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Stick With It: Manual transmissions returning to sporty Cadillacs - Driving

It would appear reports of the manual transmission’s death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, may have been greatly exaggerated.

In a world where the third pedal is vanishing more quickly than good vibes in 2020, Cadillac has just announced not one but two of its upcoming sport sedans will be offered with a six-speed stick.

The 2022 CT4-V Blackwing and CT-5 Blackwing will incorporate a manual transmission thanks to a unique process: 3D printing. Described as an “additive manufacturing application”, these Caddys will be the first GM production vehicles with functional 3D-printed parts.

In addition to gubbins for the stick, this new tech will also produce a couple of ventilation pieces and a bracket for the electrical harness. That silver medallion atop the shifter knob, shown in the lead image, is also produced in this manner.

“A lot of work went into making the manual possible in both vehicles. It’s something we know V-Series buyers want and it’s something we knew we had to have, so we used innovative processes to make it happen,” said Mirza Grebovic, Cadillac performance variant manager. Both the CT4-V Blackwing and the CT5-V Blackwing will come standard with a six-speed manual transmission and offer a 10-speed automatic transmission as an option.

Push any thoughts of the delicious twin-turbo V8 which bore that Blackwing name out of your mind, however. In a bizarre marketing move that can only be attributed to copious amounts of dark rum or absinthe, Cadillac is appending that moniker to its top-flight sedans but decided to toss the wonderful 550-hp engine in a dumpster outside Ren Cen.

Perhaps all this is a mea culpa to enthusiasts who were angered when the current crop of V sedans showed up for duty. Today’s (non-Blackwing) CT5-V sedan produces a woeful 360 horsepower, just 59 more than a Toyota Camry and well south of the 640 hp produced by its predecessor, the CTS-V. The CT4-V, for its part, uses a four-cylinder engine out of a pickup truck. It used to have a 464 hp twin-turbo V6.

While this author welcomes the introduction of any new manual transmission, he can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the timing of this particular announcement. Cadillac is apparently in the throes of shifting to a lineup made entirely of electrified vehicles, a decision which stands in stark contrast to the announcement of two sporty sedans with a third pedal. It’s as if your buddy publicly promised to go vegan in 2021 but then bought himself a new smoker for Christmas.

The Blackwing twins will be available in limited numbers starting summer 2021.

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Stick With It: Manual transmissions returning to sporty Cadillacs - Driving
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