Cadillac will offer this spring a Black Diamond Edition of the high-performance CTS-V that comes with a host of popular performance options and an exclusive tri-coat paint, also called “Black Diamond.”
The Black Diamond Edition, available in the CTS-V Sedan, Coupe and Wagon models, will be the first use by an automaker of JDSU’s proprietary SpectraFlair pigment in North America. JDSU, a Milipitas, Calif.,-based optical technology firm, specializes in cutting-edge color solutions for a wide range of markets. Its pigments are used in certain DuPont paints supplied to Cadillac.
In the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition, a dark tri-coat paint is embedded with SpectraFlair Bright Silver pigment. While other luxury makers offer metallic paints, Black Diamond is created through a meticulous process that gives the paint added dimension.
Instead of simply containing small bits of metal, the SpectraFlair pigment in Black Diamond uses aluminum flakes encapsulated in a glass-like substance called magnesium fluoride. The result is a paint that has a diamond-like sparkle as light hits the surface from different angles.
The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond Edition comes with a suggested retail price, including destination charges, of $69,190 for the manual or $70,490 for the automatic, a $4,850 premium over the CTS-V base price. The CTS-V Black Diamond will be available at U.S. dealerships in March 2011.
