The Cadillac CTS Coupe is going to be released in May 2010 as a 2011 model year and will share all of its engine choices with the CTS and the CTS-V sedan. Bob Lutz confirmed back in July that General Motors was indeed going to offer a CTS-V Coupe, which we just learned will make its debut at the 2010 Detroit Show.

Lutz recently confirmed that GM will also offer a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.

Power for the CTS-V Coupe and the CTS-V Sport Wagon will come from the same 6.2L Supercharged V8 LSA found in the CTS-V sedan. Output is rated at 556-hp with a maximum torque of 551 lb-ft.

Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Straightline

Earlier in July, Bob Lutz confirmed that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is on the way with a possibility of a CTS-V Sport Wagon. It was later confirmed by an ‘inside source’ that CTS-V lineup will be extended to the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon. Today, CARandDRIVER is reporting that Bob Lutz has confirmed a production CTS-V Sport Wagon, bringing more validity to the report.

An excerpt from CARandDRIVER:

“You know what’s really going to get you guys [on board with wagons] is the CTS-V wagon.”

“Oh, has the wagon been confirmed?” we asked, already aware that the hot-rod CTS would also be available as a coupe. “Yes,” he replied, “You’ll be able to get the CTS-V any way you want.”

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon:

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: CARandDRIVER

An armored Chevrolet Suburban and a limousine belonging to Vice President Biden’s fleet, hit and killed a pedestrian just over the D.C. border in Maryland. The two vehicles were on their way to Andrews Air Force Base to a secure storage location when the incident took place.

According to the Washington Post, the man was crossing an intersection on Maryland’s Suitland Parkway at 2:27 a.m. under rainy conditions.

The two vehicles were being driven by trained employees who have taken a “protective operator’s driving course,” the report said. U.S. Park Police are currently investigating the accident.

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Inside Line

According to a report by The Detroit News, General Motors Company has decided to put the Cadillac Converj plug-in hybrid into production. Sources told the publication that the production Converj was included in a presentation made to GM’s board of directors on November 2. A date for its debut has not been set.

A Cadillac spokesman declined to comment on the report.

When GM came out of bankruptcy on July 10 with $50 billion in federal aid, executives said that there were no plans to build the Converj plug-in hybrid. However, Bob Lutz, one of the biggest supporters of the Converj project, said that the production model would closely resemble the concept.

Click here for more news on the Cadillac Converj.

Refresher: Cadillac Converj Concept is powered by a Voltec-system along with 4-cylinder engine that produces 161-hp with a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft. The Converj can travel up 40 miles on battery-power alone. Top speed is rated at 100 mph. GM says that it takes less than 3 hours to recharge the battery at 240V and about 8 hours from a 120V outlet.

Cadillac Converj Concept:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Detroit News

Here are the lap results from the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge at Monticello Motor Club Track so far:

1. John Heinricy – Cadillac CTS-V: 2:46:560
2. Aaron Link – Cadillac CTS-V: 2:48:902
3. Brian Redman – Cadillac CTS-V: 2:49:596
4. Michael Cooper – BMW M3: 2:50:424
5. Jack Baruth – Cadillac CTS-V (TTAC): 2:51:153
6. Lawrence Ulrich – Cadillac CTS-V: 2:53:157
7. Bob Lutz – Cadillac CTS-V: 2:56:321
8. Michael M – BMW M5: 03:05:398
9. Wes Siler – Mitsubishi Evo X (Jalopnik): 3:08:126
10. Chris Fairman – Cadillac CTS-V: 3:14:292
11. Archan B – Jaguar XF: 3:15:670

Update: Official results posted after the jump.

Click here to follow all the news on the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge.

Follow the jump for a video that introduces us to the folks driving against Bob Lutz today.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Twitter

The Cadillac CTS-V Challenge is going on right now and for those of you really interested in seeing if Bob Lutz can beat the competition in his Cadillac CTS-V, we’ll be providing updates as fast as we get them throughout the day.

General Motors has just released a short 2:00 minute video showing us the Monticello Motor Club track. The video features co-owner Ari Straus and former GM Performance Division Executive John Heinricy giving us details on the  ins and outs of the challenging track.

Click here to follow all the news on the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge.

Click through for the video.

- By: Kap Shah

The Cadillac CTS-V Challenge will be held tomorrow at the Monticello Motor Club in New York and Jaguar has backed out of sending its Jaguar XFR to the race. One of the 5 winners (out 120 applicants) to race Bob Lutz tomorrow at Monticello was Wes Siler of Jalopnik.com in an XFR provided by Jaguar.

However, Jaguar backed out the event because they felt the XFR wouldn’t be able to handle the enduring race. Apparently, Jaguar said that the XFR lacks better brake cooling and probably couldn’t lap the Monticello without endangering the driver.

Either way, Bob Lutz has a response to all this. Speaking to The GM Source Lutz said:

I think it means that the European high-performance sedans are excellent, even superb cars, but quite possibly not ready for racing laps right out of the show-room. The CTS-V is not only quicker, but will, in totally untweaked, stock form, run hot laps at any race track until it runs out of fuel. Transmission oil and diff oil temps are stable, engine oil temp doesn’t go up, brakes get a bit more pedal travel, but don’t fade. The street tires get a tad greasy, but handling and control remain excellent. “May the best car win”! (It wins automatically if the competitors won’t show up!)

2009 Cadillac CTS-V

- By: Kap Shah

Source: The GM Source

Yesterday, we told you about the winners that will compete with Bob Lutz and his Cadillac CTS-V at the Monticello Motor Club in New York later this week. Most of us won’t be attending the event, however it’s still pretty interesting to see what the schedule will look during the day.

Each competitor will get to take five consecutive laps of the course at Monticello with one out-lap and one cool-down lap. So subtracting two laps out of the five, each competitor will get three chances to bring in their best lap times. The quickest lap at the end of the day will decide the winner.

Schedule of the event on Oct 29 will look something like this:

8:30 am-11:30 am – Track opens for practice
11:30 am-11:45 am – Introductions, driver meeting, etc.
11:45 am-1:00 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm-2:30 pm – Timed laps

2009 Cadillac CTS-V:

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Inside Line

In just four days, Bob Lutz will race a Cadillac CTS-V against other qualifying high-performance sedans. It all started when Lutz challenged the media on a conference call to find a “stock production sedan on the planet that could outperform the CTS-V on the track.”

After 120 applications, GM has picked five races to participate in the Cadillac V-Series Challenge at the Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York.

The 5 winners consist of three journalists including Jalopnik’s Wes Siler who will be driving a Jaguar XFR; Jack Baruth of The Truth About Cars (no word on what he’s driving); Lawrence Ulrich a freelance auto writer at The New York Times (no idea what he’s driving either).

Private winners include Michael M of Whitecoff, NJ who will be bringing is BMW M5 and Tom of Philadelphia, PA who will be racing his Audi RS4. Also joining the event will be Chris of Ann Arbor, Michigan who will be bringing his Cadillac CTS-V to learn more about the capabilities of the sedan.

We’ll have more details as Oct. 29 gets closer.

2009 Cadillac CTS-V:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Cadillac

General Motors Company’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz is out preparing for the upcoming Cadillac V-Series Challenge where he will race qualifying racers (and comparable vehicles) in a Cadillac CTS-V at the Monticello Motor Club on October 29. GM has just released a video showing Lutz practicing for the big day.

The event has drawn 120 applications, out of which GM will only choose five winners. The deadline to apply for the challenge was last Friday.

Click through for the video.

Refresher: Power for the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V comes from a 6.2L supercharged V8 (LSA) that produces 556-hp with a peak torque of 551 lb-ft. 0-60 mph comes in just 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 171 mph when mated to an 6-speed automatic transmission and 195 mph when mated to a 6-speed manual.

2009 Cadillac CTS-V:

- By: Omar Rana

Cadillac said that its Cadillac V-Series Challenge has drawn about 120 applications for a chance to race Bob Lutz and his Cadillac CTS-V sedan at the Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York on October 29. The deadline to apply for the challenge was last Friday.

Out of the 120 applicants, Cadillac will choose about five or so to compete in New York.

“Honestly, about three-quarters of them were in the spirit of the contest,” said Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork. “Of course, there were some like, ‘I’ve got a Porsche GT3 RS blah, blah, blah.”

“We’ll select the challengers over the next several days,” Cadillac’s Twitter status read earlier today.

After racing Lutz, the winners will also get a chance to take the CTS-V around the track.

The whole Cadillac V-Series Challenge stunt began when Bob Lutz personally challenged the media on a conference call to find a “stock production sedan on the planet that could outperform the CTS-V on the track.”

2009 Cadillac CTS-V:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Straightline

It’s that time of the year again – when Motor Trend picks the “Motor Trend SUV of the Year” for the year 2010. Last year’s award went to the 2009 Subaru Forester. It seems as though this year, Motor Trend has focused most of its attention on luxury SUVs. Either way, stay tuned for the winner who will get all the bragging rights in their new ad campaigns.

Let us know who you think should win in the comments section after the jump.

Click through for the list.

2010 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Contenders:

Acura ZDX
Audi Q5
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
GMC Terrain
Lexus RX
Lincoln MKT
Mercedes GLK
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Volvo XC60

- By: Omar Rana

When you launch a campaign called “May the Best Car Win” you better be ready to face some heat from others who think that they can beat your car; however, General Motors’ Bob Lutz doesn’t seem to be bothered by the challenge. During a conference call with journalists last week, Lutz challenged anyone to find a “stock production sedan on the planet that could outperform the CTS-V on the track.”

Why is Lutz getting so serious? “As I said in the previous chat, we’re going to take away every last excuse people have not to consider our products,” Lutz said. “We know that some consumers still think Cadillac cars do not have the top-end performance they believe the German luxury cars have. The development objective of the 556-hp Cadillac CTS- V was to create the world’s best high-performance sedan.”

“I proposed a track duel, “run what ya brung,” at a time and place to be determined,” said Lutz.”

Well the time and place have been determined and if you feel like you have what it takes you can apply over at the CTS-V Challenge website. The event will be held on Oct. 29 at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, N.Y., 90-miles the New York City area. Of course, if you want to participate, the cost of getting yourself and your car there is up to you.

Check out the CTS-V Challenge website here.

- By: Omar Rana

After the Cadillac CTS Coupe goes on sale in May 2010 it will be joined by the CTS-V Coupe. Of course, that has us high-performance fans really excited. According to Straightline, the CTS-V lineup will now be extended to the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon.

A source inside General Motors Company confirmed today that a CTS-V Wagon is going to exist alongside the CTS-V Sedan and the CTS-V Coupe.

Power will come from the same 6.2L Supercharged V8 LSA as the CTS-V sedan. Output will be rated at 556-hp with a maximum torque of 551 lb-ft.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon:

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Straightline

2011 Buick Enclave Clay Model in the May the Best Car Win Commercial

There is a huge change coming to General Motors Company, and we feel its one we can believe in – and no that’s not General Motors talking that’s us here at egmCarTech that have driven the new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and spent a couple of minutes behind the new 2010 Cadillac SRX.

Leading the change is new Chairman Edward Whitacre, who has been in the spotlight quite a lot this week. Whitacre joined GM during its bankruptcy process and remained fairly quite until this month. It was reported earlier this month that Whitacre is being “frighteningly direct” with the top-level executives and is asking to see improvement in sales, market share and profitability. He said that if those changes don’t happen soon, there will be significant consequences.

Whitacre is also leading GM’s new advertising campaign along with Bob Lutz called “May the Best Car Win.” I first came across the campaign on an ad I clicked that took me to this website http://www.thebestcarwins.com/. It was basically a website asking you which vehicle you think ranks at the top in terms of fuel-efficiency, safety, quality, performance and overall. The survey ends with saying that “on September 13th, one car company is putting it all on the table. The cars will speak for themselves. And the facts just might change some opinions.” Later on in the day I figured out that the site was a part of GM’s new ‘May the Best Car Win’ campaign (you can follow the campaign on Twitter here http://twitter.com/thebestcarwins).

Chevrolet Spark and the Cadillac ATS seen in the May the Best Car Win commercial

The campaign will kick off with a new TV spot featuring new Chairman Whitacre, walking through GM’s design studios (you can check it out after the jump). The 60 second ad shows off some feature upcoming GM products including the Cadillac Converj, a GMC Scion competitor, the next-generation Buick Enclave, the Cadillac ATS (hidden under the covers), the Chevrolet Spark and the Chevrolet Volt. Whitacre also speaks about GM’s new incentive where buyers of a new Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet or GMC will be able to return their vehicle within 60 days if they are not happy with it.

“Every ad is going to give the consumer a reason to consider our vehicles,” said Bob Lutz in article over at GM FastLane Blog. “We will be highlighting our quality, design, performance, road manners, fuel efficiency, 100,000-mile/5-year warranty, and our new 60-day satisfaction guarantee. We will directly compare our attributes to the competition and “may the best car win.”

“In short, we’re going to take away every last excuse not to consider a vehicle from Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. We have confidence in our products, he said. “This campaign is designed to encourage the consumer to share in that confidence.”

Personally, we feel Bob Lutz should be in these commercials, but that’s just our opinion.

You can check out the 60-second ad spot after the jump along with two other viral spots. Make sure you drop by http://www.thebestcarwins.com/ and cast your vote.

GM Ad w/ Ed Whitacre Offering 60 Day Guarantee: May the Best Car Win

May The Best Car Win

Which one will you choose?

- By: Omar Rana

General Motors Company announced today that it will offer any customer who buys a GM car to return it for a full refund within 60 days if they’re not totally happy with it. Known as the “Satisfaction Guarantee,” the program is available to eligible buyers of a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle.

“We think if consumers give us a fair chance and look at the facts on the things that matter most to them, like design, fuel economy, warranty and safety, our vehicles are the best choices – that’s what makes an offer like this possible,” said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, Marketing and Communications. “The Cadillac SRX and CTS Wagon, the Buick LaCrosse, the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, for instance, are all outstanding new products. This new marketing effort should help us communicate these facts to consumers.”

The incentive is part of a larger “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign that demonstrates GM’s confidence in its vehicles  - we’ll talk more about that campaign in a second.

For now follow the jump to see the details of the Satisfaction Guarantee program.

Details of GM’s new Satisfaction Guarantee:

· Offer covers 2009 and 2010 Model Year Chevys, Buicks, GMCs and Cadillacs (except medium duty trucks)

· Customers (one per household) can return their vehicle between 31 and 60 days with less than 4,000

· Customers will be informed in writing before they buy the vehicle of the terms of the Satisfaction Guarantee

· Customers must take delivery by Nov. 30

· The Satisfaction Guarantee covers the vehicle purchase price and sales tax, but not other add-ons like accessories, negative equity on a trade-in or other fees; other restrictions apply

· Leased vehicles are not included

· More details are available beginning Monday, Sept. 14, online at [Chevy][Buick][Cadillac][GMC].com/guarantee

- By: Omar Rana

Cadillac has revealed a new 60-second spot called “Re-ignition,” which began appearing on TV channels yesterday. The 60-second spot shows the new Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the 2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover and a sneak peek at the new Cadillac CTS Coupe.

We are actually very impressed by the new commercial. Your thoughts? Have your say in the comments section after the jump.

Click through to view the ad.

- By: Omar Rana

At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, General Motors surprised the world by unveiling a plug-in hybrid Cadillac known as the Converj. At that time General Motors made it clear that it had no plans to put the Converj into production. However, since Maximum Bob Lutz made his return to General Motors after taking a short retirement, talk of the Converj finding its way back into GM’s product line has been gaining some flame.

Just last month Bob Lutz admitted that the Converj is one possible application of the Voltec system found in the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric-vehicle. According to a new report by BusinesWeek, with most of the Converj’s opponents pushed out in the wake of GM’s bankruptcy reorganization, a new team of executives are trying to find a way to get the car engineered and funded.

The idea of putting the Converj into production died last spring, right before former GM North America President Troy Clarke and Mark McNabb, who ran Cadillac, left the company in May. Apparently, both opposed the idea of a production Converj.

BusinessWeek made it clear that the Converj has not been approved for funding yet, but Lutz and other executives think the Converj, which could get a different name for the production model, would do wonders to Cadillac’s image as a technology leader in the luxury market

The Converj Concept is powered by GM’s next-generation Voltec system made up of 16kWh, a T-shaped lithium-ion battery, an electric-drive unit and a flex-fuel 4-cylinder engine. That helps produce a total of 161-hp with a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft.

How many miles per gallon will it get? Something close to the Volt’s outstanding 230 mpgs.

2009 Cadillac Converj Concept: