![\"Cadillac](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/03\/05\/PDTN\/9ca704d2-0fee-4660-8c51-120309d0be2f-Cadillac-LYRIQ_side.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\nFor 18\u00a0years, Cadillac has gone toe-to-toe with its V-series performance\u00a0badge against some of the world\u2019s most iconic brands, including BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The 2022\u00a0Cadillac CT4\u00a0and CT5\u00a0V-Series Blackwing models hitting showrooms this year will be the last, gas-fired V-series sedans. But the V-series badge will live on as Cadillac electrifies a new generation of performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotion is the key,\u201d said Cadillac\u00a0Executive Chief Engineer Brandon Vivian in an interview. \u201cWe start with trying to have an emotional connection with the customer. We\u2019ve got to think of different ways of interacting with the customer, of course, because of how the vehicle gets its energy … (but) we’re passionate about delivering performance and sophistication.\u201d<\/p>\n Vivian is shepherding Caddy’s\u00a0extreme electric makeover, bringing a wealth of experience having worked on GM\u2019s original electric vehicle, the EV1,\u00a0as well as\u00a0V-series steeds. Cadillac traces its performance\u00a0roots back over a century, a legacy the veteran engineer says is perfectly suited to lead a 21st-century EV\u00a0revolution.<\/p>\n \u201cCadillac has a rich history of innovation and really creating the brand around that,\u201d he said. \u201cThen you look at General Motors and our zero-zero-zero based approach\u00a0for emissions-crash-congestion. Cadillac is\u00a0going to be at tip of spear and lead the charge.\u201d<\/p>\n Cadillac\u2019s first all-electric vehicle, the Lyriq crossover, won\u2019t debut until early 2022, but other legacy performance brands like Porsche and Ford Motor Co.’s Mustang have introduced\u00a0new EVs that try and mimic the sound of the petrol engines that made them famous. Both\u00a0the Porsche\u00a0Taycan\u00a0and Mustang Mach E option subtle, synthetic growling sounds.<\/p>\n \u201cEVs aren\u2019t void of noise \u2014\u00a0there’s an\u00a0inverter hum you have as it converts electricity, and the electric motors (have)\u00a0a little bit of a characteristic\u00a0to them also,\u201d said Vivian. \u201cEVs are playing that up or down depending on what their particular characteristics are for their brand. You\u2019ll see us doing that both internally and externally to create a unique Cadillac sound and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Cadillac\u2019s unique, window-rattling V8s have defined the brand on and off the track.<\/p>\n The V-series has won Cadillac an international\u00a0racing reputation with multiple GT championships in the V8-powered CTS-V. In IMSA’s top-dog\u00a0prototype class, the 600-horsepower Cadillac DPi-V.R has been the car to beat. Last month it finished second at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, just missing out on a fifth consecutive win.<\/p>\n Racing has been intertwined with Cadillac\u2019s production development this century, helping to advance everything\u00a0from engines\u00a0to\u00a0styling to\u00a0aerodynamics. But electric racing is in its infancy and has struggled to gain an audience due to batteries’\u00a0inherent\u00a0limitations in range and top speed.<\/p>\n There is no equivalent electric racing challenge like the world-famous Rolex 24 or 24 Hours of Le Mans. Formula\u00a0E, an open-wheel electric series, has attracted European manufacturers \u2014 but no automaker\u00a0from this side of the pond.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure what Cadillac will do racing wise,\u201d said Stephen Cole Smith, veteran racing writer with Autoweek and The Drive. \u201cThey have a great reputation now in the (IMSA) series. People are bailing out of Formula E and not that many getting in. Porsche and Audi are out of it saying they’ve learned everything they can.\u201d<\/p>\n Vivian\u00a0says that racing will continue to be integral to Cadillac development in the electron age.<\/p>\n \u201cWe relish that challenge. Going forward you see more and more (racing) series introducing different tech with different propulsion systems,\u201d he said, though he couldn\u2019t discuss\u00a0details yet. \u201cAs we\u2019re leading the charge into the electric space\u00a0for the customer we\u2019ve been actively talking to sanctioning bodies to lead the charge into electric racing.\u201d<\/p>\n The current king of EVs, Tesla, has achieved its reputation without ever competing on track. Indeed, its flagship Model S has struggled to complete Car and Driver’s\u00a0Virginia International\u00a0Raceway Lightning Lap, a benchmark competition\u00a0for performance production vehicles.<\/p>\n Instead, Tesla has made its reputation\u00a0with neck-snapping, \u201cLudicrous\u201d mode acceleration. Leveraging instant electric\u00a0motor torque, YouTube is choked with videos of Teslas beating\u00a0the world’s fastest gas-engine stallions down quarter-mile dragstrips.<\/p>\n \u201cTesla\u00a0has established itself as the initial large EV brand. That\u2019s just a matter of fact,\u201d said Vivian. \u201cWe don\u2019t see them as a direct competitor as to where we\u2019re going with luxury performance, but certainly they have the first mover advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n Ironically, Cadillac went head-to-head with the Tesla Model S from 2013-2016 with its ELR plug-in hybrid, which had\u00a0a range-extending gas engine (to 340 miles) for when the 37-mile range battery ran out of juice. Priced competitively\u00a0with the $70,000, 265-mile range, all-electric Model S, the ELR sold just 3,000 units before it was discontinued.<\/p>\n The wildly-successful Model S has since gained over 400 miles of\u00a0range\u00a0and spawned\u00a0a family of EVs including the Model 3 sedan and Model X and Y SUVs.<\/p>\n \u201c(The ELR) was fantastically styled, very luxurious vehicle,\u201d reflected Vivian. \u201cWhat we learned from that was, if were really going to make an EV \u2014\u00a0and everything the customer is demanding an EV be \u2014\u00a0then we really needed a dedicated platform.\u201d<\/p>\n The engineer says that Cadillac EVs benefit from decades of learning going back to GM\u2019s Advanced Technology Vehicle Group that launched the EV1 in 1997. Key to that experience was learning to to integrate consumer needs with political demands as governments have become increasingly\u00a0forceful\u00a0in dictating automotive drivetrains.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we learned is how to interact with more than just the customer. We had to develop infrastructure, so we had to work with utilities. We had to work with government\u00a0agencies and customer at same time,\u201d he said. \u201cSo as we move and transition (to EVs) you have to think of elements outside the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n Cadillac\u2019s last, gas-fired V-series won\u2019t go quietly.<\/p>\n![\"Cadillac](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/03\/05\/PDTN\/da438df7-f8ba-4236-ae34-269585847b51-Cadillac_Vivian.jpg?width=660&height=552&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/02\/05\/PDTN\/0e7252f2-7f10-48e7-9cf7-ebffa83f6289-caddy_daytona.JPG?width=660&height=351&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Cadillac](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/03\/05\/PDTN\/5ffd87d1-8641-4a8f-86a1-82411cf2d8e1-Cadillac-LYRIQ_dawn.jpg?width=660&height=439&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
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