Cadillac "V-Series"To Compete In High Performance Luxury Segment
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"V-Series" Ushers In New Era Of Cadillac Performance
PEBBLE BEACH, CA- Surrounded by some of the finest vintage luxury and performance automobiles of all time, Cadillac today announced it will enter the high-performance luxury arena with its new "V-Series" line of products.
Cadillac executives also unveiled the design of the V-Series logo, which both harkens back to Cadillac's rich heritage as a pioneer in high-performance "V" engine technology and conveys the dynamic posture that will characterize the V-Series models. The first Cadillac to receive the "V-Series" designation will be the CTS, which begins production late next year as a 2004 model.
"This is a landmark day for Cadillac," said Cadillac general manager Mark LaNeve, speaking from the lawn of Sunday's 53rd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. "The announcement of the V-Series is further evidence of the dramatic changes taking place at Cadillac. It shows we're serious about establishing credibility with the most sophisticated customers in the luxury market - the high-performance luxury buyer. We're confident the V-Series models will be a performance package that represents Cadillac at its best, and will allow us to accelerate the renaissance of this legendary brand."
V-Series enhancements will include substantially increased horsepower over the standard engine; manual or "automatic-manual" transmission; performance-tuned suspension; additional instrumentation; larger front air intake; dual exhaust with visible tips; larger wheels, tires and brakes; Stabilitrak standard; unique seating surfaces; and V-Series badging exterior and interior.
"V-Series represents the best of what Cadillac has to offer in terms of performance," said Jim Taylor, vehicle line director, GM prestige cars. "The outstanding performance characteristics of the rear-drive Sigma-based CTS lend itself perfectly to this type of high-performance variant. The CTS V-Series will be totally refined and balanced in many areas to deliver a driving experience well beyond expectations."
Unlike some other high-performance luxury models, Cadillac V-Series will be completely designed and engineered "in-house" in a cooperative effort with GM's recently established Performance Division.
"We have some of the best minds in the performance business working with Cadillac to develop V-Series," said Mark Reuss, executive director, GM Performance Division. "The team is passionate and committed to creating vehicles that will be competitive with the world's best high-performance luxury brands."
Cadillac's performance heritage began in 1915 when it introduced the world's first mass-produced V8 engine, followed in the 1930s by legendary V16 and V12 models. More recently, Cadillac has led the way again with the high-performance 32-valve Northstar V8, which is helping power the division's return to racing in the all-new Cadillac Northstar Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racecar.
The new V-shaped logo for V-Series models employs the same colors - black against gold, red, silver and blue, on a platinum background -- as the Cadillac division's redesigned "Wreath & Crest" logo, introduced at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1999.
"While its colors are meant to depict the 'luxury' side of Cadillac, its vertical orientation and its forward-leaning angle to the right are both meant to depict motion and performance," said Kip Wasenko, design director, GM Performance Division, who oversaw the design of the V-Series logo. "This new V-Series logo draws on the proud technological heritage of Cadillac's past emblems, but renders that heritage in a thoroughly modern and sophisticated way."
The use of the "V" designation in Cadillac sales literature dates all the way back to the beginning of the brand. V-shaped emblems started to appear on radiator grilles, trunk lids and hub caps in the 1930s, and following World War II, Cadillac's divisional emblem evolved into the well-known "V-and-crest" design, which lasted, in one form or another, into the 1960s.
Cadillac is a division of General Motors . General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. More information on General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.
