AutoWeek has reported that General Motors’ Cadillac division, its reputation as a luxury automaker on the rebound along with sales, is developing the hardware for an opulent V12-engined flagship that draws its design inspiration from the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept car.
The plush new sedan, described to AutoWeek as an all-American rival for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Lexus LS 460, would provide buyers with a homegrown alternative to some of the world’s most highly distinguished luxury-car offerings—at a price that is likely to undercut the competition dramatically.
A key component in GM product boss Bob Lutz’s push to provide Cadillac with a more international flavor and to drive sales in markets outside the United States, the distinctively styled rear-wheel-drive model would be positioned at the top of the range, with a list of high-end features never before offered on a Cadillac, including the very latest in crash avoidance and safety technology.
For years, Lutz has longed for a top-end grand tourer in his stable. In 2003, Lutz told AutoWeek he wanted GM to develop an ultraluxury sedan (“A Cadillac Cunningham,” Dec. 15, 2003) that would come in three models: a V8, a high-performance V8 and a V12.
Interviewed last week while visiting England for the opening of a Hummer dealership there, Lutz confirmed that development work is well under way in Australia on the new V12 that would be the centerpiece of the new Cadillac.
The V12 essentially mates two of the company’s 60-degree, 3.6-liter V6 engines on a common crankshaft. AutoWeek sources say the V12 will offer features such as direct injection, cylinder deactivation and a state-of-the-art automatic gearbox to ensure competitive levels of power and economy. They say a safe starting point is merely to double specifications from the direct-injection 3.6-liter V6, which would give the engine a 7.2-liter displacement, about 600 hp and some 540 lb-ft of torque.
Experimental engines created by Holden already have undergone testing in prototype mules at the company’s Lang Lang test center outside Melbourne. The prototypes run on GM’s rear-wheel-drive Zeta architecture, as found beneath the Holden Commodore, Australia’s version of the upcoming Pontiac G8. The chassis features a lengthened engine module to accommodate the V12 engine and widened front and rear tracks.
At this stage, it is unknown whether GM plans to base the upmarket Cadillac on the same platform, but given the need to spread the cost of rear-wheel-drive development over as many models as possible, such a move cannot be ruled out.
Well, Wizard, how soon will you order yourself one?
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