
On the other hand, how many car enthusiasts are there in the country who actually care about how fast a CTS-V or M3 can go around a race track? 10,000? 50,000? I don’t know for sure, but whatever the number, it’s only a very small fraction of those whose primary need for a car is as basic transportation.
Bob Lutz and his CTS-V challenge appeals to only a small fraction of the auto consumer market. That’s not balance or a smart allocation of resources.
Lutz and GM need to focus on the vast majority, not the small fraction.
Travis, This thread is discussing the CTS-V and how it performs against it’s direct competitors and proving that the CTS-V is a world class sports sedan that is worthly of serious consideration from buyers in this premium segment.
Mr. Lutz created this challenge to dispell the perception that Cadillac cannot make a true sports sedan and is only capable of producing oversized, overweight, softly suspended and inefficient cars. Cadillac may have produced cars like that in the distant past, but the current and future Cadillac lineup is quite different; capable of giving drivers all of the performance they desire along with efficiency matching or exceeding competitors from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. GM is producing a sports sedan because there is a profitable market for it just like major competitors Acura, Audi, BMW, Infiinti, Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes Benz have been doing for as long or longer than Cadillac.
GM makes a broad lineup of vehicles that are competitive or superior to other manufacturers “reliable, economical cars”, pehaps you are famliar with the Malibu and upcoming Cruze, or the game changing Volt? I am sure GM would like to hear your views on these vehicles on threads where they actively being discussed.
I would appreciate it if you could maintain focus on the topic at hand, specifically whether the results of this challenge will change market perceptions of the Cadillac CTS enough to increase sales from buyers currently considering BMW 3 and 5-series, Mercedes C-Class or E-Class and Lexus GS 350 to name a few.
The full CTS lineup is as “reliable and economical” as all of these competitors and superior in some areas, GM could make the CTS lineup even more competitive with the addition of the 5.3L V8 with AFM and a “XFE” style “programming” that would match or exceed many competitors 6-cylinder offerings in both performance and MPG. GM also has the world class 2.0L Direct Injected Turbo 4-Cylinder that could be added to the CTS – again matching or exceeding all competitor’s offerings and GM does offer efficient Turbo-Diesel powered CTS models in Europe, there is even the Two-Mode Hybrid system that could be modified for use in the CTS.
I would appreciate it if you could maintain focus on the topic at hand…
Sierra,
Why don’t you stay focused on the topic at hand — the survival of General Motors and the American auto industry?
Bob Lutz’s CTS-V challenge may have stroked his ego and provided him personal satisfaction, but it only nibbled at the edges of GM’s bigger problem.
You mentioned the Cruze. The Cruze will necessarily play a much larger role in GM’s survival than the CTS-V. Why isn’t Lutz issuing a “Cruze challenge?” Or why isn’t he issuing a “Volt challenge?”
The CTS-V has always been a classy vehicle. You just upped that a notch and that’s going to make it a hot seller.
Hello Bob,
Enough said about the cadillac, You have a great vehicle in the Chey Tahoe Hybrid and the word needs to get out. I am almost always stopped at the gas station to ask about my Chev Tahoe hybrid, which I think is a great vehicle. However for the people at GM that work on the design, manufacturing, and assembly teams there needs to be more advertizing. I have visited 6 GM dealerships in Canada and only one was aware that GM built a Hybrid Tahoe and in all I saw no advertising, posters, literature etc. No to mention I did not see one new Hybrid vehicle.
Hi Bob! Do you know you can’t do this any longer? Apparently the GM legal department has decided this violates the company vehicle policy so employees won’t be able to take a company vehicle on a track even if it is a driving school. GM in conjunction with the National Corvette Museum participated in High Performance Driving Schools at several tracks around the country, e.g., Spring Mountain, VIR, Road America, etc., over a 4 year period of time. The Tom Wallace & the Corvette Team built up a lot of customer enthusiasm at these events and sold a lot of Corvettes. The number of Z06 Corvettes participating went from 0% in 2006 to about 70% in 2009. These Corvette owners also buy other GM products like trucks to haul their cars or go to work, or GM cars to drive because they have excellent performance characteristics, are durable, and reliable. Corvette Team members were encouraged to attend and the interface between the GM people and the participants was on a rock star level when you talk with those who attended these events, and they told other people about it. The Audi, BMW, Porsche instructors were soooo jealous. It really is too bad because these events were having a huge impact on customer enthusiasm. I wonder how they are going to tell the writers at GM press events held at tracks, that they can’t drive a GM car or truck on the track, so they will just have to imagine what it would be like to take it for a spin. Sounds a little crazy to me but it is true.
Dear Mr. Lutz
I think you are missing a major marketing oportunity with the Volt. Right now there is a large segment of the US and Canadian population who are fed up with US jobs going foreign and the huge amount of US cash going for foreign oil. In fact you might say that the large oil companies are now being considered as “The Man”.
Most of these people have an independent attitude and like doing things for themselves.
Here is the suggestion: Why not have a marketing called “Sticking It to the Man? Provide a wind generator or a solar set up as premium for each Volt sold so people can generate at least a portion of the power needed to run the Volt plus come out with a light pickup version.
Please contact me by email if you like the idea.
Just joined the FastLane Bloggers; delighted to get your ear, finally. Been driving GM vehicles starting w/ a ‘53 Buick Riviera (fender ports) purch from Massey Buick in Pittsgurgh w/ my first Steeler check as a rookie out of Duke Univ; a mechanical engineer at that. My favorite Cadillac, of the last 4, is a ‘94 CLS, V-8 Northstar-the best of them all! My hope is to modify it to CNG Flex fuel; an AFV nat gas home fueled option. The EPA has made CNG conversions cost prohibitive and I want to challenge that issue. A local converter advises that the only EPA approved conversion is avilable for a Ford F-250 platform-that has to be B.S. I need your help or that of Larry Burns, GM VP of R & D, to give us a GM, “Made in America” vehicle w/ optional CNG home fueling. Nat gas is our most abundent clean burn domestic fossil fuel if we are serious about real-time energy independence. Sorry, Boone Pickens, CNG 18 wheelers won’t get the job done. Hope this reaches you- Saturn could fill that role,adequately. Hope to begin a dialog on CNG AFV’s.
Coach Lou from Littleton (Colorado)