Lutz confirms V12 in development for Cadillac flagship
by Noah Joseph on Mar 21st 2007 at 11:07AM 
Lutz unveiles the Cadillac Sixteen concept at NAIAS 2003 in Detroit
It's official. It's been confirmed: Cadillac is preparing a new V12 flagship. That's straight from the mouth of our favorite man in the business, Bob Lutz. On a recent trip across the pond, GM's venerated product guru confirmed in an interview to the British car magazine AutoWeek that they are indeed working on a twelve-cylinder engine, slated to power a new range-topping, import-beating "Cadillac of Cadillacs," a super-luxury-sedan to rival the likes of the Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS in the grandest of American style.
The new powerplant is being fabricated from two of GM's 3.6-liter 60-degree V6 engines mounted on a common crankshaft. Far from relying solely on cylinder count, sources speculate the engine will also benefit from such features as direct injection and cylinder deactivation, resulting in a 7.2-liter V12 with somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque.
And just where is GM testing such a behemoth of an engine? In Australia, of course! As has become de rigeur for American automakers of late, GM is relying on its Australian subsidiary to run the development work on the new flagship engine. Holden is reported to have already begun testing mules, based on a Commodore with a stretched-out engine bay, at its Lang Lang test center near Melbourne. Although the Zeta-based Commodore, (a.k.a. the upcoming Pontiac G8) is being used strictly as a test bed for the time being, it could end up providing the underpinnings for the Cadillac megasedan when the time comes.
Lutz has been pushing for a top-tier Cadillac for years now, and the impetus for its development has apparently come from the feedback received by the Cadillac Sixteen showcar debuted back in 2003. Although the showcase V16 engine was ruled out, apparently the V12 has gotten the green light for development. Shoot for the stars and land on the moon, eh Bob?
Related posts:
- Not so sweet Sixteen: GM says definitely no $100k+ sedan
- Cadillac shores up Ultra Luxury Sedan
- Lutz: Camaro could spawn big Caddy
- $100k+ Caddy a go, again?
[Source: Automotive News - subscription required]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MikeUF 11:26AM (3/21/2007)
Weren't they using an Escillade with a V12 as a mule for a while?
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Todd 11:29AM (3/21/2007)
Damn, Luts is the biggest Mack-Daddy pimp of them all!
He's got the glide in his stride.
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Carlos 11:28AM (3/21/2007)
Normally this would be a great idea, but GM's not swimming in cash yet, and they seem to have been spending a lot of resources on niche models. Each of those dollars doesn't go towards making the next Chevy/Pontiac/Saturn family cars better.
I would've waited until their cash situation was a little more certain, that's all.
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Viv 11:35AM (3/21/2007)
Thank goodness for Lutz. He has really changed the fortunes of GM. Off topic but i drove my brother's new Acadia and GM has yet another winner and now they are going headon into the uber luxury category. Wohooooo!!
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Jay 12:04PM (3/21/2007)
I agree 4. I really want to be proud of American cars again. I remember vividly the days of Cadillac being the standard of the world. It felt really good. We lost that loving feeling for a while, but this idea could bring it back. Lutz is the man to do it... just don't break my heart again. BUILD IT... and BUILD IT RIGHT. Be the WORLD'S STANDARD... you know, like our aircraft carriers. Nothing even comes close!
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Adam 11:58AM (3/21/2007)
Maximum Bob Strikes Again!!
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The Penguin 2:35PM (3/22/2007)
Without Bob Lutz GM would have sunk by now. He has done a great job with the high-end GM products and this new V12 Cadillac should make a great flagship for all of GM.
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Chet 1:05PM (3/21/2007)
Good news. While it's true that a V12 S-Class fighter doesn't make bread-and-butter sedans better, it IS required if Cadillac is to lay any claim to equality with today's luxury marques. The DTS is a fine town car, but it's not on anybody's "when I'm CEO" list.
Audi, Mercedes, and BMW have large V12 sedans, and Lexus' V8-hybrid LS makes an interesting alternative. If Cadillac is to play with the big boys, it has to have a V12 flagship.
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Lowcountryguy 1:50PM (3/21/2007)
Isn't that Bob Barker? Must be the show case show down!
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Jeremy 1:03PM (3/21/2007)
Two words came to my mind when reading this:
HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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synergeist 12:30PM (3/21/2007)
Another gem in GM's already-great line up. Congratulations.
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Dan 12:39PM (3/21/2007)
Very good, but I would have preferred to see Concept SS into production. Look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQe2K_MkPRY
It's an awesome car, I see it very often at RenCen.
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Michael Karesh 12:41PM (3/21/2007)
Personally, I think they should concentrate on getting the STS and SRX up to snuff first. If you're weak at $50,000, there'd little point in introducing a $80,000+ car.
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jamey 12:43PM (3/21/2007)
isn't the phrase shoot for the moon and land among the stars?
either way this is great news.
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Pat 1:49PM (3/21/2007)
What's happen to the Northstar XV12? (The engine of the Cien show car and the V12 Escalade mule)
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Tal 1:03PM (3/21/2007)
Fanfu.....tastic.
America needs a home grown world class competitive luxury automobile.
Let us hope it is world class and will be of quality competition.
Do it right the first time GM...then refine and continue to refine to make it better as technology evolves.
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Aki 1:04PM (3/21/2007)
I approve of Lutz's plans for a V12. Sure it's extravagant, sure it's a bit wasteful, but Cadillac is supposed to be an extravagant brand. It's time they brought back some of its former glory.
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Mr. Oak 1:14PM (3/21/2007)
There is a god after all!! His name is Bob Lutz.
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DavidW 1:49PM (3/21/2007)
#11 said it best! Let's see how much plastic and substandard leather hides they can use in the production process.
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John M 1:51PM (3/21/2007)
Um, wouldn't two V6s on a common crankshaft be a W12 and not a V12? I thought a V12 was two I6s.
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