It's no secret that Cadillac wants to steal BMW's thunder. And Audi's, and Mercedes-AMG's. It won't be easy but the new ATS-V and CTS-V appear to be up for the challenge. But how does Cadillac take things a step further? We already knew that a CTS-V+ is in development, and now Motor Trend is reporting what's planned for the smaller, but equally potent, ATS-V+. The ATS itself was designed from the get-go to have a V8; we just didn't know which V8 would be chosen.

MT claims the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 used in the Camaro Z/28 and Corvette C6 Z06 is once again being called up for duty here. That means a naturally aspirated V8, instead of the supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 as previously rumored, will rest under the ATS-V+'s hood. We're not at all complaining. That hand-built engine produces a total of 505 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque. For comparison, the ATS-V currently has 464 hp and 445 lb-ft from its twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6. More than likely, the LS7 will be paired up with an eight-speed automatic gearbox as well as a seven-speed manual. A dual-clutch option will arrive later on. Expect the ATS-V+ to arrive sometime next year.