We've seen the video and the performance figures and now Cadillac has announced the price and UK launch date for the CTS-V. When it goes on sale in February the CTS-V will cost almost £9,000 less than the BMW M5.

To recap on the CTS-V's key figures its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 develops 557bhp and 550lb.ft. Cadillac claims 191mph is attainable and acceleration from 0-60mph takes 3.9 seconds - when fitted with a manual transmission. Thanks in part to Magnetic Ride Control and Brembo brakes the CTS-V lapped the Nurburgring in an impressive 7 minutes 59.32 seconds.

The on-the-road price of the left-hand drive CTS-V is £56,495 with the automatic transmission adding £2,500 to the price. This compares favourably to the £65,325 BMW M5's and £66,642 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG.

Despite the bargain price it doesn't sound like any money has been saved on the interior. The front seats are fourteen-way adjustable Recaro items while hand cut and stitched leather, "sueded material" and a high-gloss black Obsidian surface finish suggest that the cabin should feel special. Standard equipment includes voice activated in-car entertainment, iPod integration and a 40GB hard drive.

The CTS-V will arrive in British showrooms in February. On paper it looks like a serious alternative to the German sports saloons although we'll wait until we've driven it before delivering our final verdict.

John Lambert - 22 Jan 2009