Cadillac’s new 2011 CTS-V Coupe

By Matt Brogan | January 05th, 2010

Cadillac will debut the 2011 CTS-V Coupe at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The car is powered by a 556-horsepower (415kW) 551 lb.-ft. of torque (747 Nm) supercharged V8 engine which comes from the CTS-V sedan. Combining the CTS Coupe’s design and the power results in a luxury sports coupe for the driving enthusiasts.

“The CTS-V Coupe marries our most potent and sophisticated technology with our most dramatic production design,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac general manager. “This combination of visual and technical attributes is designed to create a very compelling choice for luxury sports car consumers.”

Set to begin production in the middle of the year the CTS Coupe includes technologies such as Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes and an automatic transmission with paddle shift control.
The V series Coupe has a unique grill which doubles the air intake volume, important for the cars high performance requirements. The bonnet also has a raised centre section to provide clearance for the supercharger. Similar to the CTS Coupe the exhaust is centered inside the rear fascia, but has twin outlets. 19 inch cast aluminium wheels can be painted or polished and are fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 2 performance tires.

The rear track of the Coupe is almost one inch wider than the sedan it is based on, which gives the car an aggressive stance and also helps with improved handling. The CTS-V Sport Sedan established itself as one of the world’s highest performing luxury sedans, it was the first production car fitted with street tires to break the eight minute barrier at Germany’s Nurburgring track. With the V series Coupe’s sleeker shape and lower weight its performance should be similar to the sedan if not better.
Sharing the same wheelbase as the CTS-V Sport Sedan the Coupe is 51 mm lower and 51 mm shorter, sharing only the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front guards and grille.

Key design features consist of the classic hardtop styling with no conventional B pillar. The doors have touch-pad operation with no door handles. The windshield is at a 62.3 degree angle with an almost horizontal back window for an aerodynamic profile. Signature vertical lighting with LED highlights and a high mounted stop lamp which functions as a rear spoiler.
Recaro driving seats are an option in the CTS-V Coupe, providing good support for enthusiastic driving. The seats are 14-way adjustable and have pneumatic side bolsters in the cushion and backrest.

A new and exclusive Saffron colour is an option for the interior with accents carried on the seat inserts and stitching. Microfiber covers the steering wheel, seat inserts and shifter, offering the luxurious character of suede without the negatives of difficult care.
Hand stitched instrument panel, door trim and centre console are standard on the V series. Included is a 40 gigabyte hard drive, navigation system, Bose digital surround audio and Bluetooth phone connection.

DGS

Ugly, Very Ugly.

The concept is good, but the Europeans, Japanese and even Holden (with the Manaro) have demonsrated that a performance car can have a nice looking body and be disirable even to non car fanatics.

Well done regarding he performance, but if I where in the market for a performance coupe I would settle on something a bit slower if it where going to
a.) be easier on the eyes
b.) not date faster than Kias bottle opener grill
c.) retain some resale value after 5 years (I have my doupts on this one)
bob

DGS, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I understand that the look of this car isnt for everyone, but personally I love it

Wheelnut

What; you would rather have this instead of a Coupe 60? [if Holden built it]

Phil

mmm, paint it matt black, with black satin chrome accents and you’d have a 4 wheel stealth bomber. If they ever decide to do a remake of the movie Christine, they should use this car…

Wouldn’t have one myself though.
Brett

And there we all were thinking the New GM would focus on small, green energy efficient cars.

OMG it is ugly.
Shak

I think this is very advanced in both looks and kit and performance for a Cadillac. If it is coming to Australia like Holden says then i WILL buy one. As the above comment stated, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and IMO this is beautiful.
spellbound

Audi tt rs thanks , this looks like a daewoo on steroids , probably is .

No wonder GM went bust , when they serve up rubbish looks.
Baddass

I’d still choose the sedan or wagon. The kicked up rear is a little odd. Seems more like a hatch than a coupe in profile.

The yellow seats are a strange addition to the blue lighting and sivler paint job!
Gazza

You can love or hate the looks but you can’t ignore the figures, 415kW & 747Nm!
However, sales success for this car will probably depend on what price GM puts on it.
I’ll take mine in black thanks.
Direct Injection

So where is the new direction that GM promised the Obama Government so they would bail them out? They shouldnt be allowed to waste the taxpayers money with cars like this. Dear Barrack Obama, please take your money back so we dont have to put up with this crap car company any longer. If he sees this ugly car maybe he will …….we can only hope!!! The end is near if this is what GM is still building. They should have been left to die …..

Shak

Mate you really do have something against GM products dont you. What do you hate about GM so much. fair enough they may have made some poor decisions in the past but they are trying now, look at the Cruze and recent offerings from Opel. So just because they make a performance car means they broke their promise to Obama. What did you expect them to do, cut out their enthusiast market completely? The New GM are much better than the old GM and their recent efforts to try and rebuil are very solid.
Golfschwein

‘So where is the new direction that GM promised the Obama Government so they would bail them out?’

Sigh. Gee, I dunno, mate. Hey, why don’t you ask Cadillac yourself and post us the answer.
Safety First

Two points,
New Direction you ask?? What about trying to attract Cashed Up domestic buyers to an American brand rather than something from Germany… Giving them back something they lost many years ago from the GM premium stable, an individual REAR WHEEL DRIVE luxury performance car..?? WHat about the fact that this is a Premium RWD Caddy?? What about the fact that they are trying to give America’s Premium Marque a new lease of life with new product??

Second point though.
I still believe that as long as GM keeps the old guard in charge then they will never really drag themselve out of the hole they are in….

dennis bird

wheres a bucket i think i’m gunna throw up, talk about a brick!!!!!!!
Direct Injection

Shak….sounds like you are the PR guy for GM !! lol Why Obama wasted nearly a billion saving GM is beyond me. Well hopefully they wont last long……
Frosty

Direct injection, you are the joke of the year guaranteed and its only the first week of the year and you have it sewn up. You really have no idea about business or money and how to cancel something that has already cost millions to develop would be more of a waste of money of which the U.S. Government has given G.M. G.M is in the early stages of changes and for you to think that projects that were set in stone years ago would be cancelled would be dellussional just like you if you think what you are saying is smart business sense. This thing will sell well and will bring in money for G.M which will help pay off the government. As Shak has said you just have it against G.M and even if not for the GFC you would still be posting untrue comments about G.M. You really should get over this anti G.M. rubbish. Geez, my brother and I had and still have Ford versus Holden competition but we do not go on with the rubbish you do. You must really have been hurt by them to hold such a grudge or maybe you are just P.R for Ford who have many problems themselves.

Safety First

Hmm add to that the fact that there really isn’t a manufacturer that hasn’t had major Government support over the last decade.. be that in handouts or stupendously high tax rates and tarrifs to protect them in their domestic market. Or the fact that the oft thought invincibles such as Toyota & Mercedes Benz were given farsical sums of money (and Guarantees that they would remain UAW free) to set up shop in southern US states, why shouldn’t the D3 get some financial baking form the people who forced them into agreeing to the employement costs they face???

Banga

Is it the interior photo or is the steering wheel at such an angle that it would feel like you a driving a bus?

Matthew

I agree the wheel angle looks severe, maybe it has one of those systems where, when the door is opened or the ignition key is removed, the steering wheel is raised for ease of exit? And once the driver returns to the vehicle and inserts the ignition key the steering wheel returns to the correct setting?

Peter

Dunno about the coupe, but apparently (according to XF owners in the US) the CTS is nowhere near as ugly in the metal. It wouldnt want to be, I suppose. I have to say that for some bizarre reason this one has grown on me a lot, but then I love the Nissan Cube as well. Maybe the thought of all that power in the CTS is making my eyes glaze over, but the initial gag reflex has turned into something approaching admiration. I dont see a screen for a reverse camera, though it might pop up. Absent one, this thing’d be deadly in reverse!
john

Lots and lots of plastic in there. Lets hope it doesn’t rattle and fallout due to the stiff ride.

bob

It would be nice if Caradvice gave more than one picture of the actual production model. Only the first pic is the production model, the others are of the concept CTS Coupe, which I sat in at the Sydney Motor show, and was obviously not built to production standards.

Callous Aussie

I agree with the very first comment. UGLY. Like so many American cars with “that” headlight/ grill treatment. Aweful. They just aren’t learning over there. Whilst performance cars are nice they should not be the main driver of the American Automaker’s recovery. It was focusing on oversized , thirsty, ugly cars like this that led them into Sh!te creek to start with.

Safety First

Callous, my friend, before you (and others) continue on this bagging out of the US manufacturers about building over sized gas guzzling vehicles that the public don’t want, have a quick look over the last 40 years and see what the NUMBER one selling vehicle in the States has been….
Now look at what the top 5 vehicles, and the top vehicle catagory over the last 5 years has been.
Sure the number one vehicle had a huge reduction in Volume during the fuel scare and the GFC, but it still remained (by a somewhat considerable margin) the number one vehicle
Further to that have a look at the top five seeling vehicles in each catagory, and the top five most economical vehicles in each catagory and you will see that these so called blind Dinosaurs are and have responded to market place requirements. Their biggest problems stem from the uneven platform they have been forced to work under in regards to wages cost when compared to imports and southern state manufacturers.. This (in GM & Chryslers case) has been compounded by inept management, but no more so than those of other manufacturers.

Matthew

Anyone who says this car is ugly is not looking at it in context. It is an American car built for American tastes.

Over many decades we have seen that American taste is often different to our own. This is no exception.

Remember the last Monaro was very popular here but it’s styling was seen as too soft for the US market.

I think this car will sell like hotcakes in the US, probably as fast as they can make them. They are Americans, after all.
David

I think it looks great! And the specs! I want two!
Direct Injection

Frosty……I hate to tell you thus but it is you who have no idea at all. GM is a crap company who make crap cars and did not deserve to survive at the taxpayers expense. It annoys me that they can make mistakes and build cars nobody wants for years and years and then put their hand out for money they dont deserve and then stay with their old bad habits, they have learnt nothing.