With 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque at its disposal, the 2016 CTS-V trumps its German competitors in the performance department, but Cadillac->ke18 seems to think the sedan isn't powerful enough. At least that's what Automobile claims, adding that a "well-placed source" inside Cadillac says the GM-owned brand wants to inject even more oomph in the CTS-V.

As it turns out, Cadillac fears that once BMW->ke178 and Mercedes-Benz->ke187 launch updated versions of the M5->ke2922 and E63 AMG,->ke373 the CTS-V will no longer be on top. So even though the current sedan has 80 and 73 horsepower more than the M5 and E63 AMG S-Model, respectively, Cadillac already wants to up the ante in the output department to make sure that the CTS-V remains the most powerful mid-size.->ke1695 luxury.

"The Cold War continues. I don't know where it stops, but it's not at 640 horsepower, that's for sure," the unnamed source told Automobile.

It's not yet clear whether the CTS-V will get more power with the mid-cycle facelift, but a drivetrain upgrade is more likely to arrive with the next-generation sedan,->ke142 which is at least five years away.

The current CTS-V uses the same supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 found in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and needs only 3.7 seconds to hit 60 mph from a standing start. Though it's not the quickest premium mid-size out there (the E63 AMG S-Model needs 3.5 seconds for the same benchmark), the CTS-V comes with a mind-boggling 200-mph top speed.

Automobile

Continue reading for the full story.0}

Though I think the CTS-V is wild enough as it is, there's no such thing as too much horsepower in Detroit. And the 707-horsepower Dodge Charger Hellcat is the best proof you can have. However, updating the CTS-V to nearly 700 horses wouldn't make much sense, and there are at least three reasons for that.

First, a Cadillac needs to be a comfortable, luxurious vehicle before anything else. Turning the CTS-V into a road-legal dragster might be a turn off for certain customers. Second, I have strong doubts that the next M5 and E63 AMG will pump out more than 600 horsepower. Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz will focus on weight-saving measures rather than ludicrous power, which should mean quicker sprints with not that much extra power.

If anything, they will be quicker than the CTS-V from 0 to 60 mph, but certainly not more powerful.

Third, Cadillac isn't Dodge. While Dodge has a successful muscle car era and decades of drag racing to defend with the Hellcat nameplate, Cadillac made a name for itself by building some of the most luxurious and commanding vehicles in the world, rivaling products from Rolls-Royce and Bentley back in the good old days. Instead of more powerful Cadillacs, maybe GM should think about the Chevy Camaro that could compete with the Challenger Hellcat.

Why it matters

Read more about the Cadillac CTS-V here.