"The name recalls the Cadillac V from the division's glory days in the '50s and is now intended to imply velocity"

The new V-Series logo both harkens back to Cadillac's rich heritage as a pioneer in high-performance "V" engine technology and also conveys the dynamic posture that will characterize the V-Series models. The new V-shaped logo for V-Series models employs the same colors - black against gold, red, silver and blue, on a platinum background - as the Cadillac division's redesigned "Wreath & Crest" logo.
While its colors are meant to depict the 'luxury' side of Cadillac, its vertical orientation and its forward-leaning angle to the right are both meant to depict motion and performance," said Kip Wasenko, design director, GM Performance Division, who oversaw the design of the V-Series logo. "This new V-Series logo draws on the proud technological heritage of Cadillac's past emblems, but renders that heritage in a thoroughly modern and sophisticated way.
The use of the "V" designation in Cadillac sales literature dates to the beginning of the brand. V-shaped emblems started to appear on radiator grilles, trunk lids and hub caps in the 1930s, and following World War II, Cadillac's divisional emblem evolved into the well-known "V-and-crest" design which lasted, in one form or another, into the 1960s."
The XLR-V will be the fastest Cadillac in history.
Cadillac entered the high-performance luxury arena with its new "V-Series" line of products. The first Cadillac to receive the "V-Series" designation will be the CTS, which begins production in 2003 as a 2004 model.
V-Series enhancements will include substantially increased horsepower; manual or "automatic-manual" transmission; performance-tuned suspension with StabiliTrak; larger wheels, tires and brakes; additional instrumentation; unique front grille; dual exhaust with visible tips; unique seating surfaces; and V-Series badging, both exterior and interior.
Unlike some other high-performance luxury models, Cadillac V-Series will be completely designed and engineered "in-house" in a cooperative effort with GM's recently established Performance Division.
The use of the "V" designation in Cadillac sales literature dates to the beginning of the brand. V-shaped emblems started to appear on radiator grilles, trunk lids and hub caps in the 1930s, and following World War II, Cadillac's divisional emblem evolved into the well-known "V-and-crest" design which lasted, in one form or another, into the 1960s.
The V-series is so named because Cadillac was the first company to mass-produce a V-8, as well as the first to build a V-12 and a V-16. In another first, the XLR-V will be the first Cadillac equipped with adaptive forward lighting, a system that uses sensors to determine speed and steering-wheel angle in determining how fast and how far to turn the headlamps for improved night vision.
Cadillac V-Series emblem, from a 2006 STS.
Cadillac V-Series emblem, from a 2005 XLR.
Exterior appointments clearly identify a V-Series family member with the application of a signature wire-mesh grille. This one is from a 2006 Cadillac XLR-V.