Cadillac

If you had to pick one American car introduced in the last 36 months that is truly impressive and within spitting distance of the world’s best, you could do much worse than the second generation Cadillac CTS-V. It’s definitely raised the sport sedan bar, and GM is hoping the new coupe version will do the same in the premium high-performance two-door segment. But how will we know how this flashy fastback stacks up against two of its biggest rivals from Germany, the BMW M3 and Audi RS5?

That’s where well-established enthusiast publications Motor Trend and Car and Driver come into play. Contrary to popular belief, they are quite aware of the existence of the Internet and the additional capabilities it offers over ultrathin wafers of pureed trees. How do we know this? By the two nicely-put-together HD videos after the jump, of course.

After the long wait, the new 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is finally here and it is an absolute beast. Looking like it just ate your neighbor's M3, with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine putting out 556 horsepower and 551 ft-lb of torque, it can probably dominate anything in your local municipality (unless you live in Newport Beach).

This is the most powerful engine Cadillac has ever offered in a production car and propels the vehicle from 0-60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. Transmission options include a Tremac dual-disc six-speed manual and a Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The official introductions will comes next week at the 2010 North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit.

While GM is struggling with...everything, one thing they've gotten right is building a super-sedan; the Cadillac CTS-V. Slaying its more expensive foreign-accented foes left and right, this American four-door with 556 horsepower has shown the world we can make a mean sports sedan. People love super-sedans, and why not? They have the thrill of a sports car and the practicality of a sedan. It's an automotive version of “Kujo.” Why make a journey to Willow Springs only a trip for 2 when it can be done with 4? Well now you can bring your dog too (please don't) because Cadillac will be offering a wagon version of its current family-hauling-brawler. Introducing the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.

Up until now the “Uber-wagen” was a class of car that GM couldn't compete with. These aren't wood-paneled behemoths or play-it-safe Volvos. These are 500-plus hp, 170mph family-friendly fighter jets. It's a niche that's been dominated by the Germans for years; Mercedes makes the E63 AMG Wagon, BMW makes the M5 Touring, and Audi makes my personal favorite, the beautiful and planetary-rotation-stopping RS6 Avante. Sure, Dodge made the Magnum, but comparing that to an RS6 is to put me at bat against Clemens. It just lacks in too areas to play at that level. But the German cars are brilliant. I think high-horsepower SUVs are useless while these cars exist. They perform better, get better mileage, carry plenty, cost less and look way better. Any of these 3 cars makes a Porsche Cayenne look like a hump-backed leper.

This past weekend, the record for world's fastest gasoline-powered land vehicle was set by Spectre Performance's 1900 hp SpeedLiner. Powered by a twin-turbo 1970's Cadillac engine with 1200 ft-lb of torque, this speed demon, nicknamed Infidel, blitzed its way to an amazing 330.7 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at the hands of driver Kenny Hoover. The Infidel was built by hot-rod accessory manufacturer Spectre Performance at the behest of founder Amir Rosenbaum, who has vowed to keep pushing until they reach 400 mph.

Last weekend 19,000 fans showed up at Shanghai's Formula One track to check out a show sponsored by Cadillac to celebrate the launch of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V in China. A professional stunt team from Hollywood excited fans with an awesome display of mad driving skills and crazy moves. Spiderman even made an appearance to show-off his daredevil abilities, leaping between cars! A noteable hightlight was when GM test engineer John Heinricy set a new course record in the Cadillac CTS-V for the quickest-ever lap run with a production sedan. Check out the video after the jump:

The "Cadillac of electric vehicles" is currently being previewed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The quote comes from Bob Lutz during his unveiling of their new alternative energy coupe. The Cadillac Converj uses the same drivetrain as the Chevrolet Volt but puts the company's upscale and more aggresive aesthethic into good use. The Converj is a plug-in that takes about 3 hours to fully charge on a  240 volt line and 8 hours on a 120 volt line. 

When battery energy is drained, the Converj turns on its extended range mode, which relies on a flex-fuel engine. This is actually a power generator that provides a steady supply of electricity for hundreds of miles until refueling or recharging. This feature actually eliminates the "range anxiety" associated with electric-only vehicles with no reserve power. People still are nervous about not being able to rely on the nearest gas station.