485kW of supercharged V8 power through a six-speed manual might just be headed our way.
Moves are happening to bring the Cadillac brand to Australia under the new GM Specialty Vehicles umbrella, with the upcoming Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing tipped to be the hero.
While the Blackwing model remains unconfirmed officially, recent trademarks with GMSV and Cadillac look promising, and added information comes from our source close to GM that was the first to tip us off that the Corvette was indeed coming in right-hand drive to both Australia and the UK before it happened. It looks like Cadillac is very close to becoming, finally, a reality in Australia.
First, we look to the recent progression of the GMSV brand in Australia. Following a Queensland-based small business attempting to trademark the GMSV name and a logo it created before General Motors had officially lodged its own paperwork, we’ve seen a flurry of activity from GM in Australia. It moved to register a trademark for ‘GMSV’ in June, followed by an ‘SV Specialty Vehicles’ logo in July. That seems to have taken care of the issue of GM might have had with registration problems.
But to us the most interesting is that it followed formal proceedings to register its finalised name two weeks ago, as ‘GM Specialty Vehicles’ on August 31, at which point it also registered the Cadillac name under Classes 12 and 37 of goods and services, which in particular stipulate the registration of the name in use of “vehicles including motor vehicles; engines for motor vehicles; cars,” and, “Maintenance, servicing and repair of motor vehicles;”
On the same day, it also registered the Cadillac badge under the same classes.
This is interesting given GM already trademarked Cadillac in 2005 prior to its (failed) launch of the Cadillac brand in 2008, when the GFC made launching the brand unviable. Is the brand ready to have another crack?
It seems that GMSV is the right ground to introduce Cadillac. While sedans are not a huge market, there’s still room for performance variants and SUVs like the big Cadillac Escalade.
As previously reported, we’ve seen Cadillacs testing in Melbourne and the latest example was a twin-turbo CT6 sedan. We were told at the time by Holden that these vehicles make their way here for emissions testing and calibration. That’s the standard response we always received on Cadillac sightings.
However, as we understand from someone closer to GM, Cadillac will make its way here under GMSV ‘as a Blackwing.’ While that would point to the CT6-V Blackwing currently available in the US – a twin-turbocharged V8 monster performance sedan – we believe it will actually be the yet-to-be-released CT5-V Blackwing, powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre LT4 V8 producing around 485kW and 850Nm. And it will come with a manual transmission, with a 10-speed auto available.
The model will be launched in the US soon following the recently launched CT5-V and CT4-V, with the CT4 also a possibility. Those both are powered by turbocharged V6 engines, the CT5 producing 268kW and CT4 242kW through a 10-speed auto.
While the Cadillac Escalade could be an option, from what we’ve been told, it seems that Chevrolet’s Suburban will instead fill the role of a large SUV and Cadillac will be a sports sedan offering, filling the hole left by the Camaro departing and HSV Commodores before that.
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Toyota Australia recommended to our government that Australia should adopt the North American Standard for motor vehicles rather than following the European Standard which is via the EU making manufacturing of internal combustion engine vehicles increasingly more difficult and impacting adversely on profitability for manufacturers.
Isn’t it clear by now that until, if ever, electric vehicle pricing is comparable to internal combustion engine vehicles, and driving range and refuelling convenience too, that the EV market will remain small and mostly limited to suburban driving?
So Australians need a source for conventional vehicles, regardless of what poorly informed, woke politicians say?
I believe that Toyota is right, stop using EU Standards for vehicles.
Bit late now, GM should of put a v8 platform of some type on the Aussie stage. Suprised Ford have not brought a family sedan across yet, to close the door on GM. But in saying that I don’t think GM wants out of the gold old USA.
Ford don’t make sedans in the states anymore.
That’s right, we were ‘lucky’ to get Mustang if that’s important to you.
but I thought gm didn’t want to know about the right hand drive market. isn’t that why they got rid of our beloved Holden?..
That’s what I heard as well
This has been a plan long in the making for GM. They couldn’t just kill Holden off, the trick was to let it wither and die by bad products and then blame the market. Now GM can push the global Cadillac brand without the questions.
Should we trust GM after what happened to Holden?
No we shouldn’t buy their junk either
GM and their tried and trusted( by americans) methods of dealing and winning public trust belong in a museum. Now we all drive 4wd monstrosities that are at best , a type of road constipation. Most of these road hazards just assist road congestion and have little to no better safety than good old sedans and wagons. I’m glad we have destroyed our motor industry , we didn’t need so many skilled manufacturing jobs in Australia anyway and its much safer to take the brats to school in the biggest vehicle you can. Getting back to the point, i don’t think gm is really welcome in Australia anymore, let some new players with new thinking step in, we have some big factories for sale!
GM products should NOT be allowed on our shores that’s for sure…..
Not sure I care for GM stuff anymore. They’ve got a track record of screwing customers over and after taking govt subsidies and then buggering off they can jam their overpriced shitheaps.
Holdens were and are the very best
What a lot of dribble. Does the author actually sense check his own articles
95% of Australian households don’t have a carport/ Garage big enough to fit any of these yanky cars in..
Hopefully this car will come as a Right Hand Drive eliminating the farce and cost of converting them here. From what I read in this article perhaps these cars will be a worthy replacement for the faithful COMMODORE. … IF THEY ARE PRICED RIGHT…. they will certainly give the Mustang a run for there money and restore the GM vs FORD rivalry and give GM fans something to finally crow about…
Hope that the engineers at GMSV take a leave out of HSV and produce cars for the Australian enthusiasts that will be the envy of their American counterparts.
Considering all this could have been done without sacrificing Holden says a lot. This is Phoenixing. Nothing more or less. GM and GMSV can go the way of the Dodo.
I dont know why some of Australians can be so narrowed minded when it comes to USA cars. I have lived in both countries and i am Australian. Given Holden V8s were great cars and in all fairness to our USA car markets Australia can learn a lot from. So many great muscle cars in the states and i have driven a few like Mustang, Camaro, Chevelle, Belair, Corvette etc etc and i have to say American muscle cars are great. Its a pity our Holden had to pack up and cl I se down because the Australian muscle car was just about to come to age. It would be great if Australia again could start to build great muscle cars again but the problem was the cars Holden were producing were just too expensive to buy as many people just dont have the money to spend on a car. In todays world the european cars were just flooding the market at reasonable prices. Holden left it too late which then destroyed the Australian car market as it was cheaper to make overseas and send to Australia than it was to build a Australian made car. Blame our government and corporate greed for that. I certainly would rather buy a car from USA of around $35k say for a Dodge RT Challenger 2018 model etc than to spend $70k on a Holden Speciality Vehicle. I still love Holden cars snd have two nuce holdens but also i love American muscle more as value for money you get more.
I have never seen a Holden nuce, might be a collectors item.
Strangely, it looks a bit like a Commodore
Article states: “485kW of supercharged V8 power through a six-speed manual might just be headed our way”. hahahaha! Yeahhh, that’d be wonderful for sure BUT at about $200K++ . . . that won’t be wonderful for most of us. Plus, only a face a drunken mother could love. Gawd, save me from Americans, Americanisms and American styling PURLEASE! As you were . . .
Hoping the OZ bound GM CT5 will also be available with the 6.2 370kw LT2 vette engine ?