In comparison, a 2008 BMW M5 equipped with a 500-horsepower 5.0-liter V10 starts at $84,725, including an $825 destination charge. "I am already receiving celebratory e-mails from consumers [regarding '09 CTS-V pricing]," said Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell in a phone conversation with Inside Line on Friday. "Our competitors' cars are $20,000-$30,000 more."
Cadillac took a 12-month hiatus from building the CTS-V in 2008 as it readied the new vehicle. A 2007 CTS-V was priced around $53,000.
Caldwell added that "there are already individual dealers with waiting lists" for the '09 CTS-V. Caldwell said that the original CTS-V, which was on sale from 2004-'07, sold an average of 3,000-4,000 units per year. "We hope to increase that because we are exporting the car for the first time," he said.
While a timetable for the CTS-V's global launch is not cast in stone, it will roll out globally "in a few months," Caldwell said. One exception: Australia. Even though Cadillac is in the process of relaunching the brand Down Under, the CTS-V will not be part of the lineup, Caldwell confirmed. "It will sell across Europe and much of Asia," he added.
The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V will be equipped with a 556-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine. A new six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted shift buttons will be a no-cost option. Expect to pay $3,400 for the optional 14-way-adjustable Recaro performance seats, which will be bundled with metal pedals. An Ultra View sunroof adds another $900, brighter 19-inch wheels are priced at $800, microfiber accents on the steering wheel and shift knob add another $300 and a navigation system adds $2,145.
Standard features include a six-speed manual transmission and a Bose surround-sound system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive and a USB port.
One question about the CTS-V that still remains unanswered is the official EPA fuel economy numbers. As of Friday morning, they had not been posted on the government Web site. But Caldwell said Cadillac is estimating that the manual-transmission model will return 13 mpg in city driving and 19 mpg on the highway.
Inside Line says: It's admirable that Cadillac kept the starting price of the new CTS-V under $60K, so incentives appear unlikely. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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