The Cadillac ATS-V and CTS-V are some of the best and funnest cars on the market today, facts that, alas, weren’t enough to convince buyers, with Cadillac killing off the ATS altogether. But we also knew the CT5 and CT4 were coming as replacements. And we’ll get V Series versions of those, too, Cadillac’s confirmed.
The official unveiling is next Thursday in Detroit, the company said today, without releasing any other details about the cars, including big questions like what kind of motors will be inside and whether there will be manual transmissions offered. The debut of the CT4-V will likely also double as the debut of the CT4 itself, since it’s an entirely new car and supposed to compete with cars like the Audi A3.
The CT4-V I’m actually somewhat excited about, a small-ish car that will probably make over 400 horsepower and, if it drives anything like the ATS-V, will be a total blast. Will people buy these things any more than they did the ATS-V or CTS-V? Probably not! Sedans aren’t really in fashion these days, nor is Cadillac.
That said, this is a reasonably low-risk bet for GM, since, as Autoblog points out, the CT4-V and CT5-V will likely be based on GM’s Alpha platform, which is what the Camaro and ATS are already based on.
I also admire the company’s gumption in leaning into the V Series, with a note in its announcement that the CT4-V and CT5-V are “only the beginning,” suggesting that the V Series—currently the outgoing ATS-V and CTS-V, along with the CT6-V—will be expanding, likely to Cadillac’s crossover lineup. That would be a smart move, and would probably also interest buyers a bit more. For now, the market can’t get enough crossover and SUV.