The Cadillac V series (stylized as V-Series), is a line of high-performance vehicles tuned by the General Motors Performance Division for the Cadillac division of General Motors. Models in the V series tend to vary from one generation to the other. It was introduced in 2003. The V series was initially created as part of the 2000s Cadillac rebranding and the new 'Art & Science' design language to compete directly with German rivals such as BMW M and Mercedes-AMG. The first-ever V series model was the 2004 Cadillac CTS-V which became a successful seller and steered Cadillac in the new direction for the following decade. The letter "V" was chosen as a salute to post-WWII Cadillacs that featured a V-shape ornament below the crowned wreath logo, the shape itself was never recognized as a letter back then. Most V series Cadillac cars traditionally include high-performance V8 engines, transmissions, revised suspension systems (MagneRide Control), revised interiors, aerodynamics, and more aggressive bodywork which is intended to improve the vehicles' aerodynamic performance as well as differentiate them from their normal production counterparts. Cadillac has also re-entered motorsport competition with their CTS-V.R, a joint venture between GM Performance Division and Pratt & Miller race team, most famous for their role in GM's Le Mans-winning Corvette C5.R program. In 2009, the second-generation CTS-V sedan achieved a lap time of 7:59.32 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which was the fastest documented time for a production sedan on factory tires—until the Porsche Panamera Turbo clocked a time of 7:56 in July 2009—thanks to a heavily-tuned "LS9" EATON-supercharged V8 engine that was borrowed from Corvette. The engine was renamed as "LSA" and it produces 556 horsepower as well of torque. The same "LSA" engine is used in CTS-V coupe and wagon. History The V-Series development emerged from the mindset taking over at General Motors back in late 1990s and early 2000s, where Cadillac was struggling against imports from Japan and Europe. GM was eager to bring Cadillac back to its mantra "Standard of the World" and the new 'Art & Science' design language that matured in the late nineties auto shows gave the brand an aggressive and edgy leap ahead that looked promising in shaking the dusty past of old Cadillacs. The team working on the first generation CTS recognized early on that a high-performance variant was necessary, not only to rival competition and display Cadillac's resurgence, but also