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Cadillac will expand its range of high-performance Blackwing models

Cadillac proved the American sport sedan isn't dead when it introduced the Blackwing variants of the CT4-V and the CT5-V (pictured) in February 2021. Launched to denote a short-lived V8 engine, the nameplate will appear on other go-fast members of the company's range in the coming years, but there's at least one model it will steer clear of. "Blackwing is reserved for really the pinnacle, the purest expression of performance and track capability, and that's what it's going to stand for going forward. [The CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing] won’t be the last Blackwing cars that we do, but you wonÂ’t see one on every vehicle. ItÂ’s not appropriate. I couldnÂ’t imagine doing an Escalade-V Blackwing," said Cadillac engineering boss Tony Roma in an interview with enthusiast site GM Authority. His comments are reassuring, because they confirm that Cadillac won't water down the Blackwing badge by putting it on sporty-looking models that are more show than go. What's next remains up in the air. The CT4 and the CT5 are Cadillac's only sedans as of writing, so the next Blackwing-badged model will either be an electric car, a crossover, or both. Regardless, it should arrive as a truly track-capable hot rod developed for hardcore enthusiasts. For others, Roma also suggested more V-badged cars are in the pipeline, though he stopped short of listing the models the emblem will appear on. Demand for quick crossovers is growing steadily in America, so it's not difficult to imagine an XT4-V, for example. And, an unverified report published in February 2021 claims the Escalade's 6.2-liter V8 will soon receive a 200-horsepower bump thanks to a factory-backed, dealer-installed supercharger. If the rumor is accurate, the 600-plus-horse Escalade could be the V-branded model that Roma alluded to in the interview. "The V-Series lineup has expanded," he said. "You're going to see more of that in the future. We're going to do more V-Series. It's important to our brand, and you'll see it on other products." Related video:

Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen expands on brand's future

Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen chatted with journalists at a recent roundtable, expounding on everything from domestic racing to Chinese manufacturing. The brand's been doing a slow burn on rolling out new products and increasing sales, but admittedly, there was a lot of work to do. After closing out last year 0.8 percent down in the U.S., the domestic luxury brand is more than 5 percent up so far this year, thanks to healthy double-digit bumps for the ATS and Escalade, and increased fleet sales. Globally, the brand's doing 21 percent better. The XT5 still outsells everything, though. Asked about slow sedan sales, de Nysschen cited a few reasons, one of them "energy prices," which are low enough to fuel the crossover craze. You can also read that as another admission that Cadillac doesn't have enough crossovers to please the crowds, a fact the XT4 will soon address. Yet de Nysschen also pegged the sedan malaise on "younger consumers who really are less tuned into dynamics and handling and all of those things that used to excite enthusiasts. It's more about the way cars complement and enable their lifestyle now." He topped that with a take on U.S. roads, saying, "I also have to say it may also be influenced a little bit by the decay of America's infrastructure. When roads no longer support high-performance sport sedans and ultra-low-profile rubber, people are going to respond to it." Those latter takes seem wide of the mark. Yes, BMW is the established leader, but the Munich carmaker sold 8,806 3 Series' so far this year in all variants, compared to 2,543 ATS coupes and sedans. Mercedes-Benz has sold 8,366 C-Class models so far in all variants. As for infrastructure, yes, it's a mess, but AMG sales rocketed up nearly 50 percent in the U.S. last year, nearly 10 percent of overall Mercedes sales, and the Three-Pointed Star expects that to rise again this year. People are buying sedans and performance models. They simply aren't buying enough of them with Cadillac badges. Cadillac has no plans to go racing in Europe since the brand doesn't have the kind of presence there to justify the investment. De Nysschen said they'll stick with the Daytona Prototype International formula in the U.S. domestic scene, and continue with the tech transfer from race to road.

Cadillac teases two new V-Series prototypes at the Detroit Grand Prix

We told you earlier this week that there would be more to come from Cadillac's V-Series of performance vehicles following the introduction of the brand's CT4-V and CT5-V performance sedans. We just didn't expect it to come quite so soon. Cadillac surprised attendees of the 2019 Detroit Grand Prix as two new prototypes took to the track for what we figure must have been demonstration laps in between other official race events. A CT4-based machine wearing funky blue camouflage joined a red-hued CT5-based prototype on the track, with driving duties split between Mark Reuss, president of General Motors, and Ken Morris, vice president of Product. Cadillac CT4 V-Series prototype View 3 Photos Exactly what's powering these prototypes is still a mystery, but we have our suspicions that these two beasts are putting down a lot more power than the 320-horsepower CT4-V and 355-hp CT5-V that underwhelmed enthusiasts earlier this week. We wouldn't be surprised if there was a version of Cadillac's twin-turbo Blackwing V8 engine under the hood of this V-badged CT5 prototype. Cadillac is being coy with further details, saying only that these two vehicles "represent the next step in Cadillac's V-Series performance legacy." So we'll just have to wait for now. But in the meantime, feel free to peruse the images above and speculate in the comments below.