Good news greeted luxury sedans and sporty driving enthusiasts this morning as Cadillac confirmed that the Blackwing versions of its new 2022 CT4-V and CT5-V will be equipped standard with a manual gearbox.
The two models will also be the first General Motors production cars to use 3D printing technology – which will, in fact, be used to produce the most anticipated element of these cars: a decorative medallion placed on the manual transmission selector.
In addition to this part, two air vents will also be produced using 3D printing, as will a support for electrical harnesses.
Regarding the manual transmission, Mirza Grebovic, Manager of Performance Variants at Cadillac, explained that “We knew V-Series buyers wanted it and we knew we had to offer it. That's why we used innovative processes to make it happen.”
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Cadillac commissioned a survey from Harris Poll on the subject of manual transmissions and received some very interesting results. For example, 66 percent of American adults surveyed said they knew how to drive a manual transmission and 55 percent said they had owned a manual transmission before. Of those who do not know how to steer a vehicle with three pedals, about 40 percent said they wanted to learn how to do so. Interest in the manual gearbox was highest among two key demographic groups: 64 percent of those with an annual income over $75,000, and 62 percent of those in the 18-34 age group.
These results contradict what we’re often told about there being very little interest among consumers in manual-transmission vehicles. The main impediment to increasing sales of such vehicles is that this type of transmission is often only offered on versions that are of less interest to buyers, such as entry-level variants that don't offer all of the desired equipment.
It's sure to be a different story with these Blackwing versions.
It’s expected that the CT5-V Blackwing will come with a 6.2L V8 engine under the hood, while the CT4-V Blackwing will be powered by a turbocharged 6-cylinder unit.
We're already looking forward to getting behind the wheel.
See also: 2020 Cadillac CT4-V Review: Is it Too Late?
See also: 2020 Cadillac CT5-V Review: The Model of Redemption
