The 2020 Cadillac CT6 Platinum looks set to adopt Cadillac’s new torque-based naming scheme.
Our sister site Cadillac Society recently paid a visit to the 2019 Miami International Auto Show, where they noticed the 2020 Cadillac CT6 Platinum being displayed was wearing a never-before-seen “800T” badge. This particular CT6 featured the twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter LTA V8 engine.
The torque-based naming scheme, if you need reminding, uses a number that represents the torque of the vehicle’s engine in newton-meters and then rounded to a multiple of 50. Since the twin-turbo 4.2-liter LTA V8 is rated at 550 horsepower and 574 pound-feet of torque, or 774 newton-meters of torque, this CT6 receives the 800T badge.
Cadillac will apply this naming scheme to all of its models going forward. We’ve already seen it on Cadillac CT5 models with the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter LGY V6, which produces 335 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. As such, that model has a “550T” badge, as 400 pound-feet of torque is equivalent to 543 newton-meters. The “800T” badge is the highest number we’ve seen so far, and with only a select number of standard, non V-Series Cadillac CT6 V8s currently out in the wild, this is a rather rare sight at the moment.
This torque-based naming scheme was introduced so Cadillac could use one singular system for both gasoline and electric models going forward. Because EVs produce 100 percent of their torque from zero RPM, this figure is more representative of their overall performance than horsepower. By using a torque-based scheme, this makes it easy to decipher where a vehicle slots into Cadillac’s lineup, whether it’s gasoline or electric. Using a displacement-based scheme obviously wasn’t possible, either, as electric cars have no cylinders and thus, no cylinder displacement.
As we have reported previously, Cadillac is known to be working on a yet-to-be-named electric crossover, along with a battery-electric version of the next-generation Cadillac Escalade.
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This report was written in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.
Comments
Cadillac please stop doing this…Please
They will. They never do anything for very long. Tomorrow, there will be new management and something entirely new.
Considering that future cars are electric, there’s no other way to denote engine size or power, so Tesla’s P90, or now Audi’s 55 on the back will tell people battery and performance. Names will not translate world wide and saying you have a Platinum edition car will mean nothing outside of the states. Just a thought for some of the reasoning with the 350-800t. You can disagree with it but it makes sense in that sentiment.
I understand that. Do it on Electric cars then.
No other manufacturer refers to the power rating in Newton meters of torque in the US.
It’s confusing and misleading. The car makes 574 ft lbs, so let’s convert that to an unused measurement and then round up??? Seriously?? Who came up with this crap.
574 to 774 to 800. Ship it. Ugh.
It doesn’t actually matter. All consumers will know is that 800 is more better (yes!) than 550 which in turn is more than 350. Much like E300 vs. E400 vs. E550, etc. much like 530i vs. 530i vs. 550i.
Rob: Those are the people I refer to as sheep.
Those are the people that make up the overwhelming majority of car buyers. They’re not sheep, they’re regular folks who are not experts like us here. It’s important to keep that in mind.
It’s really not that big of a freaking deal. You guys are such cry babies. I actually like this badging and nomenclature. It helps differentiate Cadillac from the rest of General Motors subsidiaries. You people are really making this into a big deal and it’s so ridiculous. This article even explained the reasoning behind it and you guys are still here crying a river. Don’t buy one of you can’t get over a freaking badge. But you’ll probably go right over to a overpriced German competitor with the same method of badging and suddenly feel accomplished with no issues whatsoever with it. You Americans are hilarious to me. I love it Cadillac,it’s a lot classier than a “2.7T”, “3.6”, “3.0TT”, “4.2TT”, “6.2”, etc. badge that we find on Chevrolet’s. Ignore the cry babies who complain about EVERYTHING and continue to evolve in this ever so changing market.
I get it, but I would appreciate it if Cadillac kept the current naming convention for the global market and gave them full names in NA.
If they only put Newtons on EVs, it would be a good selling point, because those who don’t
understand would think the EV has a lot more torque than the gas vehicle.
For awhile, most are going to think the new badge is regular TQ or 3.5 or 5.0 engines.
Ahhh. Now that just screams luxury! (no, I’m not serious).
I can only hope those tacky looking numbers/letters are held on with two sided tape, because the first thing I’d do is totally remove them. Then in it’s place, I’d find the very classy looking chrome “Cadillac” script and put it on in place of this s–t.
A Cadillac that’s too small to have a V8 is too small to be a Cadillac.
Yup. That was true… about 50 years ago. Get with the times. Your thinking will make Cadillac go extinct.
you’re completely wrong… stick a V8 in the CT4 or CT5 vs the crap 4 Cyls and they’d sell… because they’d be different. The current crop are “me too’s” as BMW/Audi and MB all serve up 4’s… you want to see sales, put the 400bhp previous Corvette base V8 into these 2 cars and boom…. problem is it’ll never happen because the powers that run GM and Cadillac are cheap idiots… gotta love the recent MT article, possitively scathing:
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/cadillac/xt6/2020/2020-cadillac-xt6-pros-and-cons-review
and this one on the XT4: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/11/2019-cadillac-xt4-awd-sport-review-in-a-realm-all-its-own
Cadillac is NOT going in the right direction…
you’re completely wrong… stick a V8 in the CT4 or CT5 vs the crap 4 Cyls and they’d sell… because they’d be different. The current crop are “me too’s” as BMW/Audi and MB all serve up 4’s… you want to see sales, put the 400bhp previous Corvette base V8 into these 2 cars and boom…. problem is it’ll never happen because the powers that run GM and Cadillac are cheap idiots… gotta love the recent MT article, possitively scathing:
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/cadillac/xt6/2020/2020-cadillac-xt6-pros-and-cons-review
and this one on the XT4: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/11/2019-cadillac-xt4-awd-sport-review-in-a-realm-all-its-own
Cadillac is NOT going in the right direction…
If doesn’t have to be a 500 hp twin turbo V8. I’ll settle for 400 hp.
Cadillac wouldn’t be suffering so much grief if they had introduced the 640 hp LT4 supercharged 6.2L V8 when the CT6 was first introducedl; the Blackwing V8 is essentially Cadillac admitting that they made a serious mistake.
It was known from the giddy-up that the CT6 would eventually have a V8. Wasn’t as though Cadillac scrambled to find a V8 for the CT6.
then they should have used a V8 from their parts shelf such as the base Vette 8 w/400bhp…. this whole mess with the CT6 has been stupid and so confusing. This newton meters thing is the next level of stupid… perhaps build a world class car that competes strongly with the S, 7 and others and then be quiet…. so pathetic…
Such a dumb naming strategy! Whoever thought this up needs to step out of the engineering room into the united states where 50% of people don’t know what a newton meter is and the other 50% don’t care. Like honestly there are already 3 German luxury brands, they don’t need another! Stop trying to be anything other than American. They need to own that and define what it means to be an american luxury brand instead of trying to copy someone else. I can promise you that the only people who care how much torque a sedan has have thoroughly researched these models and won’t be impressed by a foreign measurement glued on the trunk.
I am a true American (and a New Yorker) but I am ashamed to read your post! The United States is well behind the other vehicle manufacturers by staying with the ancient Imperial measurement system, versus the International Metric System used everywhere else. Even the United Kingdom where the Imperial System was created, has gone Metric! As an Engineer, I use both systems, but the Metric more simpler to learn and use. Only three units: meter, liter, and grams. Now look at all the weird Imperial units, most based on the physical measurements of the King! So please consider what system to accept. And BTW, the U.S. is the only “American” nation that has not converted to Metric. There are more than fifty other “American” nations (from Canada to Chile) that use Metric.
The UK drives on the wrong side of the road and are 1 of only a handful of countries that do so. If you’re so concerned, move there. But you’re probably a NY Times reading lib so no one really cares….
My point was that most american sedan buyers don’t care about torque and of the ones that do very few of them care about the metric system. I know that metric is easier but the US will not be using it any time soon. This is about sales and bringing new people into the brand.
Oh it’s about sales? That explains why the Germans here in the U.S. and some Japanese all outsell the American luxury vehicles. That was sarcasm. You people aren’t even making any sense. Cadillac definitely made the right move by doing this. It not only looks good, but when considering the BIGGER picture it makes absolute sense. You cry babies just need to get used to it and accept the fact that this brand is evolving.
When I was in elementary school, they beat the metric system into our heads, telling us, “In 1980, the whole country is going to switch to metric.”
What happened?
HA! HA! Right on, ”Not a Robot”! I was working in those ’80’s as a jeweler when it was ”HIGHLY TOUTED” to invest in $$GOLD$$ as it is definitely going to break $2500 an ounce!!! Wow! I said and invested $150,000 with Lear Capital! I rode it up to $1800+ and pulled out! It has never even made it to $2000 an ounce!
So, as for Caddy’s ”800T”, I can identify with the suggestion yesterday to removed and put a ”WELL CHOSEN EMBLEM/BADGE” in it’s place! Oh, back in the early ’80’s when I invested it gold it was $284 an ounce!!! Lear Capitol didn’t appreciate my ”PULLING MY MONEY OUT” to much!!!
Does anyone remember in the 60s when Buick was referring to their engines by torque rating? I think the 401 V8 was called the 445 Wildcat!
Don’t buy a Cadillac, the lights go dim and GM will not stand behind their engineering design. DONT DO IT, fair warning.
Yo’ folks! Settle down! It’s ”NO BIG DEAL” and certainly ”NO PROBLEMO”!!! The ”800T” simply refers to it’s ”TOWING CAPACITY” as in ”800 TURTLES”?!!? 24 months ago they were doing away with all Cadillac Sedans!!! Now we have the CT4; the CT5; the CT6, the CT6-V (Skipping a CT7!) and introducing the CT8 and several ”OTHERS” they’ve ’touted’ all year! The funny ? thing is all the ”GLUT” GM, FORD, RAM, etc., has with 2017, 2018 and 2019 TRUCKS, smaller sized TRUCK models, SUV’s and CROSSOVERS?!!? HA! HA! What a joke!!! Here’s how ”CRAZY” it is now! The end of this past June, I brought my wife a brand new, 2018 Crystal White Tricoat with top of the line Kona and Black Leather, fully loaded Premium Luxury XTS for over ”31%” off!!! But, I had to ”BUY” it as I couldn’t ”LEASE” it!!!
Yeah, I just got a 2018 Platinum CT6 Crystal White Tricoat with 7K miles for a whopping 43% off- Amazing!
When are the Ct5 hitting the show room. I want to see if it’s as good as my ats. We have been hearing about the vehicle since April. Production was in August yet none in the showroom
UPDATE: The Cadillac CT5 will be in showrooms late this month/early December!!!
Okay, based on the replies I’ve received on what I wrote today, here’s what I know and can share:
• Look at what Lincoln is doing with their MKX’s; MKT’s; ETC.’s?!!? One has now become the ”NAUTICA”! Matthew McConaughey is driving the ”AVIATOR” out of a cloud of rainbow smoke out in the Arizona desert! They brought the ”CONTINENTAL” name back! So, ”YES”, I agree ? that GM/CADILLAC should seriously consider using ”NAMES” for their models too! Having sold Cadillacs for Arnold Palmer Cadillac, I sold the beginning of it all with the DHS, DTS, STS along with the ESCALADE and ESCALADE EXT.
• I have a new 2019 CT6, here in NC and I had my license tag that read ”ELEGANCE” transferred from my 2016 CT6, in Dark Emerald Green Metallic, to my new 2019 CT6 in Crystal White Tricoat! I wanted the little ”d” prefix for ”d ELEGANCE” for that model that Cadillac ”ONCE HAD”!!!
My earlier comments about the true meaning of the ”800T” is that the CT6 can haul 800 Turtles was in jest!
I’ve gotten the best information on the new CT5 from my subscription to GM AUTHORITY emails! Last week, they discussed the new colors ? it will have, like an ”AUTUUM ? ORANGE” and a new ”BLUE” and ”GREEN”!!! All in all, it looks like the new CT5 will have quite a color slate to choose from and more colors than the recent past!!! It has a very ’distinct’ roof line, especially in the back! IF you’re comparing it to the ATS, it is radically different in body style and loaded with new technology that sounds exciting to ponder?
Personally, I am more interested in the new CT8 and all it entails from Caddy’s Future Concept Models we know about and have seen.
In closing, this evening, I can not stress enough that if you’re in the market for a new or used vehicle, NOW is your time and the ”DEALS” the Dealerships are making to move their inventories is ”AWESOME BABY”!!!
I would imagine if they were rounding it to the nearest multiple of 50 then it would be called a 750T not an 800T as that would be rounding it in multiples of 100. This idea is already off to a bad start.
Err, my last ”V8” vehicle was a ”PACIFIC BLUE” Chevy SSR 3SS with a Corvette 459 HP Engine! Not to be ”TRITE”, but to defend ”AMERICAN MADE”, and the fact that the SSR was made for racing, I never had any trouble ”BLOWING THE DOORS OFF BMW’s”, etc.?!!? TORQUE had a lot to do with it too?!!? My other recent V8 was in a fully loaded Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon that could ”HAUL A$$” too!!! Everywhere I ever drove it, folks wanted to ”BUY IT”!!!
go back to names.. much more elegant on a Cadillac.
So, ”SCREW THE V8” for the CT6!!! Bring on a ”V12”!!!
Actually it was $101,268.00 for the 2020 CT6 Platinum I ordered….
Go drive a CT6 V 1st …..
I have driven the 2020 CT6 Platinum with Super Cruise and it is one of the most sensational sedans available. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the only Cadillac worth buying. I currently own a 2018 CT6 Platinum, and this one is even more satisfying than mine. I ordered a 2020 like the one I drove. The total build price was $100,189.00. Cheap when you consider what a 2020 AMG S cost, or a BMW 750i X Drive……..