Update: Left-hand-drive only Cadillac CTS-V planned for Europe

Update: Despite reports from Top Gear claiming the CTS's brawny force-fed brother - the CTS-V - won't be sold in Europe, a rival publication has word from a senior GM official that the high-performance saloon will make it to Europe in left-hand-only drive and will even be sold in the UK.

Autocar reports the CTS-V will make it across the pond in limited numbers and could be joined down the track by the upcoming CTS wagon as well. However, the official revealed that no final decision has been made on the wagon.

Original: While left-hand drive European buyers have been able to purchase the Cadillac CTS since the fourth quarter of last year, UK buyers have had to wait while the right-hand drive variant was completed. It is now ready for retail, and will be shown for the first time at the British International Motorshow in London this month. Sales of the car are scheduled to start September 1, with two models initially available.

Like the rest of Europe, the CTS will be available with either a 2.8L petrol V6 producing 208hp (155kW) or the excellent 3.6L VVT direct-injection V6 generating 306hp (225kW). Cadillac is also expected to launch a 2.9L V6 diesel for the CTS in Europe and the UK, with the pricing announcement confirming its arrival in 2009.

The CTS has been heralded for its affordability in comparison to rival offerings from BMW and Mercedes in the United States. While the Cadillac remains competitive with and even somewhat less expensive than the likes of the 5-series and E-Class, it certainly isn't the bargain it is in its homeland.

In fact, the entry-level 2.8L CTS, which starts at £26,995 only comes in £500 below the BMW 520d and £1,155 below the E200 Kompressor. The more comparable 530i starts at £34,955, however, while Mercedes E 280 starts at £32,665, giving the CTS back a bit of its price advantage. At the higher end, the 3.6L direct-injection V6 starts at £32,995, putting it on par with the price of the lower-end CTS's competitors, but offering substantially superior performance.

Those figures, while not directly comparable due to factors like tariffs and transport costs, dwarf the U.S. prices for the car. Both engines available in the American version are 3.6L units, though only one is the same direct-injection engine available in Europe. The other is a standard 3.6L petrol powerplant producing 263hp (176kW). The starting price for the less-powerful variant is $34,420, compared to $53,300 for the 2.8L Euro version, based on current exchange rates. The direct-injected car, which is an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of mechanical configuration, starts at just $36,720 in the U.S., compared with a base price of $65,200 in the UK. Clearly, the U.S. is lucky to get the cars it does for such low prices.

Coupe and wagon variants of the CTS are expected to emerge next year, with the CTS coupe already shown in concept form and spied in testing. The wagon, the details of which leaked early last month, has been more reclusive, evading the spies' lenses so far.