Check Out The Rampaging Cadillac That GM Hopes Will Dethrone BMW

Cadillac kicked of the 2014 Los Angeles auto show by launching its highly anticipated high-performance ATS-V Coupe and Sedan. The latest muscle Caddys come as a successor to the brand's CTS-V, a car that the auto press loved, but that didn't live up to its billing as a true BMW fighter.

With its latest attempt to challenge to Bavarians for sports sedan/coupe supremacy, Cadillac turned to its terrific ATS model, creating a performance "V" version.

"In a world fixated on SUVs its easy for superb luxury cars like Cadillac's ATS to get lost," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at automotive resource Kelley Blue Book. "That's apparently what's happened, as GM's premium brand tries to raise visibility and appreciation for the [BMW] 3-Series fighter, even as sales falter."

"The new ATS-V Coupe, with aggressive styling and a 450 horsepower V6, might finally overcome the model's lack of recognition. If ever a vehicle needed a halo version to raise awareness, it's the ATS," Brauer added.

Packed with numerous go-fast goodies and a more powerful engine, the V-series version may very well give Cadillac's smallest model the shot sales boost it's looking for.