Cadillac Unleashes World's Fastest Production V8 Sedan in the UAE: The 2009 CTS-V

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – January 30, 2009: The world’s fastest V8 production sedan, the all-new CTS-V, was officially launched in the UAE at a major performance drive event at the Dubai Autodrome. As Cadillac’s top-of-line sedan, the CTS-V combines the serious performance of an elite sports car with the poise and elegance of a luxury sedan.

With a powertrain tailored by GM’s Powertrain specialist division in Michigan, the CTS-V delivers an SAE*-certified 609 horsepower from its supercharged V8 engine and a blistering acceleration of 3.9 seconds from 0 to 100kph with the help of its comprehensive suite of technical and design enhancements – including Magnetic Ride Control and the addition of a new automatic transmission with paddle-shift controls.

“The CTS-V represents the full extension of our design, technology and performance capabilities,” said Adib Takieddine, Marketing Manager for Cadillac in the Middle East. “The V-Series takes the award-winning CTS sport sedan and elevates it to a position within the club of the world’s most exclusive and capable cars.”

Several key technical and design elements combine to transform the already highly capable CTS into the new V-Series. Like the existing CTS, the V-Series is the product of an intensive development process across North America and Europe, as well as famed test tracks, including a record-setting performance at Germany’s famed Nürburgring and millions of kilometres of road testing.

The 2009 CTS-V extends Cadillac’s acclaimed design language, both inside and out. The V-Series includes all the elements of the CTS sport sedan’s well-received cabin, while adding some elegant and purposeful accents.

Exterior Design
The exterior of the new CTS-V amplifies the assertive stance and elegant details of the standard car, and communicates the car’s remarkable capabilities. The dihedral Cadillac grille is larger to enable more air intake and features a satin finish. The raised hood encompasses the supercharged engine, and new front and rear fascias identify the vehicle as a V-Series. The car’s 19-inch wheels enhance its stance on the road.

Through the original CTS-V, Cadillac proved it could develop a very potent, high-performance sedan. The challenge for the 2009 model was comprehensive enhancements that achieve greater results in all aspects of performance and luxury. Advanced technology plays a significant role in bringing the CTS-V to its world-class performance threshold.

Interior Design
A microfiber material is added to the steering wheel, seats and shifter, providing the soft feel and luxurious appearance of suede without suede’s inherent drawbacks of difficult care and moisture sensitivity. These accents on the steering wheel, seat inserts and shifter are elegant to the touch and help support high-performance driving.

Just like every CTS, the V-Series includes a hand-stitched instrument panel, door trim and center console. Leading-edge infotainment features – including a 40-gigabyte hard drive, advanced navigation system with a “pop-up” screen and Bose digital surround audio – extend to the V-Series, as well as factory-installed Bluetooth capability.

The CTS-V will offer Recaro performance driving seats, providing excellent support for spirited driving and adding to the luxurious and purposeful interior. These new, 14-way adjustable performance seat include pneumatic bolster controls in the seat cushion and backrest.

Engine and Transmission
Featuring a new 6.2-litre LSA supercharged V-8 engine the CTS-V generates 609 horsepower at 6100 rpm and 747 Nm of torque at 3800 rpm. The engine is the most powerful ever offered in Cadillac’s nearly 106-year history and is based on GM’s legendary small-block architecture and features an intercooled sixth-generation Eaton supercharger system, premium heat-resistant aluminum-alloy cylinder heads and numerous details designed to ensure the LSA makes its power as quietly and smoothly as possible.

A pair of six-speed transmissions is offered with the LSA: A new, Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual with a dual-disc clutch; and a Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic with paddle-shift control – the first automatic offered in the CTS-V that also complements the console-shifter-activated tap up/tap down gear control, as well as driver-selectable modes that deliver different performance characteristics, i.e. shift points, shift firmness, for different driving conditions.

Each transmission is designed to channel the engine’s tremendous power while simultaneously delivering exceptional refinement and smoothness upgraded to handle the LSA engine’s substantial increase in torque, as well as improve shift quality via a dual-disc clutch system.

Suspensions and break systems
As a standard feature, the CTS-V has the world’s fastest-reacting suspension technology, the ultra-exclusive 2-mode Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). It uses shocks controlled by electro-magnets, rather than mechanical valves, greatly accelerating response time. Electronic sensors at all four wheels literally “read the road” every millisecond, making constant adjustments to damping to create virtually instantaneous and extremely precise control of body motions. This is of particular benefit for a high-performance sedan because it keeps the car very composed during hard cornering, acceleration, braking and other dynamic maneuvers.

CTS-V also includes sophisticated braking and tire systems, in partnership with two companies renown for high-performance technology: Brembo and Michelin. Brembo brakes are at all four corners and include powerful, six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear. Michelin worked with Cadillac engineers to develop its acclaimed Pilot Sport 2 (PS2) summer tire for CTS-V and its 19-inch wheels

*SAE International (SAE: Society of Automotive Engineers) is a standards development professional organization for mobility engineering professionals in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle industries.