Hot sedan to keep V8, manual into next generation - report
The Cadillac CT5 will live on for another generation, and there are claims it’ll continue to offer a V8 engine and a manual transmission.
Cadillac this week confirmed the CT5 sedan – its Holden Commodore-sized offering – will be renewed for a new generation, giving more weight to reports of it continuing to be offered as a performance model.
This was only further fuelled when US dealer Andrea Anderson (posting on Instagram as Andrea.sells.cadillac) claimed she had been told by Cadillac insider sources that the CT5 will not only offer the choice of a naturally aspirated V8 engine, but also a manual transmission alongside an automatic.
The video was reported on by The Drive but was subsequently taken down, with no reason given behind its removal.
A Cadillac spokesperson told The Drive it couldn’t, “comment on future product speculation, and we have nothing new to announce at this time, before adding “Cadillac has confirmed that the CT5 will return as an internal combustion product in the future.”
The reports of the CT5 coming back as an N/A V8 and manual model aligns with recent reporting by specialist publication GM Authority, which claims the same will happen for the reborn Chevrolet Camaro.
Both the current CT5 and the most recent Camaro (which ended production in 2023) are underpinned by variants of the ‘Alpha’ platform, which supports V8 engines and manual transmissions.
Cadillac’s flagship CT5 is the CT5-V Blackwing, which features a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 and a six-speed manual gearbox, but can be had with a 10-speed automatic – a similar formula to the now-defunct Camaro ZL1.
The surprise to the latest reports though is the CT5 potentially getting a naturally aspirated V8, as the current model is only available with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 (CT5-V), and the supercharged V8 (CT5-V Blackwing).
A few months ago, General Motors launched its new sixth-generation small-block V8 in the C8 Corvette Grand Sport, with that particular model getting the 6.7-litre LS6.
Last month, the new Silverado 1500 was revealed in the US, featuring a 5.7-litre V8 replacing the outgoing 5.3-litre L84, while the previous flagship 6.2-litre L87 has been superseded by a 6.6-litre V8.
It’s possible any of these engines could find their way into the new CT5 and/or Camaro, though it remains to be seen whether GM will continue to supercharge its flagship models.
The next-generation Camaro is set to blur the lines between the nameplate and the CT5, with reports claiming it will become a four-door with coupe-esque styling, rather than be a two-door coupe or convertible as it has been for generations.
Jordan Mulach
Expected to adopt coupe-like design cues, the new Camaro is still expected to be the spiritual successor to the likes of the Chevrolet SS, which was a rebadged VF Holden Commodore sold in the US.
Ford is also understood to be planning to launch a sedan version of the Mustang coupe, which would bring it back into the petrol-powered passenger car segment.
A report by Automotive News in August last year claimed a Mustang-derived four-door sedan could launch as soon as early 2028, at least in the US.
