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2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Refresh Spied Testing: Photos

Last week, an exclusive GM Authority report brought you news that the 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will receive a midcycle enhancement, otherwise known as a refresh, consisting of updates to the front fascia as well as the interior. Today, our spies captured a prototype of this very vehicle undergoing testing, giving us an early look at the changes in store for the super sedan.

At the front, this 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing prototype is wearing a set of new headlights, which feature a new shape. The LED cluster responsible for the primary forward lighting element is wider than it was on the pre-refresh models, similar to the headlight on the Cadillac CT6. Additionally, the headlight cluster now features an uninterrupted vertical lighting signature, replacing the two-part signature seen currently.

A photo of a 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing refresh prototype undergoing testing.

A prototype of the 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing refresh undergoing testing

Pre-refresh Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing

2018 Cadillac CT6

The side of the prototype does not seem to have any updates, carrying over the styling from the pre-refreshed model. That includes the somewhat controversial C-pillar treatment, which some have likened to that of the Honda Accord.

The rear end does not seem to have any changes either, carrying over the overall design as well as details like the tail lights, rear valance and exhaust treatment.

Though our spies didn’t capture it, the refreshed CT5-V Blackwing will also get a substantial improvement to the cockpit, adding a large screen to span the instrument cluster and center stack. The treatment will be very similar to what we see in the Cadillac Lyriq as well as the refreshed 2024 Cadillac XT4.

A photo of the 2022, pre-refresh Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing interior.

Pre-refresh Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing interior

It’s worth noting that the CT5-V Blackwing launched two model years after the “regular” CT5 and CT5-V did. As such, the Blackwing update will arrive just two model years after the CT5-V Blackwing launched for the 2022 model year. When it does launch, it will represent the first time that GM has carried out a refresh to a range-topping V-Series model model in at least a decade.

A photo of the Cadillac Lyriq cockpit.

Cadillac Lyriq interior, complete with horizontally-oriented 33-inch LCD display

As a reminder, the current Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing cradles the supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4 gasoline engine, which is rated at 668 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 659 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. Output is sent exclusively to the rear wheels by way of a standard six-speed manual transmission co-developed with Tremec, while the GM 10-speed automatic transmission is optional.

Under the body panels, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing rides on the GM Alpha 2 platform, with production taking place at the GM Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan. Production of the 2024 Cadillac CT5 range is expected to kick off in July.

In addition to introducing a refresh for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the 2024 model year is also expected to usher in a refresh for the “regular” Cadillac CT5 lineup, as GM Authority exclusively reported last October.

Subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing news, Cadillac CT5 news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

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Comments

  1. I never liked the break in the vertical lights in the CTS or the CT5… glad they’re finally addressing this. Can’t wait to see the interior. This is the car I’ve been waiting for… the tiny, poorly positioned screen in the current CT5 looks cartoonish. Glad I didn’t get a 2022 or 2023.

    Thank you GMAuthority for keeping us up to date on this… it helps so much.

    Reply
  2. Some nice improvements for sure, all making the CT5 look and feel more upscale. Disappointing that Cadillac is still holding firm on that C-pillar design though

    Reply
    1. Same here the c Pilar is disgusting. Wtf are they thinking. The whole car looks like a cheap bmw wannabe. Miss the old CTS that it replaced. It was all around better looking and was more upscale feeling imo

      Reply
      1. Cadillac man please change your name to TROLL.

        Reply
        1. Hey can’t we all have an opinion. Didn’t your parents teach you tolerance? Lol. At least you got your name right

          Reply
      2. Totally agree. That C-Pillar ruins the entire car for me, continues to be a total deal breaker. I thought it looked cheap and ugly on the Chrysler Sebring/200 (one of the crappiest vehicles of all time), and i can’t help but draw comparisons every time I see a CT5…

        Reply
  3. Oof. Not better. I’m sure the interior will be nice, but they should have saved money and left the front unchanged.

    Reply
    1. Hard disagree. The lights are so much better here. If I were an owner of a 22 or 23, I would be itching to do a front end swap with a 24.

      Reply
  4. I wonder if the V is going to see a power bump. 360/400 is pretty disappointing. Factoring in torque, that’s not much more impressive than the Colorado 4 cylinder.

    Reply
    1. Well…… there is a blackwing….

      Reply
      1. There is a lot of space between 360hp and 668hp. It’s the reason they started doing the V-sport which ironically had 420hp in a similar sized car. Try building one on Cadillac.com, it’s almost impossible to get it for under 60k and 360hp hasn’t been a sport sedan number in over a decade.

        Reply
  5. This feels like the design is regressing. I instantly thought this was a previous ATS. Might be an unpopular opinion, but I much prefer the Escala styling of the current CT5. CT5 was our closest taste of the Escala, but that’s gone now. This new design doesn’t even pull from the Lyriq all that much. I expected something closer to the new second generation CT6 front end from China.

    Reply
    1. Maybe they are just using old ct6 headlights to save money 😆

      Reply
  6. I don’t mean to be a downer but Cadillac is more than this blob with stuff added. If you think Cadillac I at least, the very least think BIG Fleetwood and cushy leather seats. Not some boring white thing or a Surburban with badges.

    Reply
    1. Reply
      1. Come on Alex, the CT5 Blackwing is a hardware marvel with a meh interior (it’s a Cadillac, yes the interior matters). Come down to the common versions and the CT5v handles well but is out accelerated by nearly everything in it’s class with the same meh interior. I like these exterior updates as I feel the CT5 front looked good but could have been better. But it needs a reboot on the interior, these exterior tweaks and it needs more power in the lower models.

        Reply
        1. Mr. Mike: re CT5 interior: in what way is the CT5’s interior “meh”?

          Also, do you prefer the interior of the 3 Series, which doesn’t even offer ventilated seats, even as an option, on anything except for the M3? Or would you rather the interior of the new C-Class, which makes even the simplest AC-related adjustments a chore via that strange-looking screen? Don’t even get me started on the chintsy window switchgear in the 3 Series.

          Anyone who has seen the cabins of the CT5, CT5-V, or CT5-V Blackwing press cars I’ve driven over the years has been very impressed, including those who own direct rivals to these cars. Some of them have actually purchased Cadillacs after personally seeing the press vehicles I’ve driven.

          Reply
      2. @alex lift. Seems like we found another Paid GM commentator. You can always tell when the comment sounds like a infomercial

        Reply
        1. Alex owns the site. Or runs it. Probably both.

          I do sometimes feel that he in one way or another works for GM though.

          Reply
          1. @CadillacMan You’re using that tactic where you throw around accusations without providing counterarguments on the subject matter.
            Should I wait for you to come up with a reply that has even the slightest hint of substance?

            @Mr. Mike Nope, I don’t work for GM. If I did, getting the inside scoops would be whole a lot easier 🙂

            Reply
      3. Not trolling Alex. Three out of our last four vehicles have been GM made. I just find these behemoth suvs tiring as hell regardless of badge name. Cadillac is an odd brand. I feel like they can’t find the key to what they want to be offering all manner of styles with no real design language in common. It’s getting there but not yet.

        I miss Cadillacs looking like something you’d recognize immediately

        Reply
        1. Ok, I actually agree with parts of your comment, but I would add to it the following:

          1. It’s not so much about Cadillac not knowing what they want to be. Instead, Cadillac’s problem has been that it’s part of GM, which historically has had the world’s most aggressive beancounters, leading to strange decisions like basing the XT# range on warmed over front-drive Chevy architectures, rather than the class-leading Alpha and Omega platforms. Luckily, this will begin to change with the shift to EVs (Lyriq and Celestiq are good examples), but the required transformative work is far from over at that point.

          2. The design language is something I disagree with you about: currently, Cadillacs are (arguably) the only vehicles on the road that are easily recognizable and distinct. There is most definitely a common design language across all of models. The easiest example are the vertical lighting signatures. The EVs – starting with Lyriq and Celestiq – will take that even further.

          Reply
    2. My grandmother has cushy leather seats in her assisted living area.

      The CT cars are very nice and actually priced pretty well if you are not going for the very top models.

      The Fleetwood has its time years ago and that time as passed.

      Reply
      1. Older customers exist and are ignored. That’s why they buy Toyotas and Hondas now.

        Reply
        1. What are these “older customers” getting from their Hondas and Toyotas that they can’t get in a Cadillac?

          Reply
  7. well … a facelift in front ……, but the whole rear was ever uglier to my eyes, mainly the Pillar & Rear Lights

    Those CT4, CT5 & CT6, the best was CT6, but this was kept only in China, and left the uglier to USA, do not know why

    For Interior, do not like both Versions of Display Detached from Panel, mean not integrated. Do not like middle Consoles either, So if lived in USA a car category would never buy, but do not know what in USA is good to be bought

    Reply
    1. If you are referring to the latest trend of gluing a tablet to a dashboard with no attempt of integration to styling I agree.

      But cars are all about the screen now. Nothing else. It’s what’s broken in modern vehicle design

      Reply
      1. Do not need Screen !

        Reply
  8. The first model year design was spot on! This one will be to kill some sales… not happy with how this facelift is going with the changes.

    Reply
  9. I’m just so damn happy to see a new car without black wheels! I know, I know… I’m old school!

    Reply
  10. This is great, but aren’t there a lot of customers who’ve ordered CT5V BWs still waiting over a year to take delivery on them? The refresh seems pointless if you can’t get the cars produced because of supplier constraints and other production issues.

    Reply
    1. Does not matter. If the vehicle is ready for a refresh as scheduled, the automaker has that right regardless of quantity of demand.

      Reply
      1. That’s obvious, but you missed the point of my post.

        Reply
        1. No I did not. You need to understand that this is a hot in-demand vehicle in low volume where supply can’t match the demand. This car is not a Malibu.

          Think about it for a second. If 6k customers are waiting but the annual production is 3K max annually and another 3K max for ’24 get a refresh, who will benefit more. As long they get the car is more important before they are gone regardless of changes.

          Reply
  11. Anyone have any idea what this will do to MSRP in relation to the 2023?

    Reply
  12. Honestly the headlights are a huge downgrade to me. Feels very parts bin ish. The current lights look like a mean muscle car step up from the mono CT6 lights seen here. The narrowness of the horizontal light currently make it look like the eye lid of an actual beast and the bumper separation of the two lights gives it a muscular, mean looking front end. The interior upgrade would be nice especially if they add rear seat features but in what is technically a track car I feel the wrap OLED is a bit much and too distracting. Still will be an interior upgrade overall. But those lights are a huge downgrade to me. I had a CT6 as well and the new ones just look better

    Reply
  13. Not sold on the frontend change, liked the current one better, but really looking forward to the interior update! Going from a ’14 ATS to a ’24 CT5-V!

    Reply
    1. The nice thing is that it looks like it will still have the same headlights as your 14 ATS……

      Reply
      1. Except for the fact that these refreshed model seems to be using LED Matrix while the ATS ran projector beam across the board… but hardy har, good joke.

        Reply
        1. I guess we can call these retro then….

          Reply
  14. With the comments here I can see why Cadillac has been in decline. Such out of touch and petty complaints. You have one of the best cars they have build and ohh the lights are too big and the c pillar is just a bit off.

    It is no wonder GM is just dumping the current buyers and moving Cadillac to EV. If they sell just half what Tesla sold they will be 2x better off than they are now.

    Reply
    1. There are other cars that are just as good and don’t have the same cheap styling gimmicks, how can GM afford to put an actual quarter window on the cheaper Malibu but on their flagship brand, Cadillac; they slap a fake black plastic window as is no one was going to notice?

      It should have never left the drawing board with that awful fake window, it ruins the entire car every time I see it. It’s not like Cadillac doesn’t know how to make an attractive car, the previous generation CTS was 1,000,000 times more attractive and stylish than this thing inside and out.

      Its cheap, its not even something Hyundai would do.

      Cadillac will continue to be in decline until Cadillac and GM decided they want to act like they are a first tier auto maker…..

      Reply
      1. I agree 100%. Could not have said it better. The c Pilar window just makes it ugly

        Reply
        1. Here’s an insight that might shock some. The execution of the C-pillar area on the CT5 many of you are referring to is not any less expensive than the execution of that used on the third-gen CTS. Not sure where the rumor that the design was informed by costs/constraints started, but it’s false.

          I’ve spent just about three cumulative months with all flavors of the CT5 since its launch, and I can’t say that the little “fake” window has ever bothered me. Right behind it, you’ll also find the upper seat belt holster and associated mechanism for the rear seat belt.

          I’ll call, and match you guys one more: if you want to see “cheap” designs, please see the new-gen Mercedes models, like the GLS-Class, S-Class, or the EQ#. They’re truly really hitting it out of the ballpark with their design war on edges.

          Reply
          1. Well it obviously bothers a lot of people….some people will eat a turd sandwich and tell you it tastes like prime rib too…

            Reply
            1. Those “a lot of people” are ultimately a vocal minority… but a minority nonetheless.

              The fact of the matter is actually quite simple: the CT5 range as whole is a success for Cadillac in its two primary global markets, and the car is attracting customers that Cadillac has never seen.

              Want more? The CT5-V turns the fastest in its subsegment and there are wait lists upon wait lists for the Blackwing. Clearly, the C pillar that the minority loves to complain about has not prevented the product from being a commercial success.

              Re turd sandys… I sure hope you aren’t speaking from experience…

              Reply
    2. @C8.r Nothing petty about complaints when you are about to spend that much money for a car. I work hard for my money and yes I am particular about certain things that influence my purchase. As far as I’m concerned the consumer has every right to criticize a product.

      Reply
  15. I’m still pissed that they used the V designation for the non-V performing vehicles, they should have kept the V-Sport designation for the lesser brethren and left the V for their car that has the performance and track cred. And yes, that C-pillar design screams Honda Accord every time I see a CT5.

    Reply
    1. It’s a double wammy. Upgrading the badge from V sport to V AND dropping the horsepower by almost 20%. No excuse for this to not have a minimum of 400hp. Minimum.

      Reply
      1. But the CT5-V vs. CTS V-sport is not a fair comparison.

        The successor to the CTS V-Sport was the CT6 3.0L TT Sport, NOT the CT5-V.

        CT5 was always meant to compete one segment lower than third-gen CTS despite being similar in size, hence the reason for it making less power.

        Reply
        1. And that 3.0 CT6 TT Sport is where…..oh 6 ft under, because Cadillac and GM couldn’t be bothered to try to compete in the large luxury sedan market because…..of the “its not Silverados, so why should we care” attitude.

          Reply
          1. The status of the CT6 is irrelevant, as I’m replying to someone who is disappointed by the CT5 as a successor to the CTS, which it was never meant to be.

            Those looking for a CTS successor will need to look outside Cadillac, at least for the time being.

            Reply
  16. Interior refresh is a welcomed improvement.

    Reply
    1. Getting rid of the CUE system is a huge improvement.

      Reply
      1. Only that the system it runs currently has nothing in common with the original “CUE” system. Totally different hardware and software stack.

        Reply
  17. Love how the vertical drls are sitting behind a clear lense instead of sheet metal either side of it. Also, i think there is another led wrapping around and running horizontal to the grille above the main headlights. Hard to see, but looks great sitting behind the clear lense. Great design enhancements, like the 2024 CT6 tail lights sitting behind a clear vertical lense.

    Reply
  18. 2024 are live on the cadillac site. im not seeing any of these changes implemented

    Reply

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