Skip to main content

Cadillac declares the four-door American muscle car isn’t dead yet

Groans of disappointment resonated across America as Cadillac unveiled the CT4-V and the CT5-V. Both models are significantly less powerful than their predecessors. Cadillac hadn’t fired its final shot in the horsepower war, though, and it previewed its true flagship performance models during the Detroit Grand Prix.

Recommended Videos

We don’t know much about the cars yet. Even their name remains a mystery at this point. While the firm’s statement was fabulously light on details, the photos that accompanied it shed a little bit of insight into the transformation both cars have undergone. The images show preproduction prototypes camouflaged from top to bottom, but we can tell they gained a full body kit that directs more cooling air into the engine bay and creates the downforce needed to keep them firmly planted on the asphalt at high speeds. All told, the four-door muscle cars look relatively low-key; there are no gaping air vents or oversized wings.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Cadillac hasn’t released performance specifications, but those who saw — and heard — the prototypes in action said they sound like they pack a mean punch. Looking into our crystal ball, we wouldn’t be surprised if the CT4-based model comes with an evolution of the twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter V6 that powered the fantastic ATS-V it replaces. The six made 464 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque; those figures will most likely go up in the new sedan.

The CT5-based model could receive the twin-turbocharged, 4.2-liter Blackwing V8 engine unveiled between the CT6-V‘s long, squared-off fenders. It delivers up to 550 hp in Cadillac’s biggest sedan, which isn’t asking much from a relatively big V8 with a pair of turbos strapped to it. We can’t imagine squeezing 100 extra horses out of the eight would be difficult, but, again, nothing is official yet. Similarly, transmission options are up in the air.

Cadillac will release additional information about the high-performance variants of the CT4 and the CT5 in the coming months, and both models will arrive in showrooms in time for the 2020 model year. Their work has already been cut out for them. The CT4-based model will compete in the same segment as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Audi RS 5 Sportback, the BMW M3, and the Mercedes-AMG C63. The bigger, CT5-based sedan will be aimed at the upcoming Audi RS 7, the BMW M5, and the Mercedes-AMG E63.

Ronan Glon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2025 Awards
Top Tech of CES

Las Vegas is overrun. Every billboard in town is shouting about AI, hotel bar tops now sport a sea of laptops, and after hours The Strip is elbow to elbow with engineers toting yard-long beers.

That means CES, the year’s biggest tech bacchanalia, has come to town, and Digital Trends editors have spent the last four days frolicking among next year’s crop of incredible TVs, computers, tablets, and EVs. We’re in heaven.

Read more
Sony and Honda’s Afeela 1 EV makes more sense at CES than in the real world
Afeela 1 front quarter view.

The Sony car is almost here. After its creation via a joint venture with Honda in 2022 and two years’ worth of prototypes, the electronics giant’s Afeela brand is finally taking reservations for its first electric vehicle, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.

But will it be worth the wait? Coinciding with the opening of reservations, Sony Honda Mobility brought updated prototypes of the Afeela 1 (as it’s now officially known) to CES 2025, representing what California customers (Afeela is only taking reservations in that state) who put down a $200 refundable deposit can expect when they take delivery.

Read more
Bose wants to dominate car audio, and I heard its next-gen 3D automotive speakers
Bose logo on a speaker grille

Bose’s automotive audio business is huge, and it’s set to get even bigger. The company has been making big plays in car audio for some time now. The audio company works with premium brands like Porsche, building high-end speakers that allow drivers to experience high-quality audio on the road, whether they’re carting the family around in an Escalade or weaving around the highway (don’t do that) in a Porsche Macan.

But while it has a solid selection of audio brands under its belt, the world of personal audio is also evolving. Mercedes-Benz showed off its Dolby Atmos system at CES last year, and now, a year later, plenty of other brands are joining the trend. At CES 2025, Bose walked me through its current lineup of automotive audio products, as well as a sneak peek of what’s to come.
Immersive audio
The big trend in all areas of personal audio right now essentially boils down to supporting 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos. Consumer home theater products are increasingly offering up-firing and side-firing speakers that can bounce audio around the room to simulate height and surround effects, while headphone brands are increasingly developing spatialized audio tech that can convert stereo audio into simulated spatial audio.

Read more