Back in June Tops Speed reported that the luxury arm of General Motors, Cadillac, is preparing a new full size and stretched luxury sedan called XTS. The new model is a big part of GM's future and will allow the American automaker to confidently compete with the best luxury car builders from around the world; companies like BMW, Audi and Lexus.

Recent reports reveal that the Cadillac XTS will carry a lot of the design and style that was first introduced with the much celebrated Cadillac Sixteen concept. Of course the pair of fused LS1s making up the V16 engine won't make it into the production car. This makes the question of what power plant GM will place under the hood a hot topic. The next generation of the Chevrolet small block V8 is set to be unveiled next year and is a strong candidate for the job.

Next to the Impala and Regal, the new Cadillac XTS will be built on GM’s global Epsilon platform. This means that GM will built three different variations for the three different brands: Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac; all based on the same basic vehicle underpinnings. This allows the automaker to streamline production and cut costs. The car will go into production in December 2011.

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