Team Cadillac partners with iRacing to build virtual racer

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DETROIT – Team Cadillac Racing is partnering with iRacing.com, a premier online motorsports simulation gaming service, to put virtual racing fans behind the wheel of one of the team’s CTS-V race cars on iRacing.com’s multitude of tracks.

The virtual race car, based on the CTS-V Coupe race cars driven by Team Cadillac’s Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim, will be designed and based on the actual race cars by iRacing.com engineers.

Team Cadillac Racing announces Thursday, February 9, 2012 it has partnered with iRacing.com, an online motorsports simulation gaming service, to offer virtual racing fans CTS-V race cars on iRacing.com’s many tracks. The virtual race car, based on the CTS-V Coupe race cars driven by Team Cadillac’s Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell, will be designed and based on the actual race cars. iRacing allows members to compete with other drivers in an online series of racing challenges that mirror the actual racing season. The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be among the race teams for participants to choose from in the 2012 racing season and will be released this spring. Pictured here is Andy Pilgrim on the racing simulator in the Cadillac exhibit at the North American International Auto Show Friday, January 20, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for Cadillac)

iRacing engineers visited the Team Cadillac race team, Pratt& Miller Engineering, near Detroit recently to begin creating the digital version of the CTS-V race car. Precise measurements of the racing cars will be made to ensure authenticity in both appearance and performance. They’ll also record the sounds of the Cadillac engine to provide an added dimension to the user experience.

“Having more than 30,000 virtual racers drive a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car on some of the most challenging tracks in the world is great opportunity to demonstrate Cadillac’s world-class performance credentials,” said Cadillac Global Marketing Director Jim Vurpillat. “When they climb in, flip the switch on the 520-horsepower race engine and hear that rumble for the first time, they’ll remember the experience.”

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is a member of the world’s fastest family of production cars. The racing version took the first place podium twice last year, with O’Connell driving in its return to competition in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS Series.

“The V-Series is Cadillac’s most exciting car, and the Coupe really drives that point home,” said John Kraemer, Cadillac V-Series marketing manager. “The virtual experience of iRacing.com will combine the technical expertise they have in the digital world with our technical excellence over the road, and the results should be spectacular.”

iRacing allows members to compete with other drivers in an online series of racing challenges that mirror the actual racing season. The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be among an exclusive number of race teams for participants to choose from in the 2012 racing season and will be released this spring.

“This is great news for iRacing and the online racing community,” said Tony Gardner, president of iRacing.com. “The performance of the real-world Cadillac CTS-V race car is truly astonishing. I’m sure the iRacers around the world will be eager to get their hands on our digital version of this world-class machine.”

Cadillac Tunes ATS for Refined Performance Sound

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DETROIT – The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS is being exhaustively developed to achieve excellent driving dynamics – and that performance focus extends to the sounds it makes.

While designers define how a car looks and engineers develop how it feels, other experts carefully craft how a luxury performance car should sound. Kyle Stanforth, noise and vibration engineer on the Cadillac performance team, said the ATS is engineered to enhance the performance-tuned sounds for each of the three available engines, while minimizing unwanted noise in and around the car.

“Cadillac customers expect a level of refinement beyond what most cars have. Yes, it’s quiet, but it’s more than that,” Stanforth said. “They also love to hear that sound of refined power when they ask for it. So when you open it up, you not only feel the power, you hear it too.”

ATS engineers carefully shaped the intake system to allow the engine to breathe-in fresh air, while minimizing unwanted engine noise. Similar designs to the exhaust system ensure maximum engine performance, while lowering the sound levels at idle and cruising speeds.

Inside, the ATS uses technology to further refine the sound. Bose Active Sound Management technology continuously monitors the sound inside the cabin and generates a cancellation signal to reduce unwanted engine noise. In addition to helping create optimal sound quality, this approach reduces the need to add acoustical materials – which supports the ATS’s estimated curb weight of less than 3,400 lbs.

The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS is being exhaustively developed to achieve excellent driving dynamics – and that performance focus extends to the sounds it makes.

“The ATS sounds distinctly like a Cadillac should. We’ve created a signature sound that expresses Cadillac power, refinement and luxury – and we make it sing,” Stanforth said.

Patent Board: GM Remains Top Automotive Innovator

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Fourth consecutive quarter ranked No. 1 in quarterly industry study

DETROIT – General Motors remains the No. 1 innovator for the fourth-consecutive quarter among 183 companies ranked by The Patent Board in its quarterly automotive and transportation industry scorecard.

GM was granted 1,123 U.S. patents in 2011 applied to global product engineering, global powertrain engineering, global research and development and OnStar organizations.

The Patent Board is the leading independent provider of best practices research tools and metrics for patent analysis and intellectual property investment.  It tracks and analyzes innovation and patents across 17 industries on a global basis.

Among recent technology patents:

Quiet Brakes – A friction-damped disc brake design that uses a thin metal ring embedded in the brake rotor to absorb vibrations and mute the squeal. The quieter brake is expected to be available on some cars and trucks within two to three years.

OnStar Voice Recognition – OnStar’s speech recognition method can identify the location of the speaker within the vehicle and adjusts its microphone pick-up pattern or magnitude to respond to location-specific commands.

eAssist Thermal Management – Vehicles with engine shut-off capability, such as Buick LaCrosse with eAssist, use an innovative thermal management system that maintains occupant comfort during engine-shut off, and prevents engine shut-off if comfort will be lost, such as during extremely cold or hot weather conditions.

“We are in the midst of redefining the automotive DNA, and these efforts are driving our people to reinvent every subsystem on the vehicle” said Alan Taub, GM vice president of Global Research and Development. “Being the recognized leader in innovation is important, because it tells our customers and shareholders that we are working on the leading edge of technology.”