Cadillac adds a new performance model to the XTS line-up, the XTS Vsport.

Cadillac is continuing to put a premium on performance, a niche it clearly believes it has to fill in its bid to regain credibility in order to tackle its import competition.

The latest addition to the Detroit luxury maker’s line-up will be the new 2014 XTS Vsport which will give the big sedan the same new 3.6-liter twin turbo V-6 that will also be offered with the new-for-2014, third-generation Cadillac CTS.

“The addition of the new Cadillac twin turbo expands and elevates the XTS luxury sedan,” says Cadillac’s global brand boss Bob Ferguson. “This is a compelling enhancement to what is already one of the most technically advanced sedans in our history.”

The six-cylinder engine is the first twin turbo model ever offered by General Motors, a gap the maker had to fill if it wanted to stand up to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz who offer similar high-tech powertrains in a wide variety of their performance models.

The new Cadillac Twin-Turbo V-6.

In the 2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport, the twin turbo six will make 410 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.  That compares with 420 hp and 430 lb-ft for the new engine in the upcoming Cadillac CTS Vsport.

Significantly, the CTS is primarily a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, the XTS a front-driver, so the engine orientation in the two sedans is different.  However, the Vsport models are both offered only in all-wheel drive.

While sharing some of the basics with the conventional 3.6-liter V-6 now offered in the XTS, the twin turbo has undergone a number of modifications, including:

• All-new cylinder block casting;
• Strengthened connecting rods;
• Machined, domed aluminum;
• Patented, integrated charge air cooler system with low-volume air ducts;
• Two turbochargers producing more than 12 pounds of boost.

(Click Here for more on the Cadillac Twin Turbo V-6.)

Starting at $63,020 – compared with $45,525 for the base XTS – the Vsport model also gets 20-inch wheels and a unique grille.  Production is set to begin in August and the new model should reach showrooms soon afterwards.

The Twin Turbo V-6 is helping Cadillac launch a new mid-range performance line, Vsport models similar to the BMW M Performance line the Bavarian maker introduced a few years ago.  For Cadillac, the Vsport serves as “the highest-performing standard car” explains spokesman Dave Caldwell, while, The V-Series has to be the highest-performance track-capable car.”

There are no plans to launch a full XTS V-Series model, he notes.  But there are expected to be new V-Series versions of the small Cadillac ATS and the new Caddy CTS.  Timing is uncertain though they’re likely to reach showrooms within the next several years.

(Caddy gets ready to launch overdue Escalade replacement. Click Here for more.)

Several sources have suggested that the ATS V-Series will likely adopt a high-performance V-6 generating close to 500 horsepower. It is possible that will be an even more upgraded version of the new Cadillac Twin Turbo.

The Cadillac CTS V-Series, however, likely will go with a somewhat more traditional performance package, meaning a V-8. And that, in turn, is expected to be a variant of the new Chevrolet Corvette’s 6.2-liter powertrain.