Holden's fingerprints are still on Cadillac's V8 CT5-V Blackwing, says engineer

A Cadillac engineer has said the CT5-V Blackwing still carries the fingerprints of Holden, the retired Australian GM brand, because the V8 sedan’s rear-drive foundation was developed jointly and its suspension geometry has remained largely untouched since then. The remark is a reminder that even a very American performance car can owe part of its character to engineering work done on the other side of the world.

For Saudi buyers, the CT5-V Blackwing sits at the sharp end of Cadillac’s sedan range: a rear-wheel-drive V8 performance model rather than a comfort-first executive car. The Holden connection matters less for nostalgia than for what it says about the chassis. A platform that has needed only limited suspension changes over time suggests a mature, well-sorted starting point, which is exactly what a buyer in this segment should value.

In Saudi showrooms, the car is likely to be cross-shopped against German performance sedans such as the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E-Class variants. Those rivals tend to offer broader model families and stronger brand recognition, while the Cadillac counters with a more specialist, old-school rear-drive V8 formula