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2011 Cadillac ELRWhen whispers started getting louder about Cadillac’s plan of building a production version of the Converj Concept, a lot of people began to wonder whether this was another one of those merry-go-round statements that would be taken back pretty quickly. After all, rumors about a production version of the Converj have been going on for about two years now and on more than one occasion, General Motors has pulled the plug on the project. But now it looks like the green light is finally on. The Cadillac Converj Concept is headed to production as the Cadillac ELR. According to GM, the development of the ELR is currently underway and they are in the middle of testing and developing all the pertinent details of the car. Chief among this is the powertrain, which is expected to carry an electric propulsion system with a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. The whole set-up is pretty similar to the Chevrolet Volt where the ELR is looking into using electricity as the primary energy source with the assistance of a gas engine generator as back-up in case the batteries are all used up. The decision to finally grant production status on the ELR was a long time in the making for GM, but in the end, the company felt like it was now time for the car to be built. “The concept generated instant enthusiasm,” said Don Butler, VP of marketing for Cadillac. “Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present – the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving.” 2009 Cadillac Converj 
Here’s a sexier approach to the Chevrolet Volt. Cadillac’s Converj concept takes the electric car with a gas back powertrain (now called Voltec) from the Chevy and wraps it in a sleek body that reminds of a larger version of the CTS coupe. The Converj is a strict four-seater. While this is used to give this car a sportier image, this is also necessary because a big center section is taken up by the "T" shaped battery used to power the car. The battery pack contains more than 220 lithium-ion cells that can power the car for up to 40 miles. After the battery runs out, the electric will be replenished by a gas-powered generator. Just like the Volt, the car is designed to be fully charged after plugged in for eight hours on a normal household 120-volt outlet (three hours for 240v). There is plenty of function to the Converj form. The dark roof contains solar panels to help recharge the car and the sleek body helps cheat the millage-killing wind. Now all that has to happen is for General Motors to find the capital to put the Cadillac of electric cars in production. UPDATE 08/12/11: After a few jumps on both sides of the fence, Cadillac has officially given the green light for the production of the Converj. The latest news about Cadillac’s resident electric car concept is that GM executives have finally gone ahead and given their blessing to have the Converj hit the production block for a 2013 launch leading up to a release as a 2014 model. Took them a while to finally decide, but hey, better late than never, right? Press release after the jump. Full story 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey
America has been known for many years as the "land of opportunity", now it can be known as the "land of the insane engineering." This change of title is due to a car which defies convention and could be considered the Bell X-1 of tuned sedans. This vehicle truly breaks down what is possible in the tuning market and plows a new path. This seminal vehicle is the 2012 Hennessey Twin Turbo V1000 CTS-V Coupe. The guys over at Hennessey were the only people to look at the 2012 Cadillac CTS-V and think "ya know, we need to make it as powerful as a medium sized ICBM," and the outcome is simply staggering. This latest offering from the Texas based tuning company boasts 1,000 horsepower and 950 ft/lbs of torque. This will push the sports car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and will allow it to do the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 136 mph. All this while pushing it all the way to a top speed of 230 mph. If you’re screaming "I want one!", you will have to a right a large check (somewhere north of 150K). You will also have to be quick because only 12 are being made. If you are lucky enough to have this automotive Hulk, you will undoubtedly love to get under the skin of other super car owners. They will roll their eyes at this pauper, but as soon as you press the loud pedal, you will definitely give their Mercedes SLS AMG and Ferrari 458 Italia models a fright. Hit the jump for more details on the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey. Full story Ride and Drive Event: Ford and Chevy Vie For Your Business
Ford and Chevrolet have been competing since the beginning and with today’s challenging economic times, the rivalry has grown even more fierce. It was not so long ago that car dealerships were selling hundreds of vehicles a day and running out of inventory. Ford and Chevrolet could produce any vehicle of any quality level and have it be a top seller. As the consumer has grown more conscious and more knowledgeable, the business of selling automobiles has grown more difficult. It is hard to negate the fact that the American auto manufacturers have made leaps and bounds in terms of quality and sustainability for the vehicles they produce. These companies have begun to emerge from the financial crisis and are plotting their return to dominance. New marketing tactics have helped lead the charge and get the consumer thinking about their products. One of the best ways to do this is by having the consumer be able to test the vehicles in a non-sales environment. At the Barrett Jackson auction in Orange County, both Ford and Chevrolet had ride and drive events set up to stimulate the car enthusiasts at the auction. Without paying any money or being hassled by a greasy car salesman, I was able to test drive the full range of new General Motors products as well as several different Ford rides. After completing some test drives, I was then whipped around the track by a professional driver in a Corvette ZR1 which left little doubt in my mind that these companies know how to show off their stuff. Hit the jump for more details on the Ride and Drive experience. Full story 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Race Car
Apparently owning a wagon over in Dubai is about as cool as doing the Irish Jig in a Hip Hop dance club, but two guys over in the Middle East are combating this ridiculous notion with a rendering of a CTS-V Wagon Racer. Yes, sadly, it’s just a rendering, but Lap 57’s Emirati race driver, Omran Al Owais, and his brother Mohammed are hoping these images will increase interest and gather up some sponsors to make this vehicle a reality. The Cadillac wagon seen in these images actually belongs to the brothers and they hope to take them to Nurburgring to complete the next step towards possible production. Before that happens, though, the two brothers are looking for advice from some top tuners, including Hennessey Performance and D3, on how to make this happen. Currently, the CTS-V wagon is still in standard form which means it is being powered by a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. of torque. We don’t expect to see many changes, but we imagine the changes actually made will resemble Cadillac’s adjustments to the CTS-V Coupe racer. A CTS-V Wagon Racer is the dream car of Lap 57’s Emirati race driver Omran Al Owais who said: “We are hoping this fetish might catch on with other Emiratis and see them ditching their X6Ms and G55s, so that we start seeing serious girls on the road such as the RS6/E63 or the new exciting M5 Wagon. The streets of Jumeirah at night will never be the same.” 2011 Cadilac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition V700 Sport Wagon by Hennessey
Hennessey Performance is bringing a bit more class to their Cadillac CTS-V V700 package by dropping it into one of the rarest Cadillac CTS-V models ever: the Black Diamond Edition with a manual transmission. Now owners of the exclusive Black Diamond can also take part in the 707 HP madness that was provided to the standard model last year. The Black Diamond CTS-V features a dark tri-coat paint an embedded with SpectraFlair Bright Silver pigment. This special pigment uses aluminum flakes encapsulated in a glass-like substance called magnesium fluoride. The result is a paint that has a diamond-like sparkle as light hits the surface from different angles. The special exterior paint is further highlighted by Satin Graphite 19-inch wheels with yellow Brembo brake calipers and a special Midnight Sapele wood trim. The sparkling exterior of the Black Diamond makes it a hot commodity to begin with, but Hennessey’s V700 upgrade package causes the temperature to spike with 707 raging horses, up from the CTS-V’s standard 556 HP. For this increase, the Cadillac’s 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine was given a plethora of goodies, including an HPE Cold Air Induction System, supercharger pulley upgrade, intercooler heat exchanger upgrade, and a V700 camshaft upgrade. Other features include high flow cylinder heads, stainless steel long tube headers, high flow catalytic converters, and stainless steel mid-pipes. With these additions, the Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond V700 can sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, make the quarter mile in 10.9 second at a speed of 128 mph, and will be capable of a top speed of 211 mph. Car Infographics: Obama’s Cadillac One is a Tank!
Aspiring presidential candidates are already busy gearing up for the 2012 elections with hopes of becoming the most powerful man in the U.S. It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it, and luckily they have a presidential limo that can withstand the job. At first glance, the Cadillac One just looks like a modified Cadillac DTS, but General Motors did not actually assign the presidential state car a specific model name. This may be due to the fact that it carries many different components from many different GM models, including Cadillac Escalade headlights, side mirrors, and door handles; Cadillac STS sedan taillights and back up lights; and what looks to be the GMC Topkick commercial truck’s chassis and driveline. GM went through a lot of trouble building the perfect presidential vehicle, but what happens to the car after the base build is what makes it capable of keeping our president utterly and unbelievably safe. For starters, the car’s chassis has a 5" reinforced steel plate that runs underneath the car in case a bomb finds its way there. Then the entire bodywork is a combination of dual hardness steel, aluminum, titanium, and ceramic which breaks up projectiles upon impact. The doors and gas tank are armour plated, but the gas tank also receives a specially designed foam that prevents it from exploding. The tires are Kevlar reinforced and are shred and puncture resistant. If anyone successfully tears them apart, the steel rims underneath the tires will allow them to get the Cadillac One to safety. The Cadillac One also has a number of accessories that enable it to solve problems quicker than they come around, including night vision cameras, pump action shotguns, tear gas cannons, and blood. Yes, that’s right. The Cadillac One is equipped with bottles of the president’s blood just in case he gets hurt and needs a blood transfusion. Take that, suckers! Check back with us soon to find more interesting tidbits as part of our Car Infographics series. 2009 - 2011 Cadillac CTS-V650 Sport Wagon by HennesseyThe Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon is already a car that can get most enthusiasts drooling. Just about all of the boxes can get ticked off instantly with just a quick look. Luxurious leather interior? Check. Enough space to haul the wife, the kids, the dogs, and all of the useless knick-knacks they decided to bring on the family road trip? Check. A 556 HP supercharged, Corvette-sourced V8? Check. For many enthusiasts, the Caddy wagon is just about all they could ask for in a car. Ludicrously fast, reasonably priced, and practical all at once. What more could they possibly want? Well, as Jeremy Clarkson would say, “MORE POWERRRRRRR!” That’s right, folks. In true tuner fashion, Hennessey Performance near Houston, Texas decided that the CTS-V Sport Wagon needed just a tad more power. More details on the Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V650 Sport Wagon after the jump. UPDATE 05/07/2011: Here’s another tasty treat from the guys over at Hennessey. Their latest video for the CTS-V650 shows the Cadillac doing a few burnouts at Lonestar Motorsports Park. You may want to pump up the volume for this one. Full story BMW X6 M, Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, and Porsche Panamera get dressed up in dragDon’t worry, no one has manufactured high heels and extravagant wigs to place on any undeserving vehicles, but we have found a drag race that errs on the side of weird. Motortrend has taken a chance on a very eccentric review by pitting three out-of-place vehicles against one another: the BMW X6 M, Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, and Porsche Panamera. If you take a look at the specs for these three models, a drag race may not seem too strange a task to undertake. The BMW X6M is powered by a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automatic with manual shift paddles that together produce 555 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque. It gets from 0-60 mph in a whopping 4.3 seconds. The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon comes equipped with a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine can be coupled to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. It also does the 0-60 mph sprint in 4.3 seconds. The last awkward vehicle of the test was a Porsche Panamera and its 4.6L twin turbo V8. This engine produces 500hp and 568 lb-ft of torque when mated to a Porsche’s 7-speed twin clutch transmission. We won’t spoil all of the fun and tell you who won this crazy race, but we will tell you that this video is a definite must-see! 2012 Cadillac CTSBMW and Audi took a big hit in 2008 when Cadillac brought out their second generation CTS sedan. This model came out guns blaring with a fresh design and a new engine line-up. That, plus the fact that it came with a cheaper price tag, was enough for customers to swing away from the German brands and hitch a ride on the Cadillac train. The 2012 CTS is not slowing down either, as the sedan has received more changes to make its German rivals shake in their skivvies. The list isn’t of options isn’t long, but the more powerful V6 engine is enough of an addition for a hat tip their way. The new, upgraded V-6 engine will take you for a ride with an extra 14 HP, but will keep your wallet satisfied by maintaining the fuel economy of the previous engine. That’s right, you still get 18 city/27 highway mpg. Updated 05/22/2012: Cadillac latest commercial for the 2012 sports sedan is pretty impressive. First, they admit that when it comes about sports sedan the Audi A6 is the fastest one. But... not when it comes about speed! See what they are talking about in their new commercial! Hit the jump to read more about the 2012 Cadillac CTS. Full story | Cadillac cars reviews2015 2014 2013
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