I owned the original version of the CTS-V back when they came out in 09. That was 556 hp with the magnetic suspension.
At that time it broke the Nuremberg Ring lap time for sedans, besting all of the Mercedes, BMW and Audi sedans at that time. It was one hell of a vehicle and I got to drive it around Monticello Raceway on the road course. Talk about a riot.
Of course, since that time those track records have been shattered numerous times. Hell, I now own two SUVs and one coupe That are faster around the Nurburgring than that 09 original CTS-V.
To your point, a tremendous amount of research and development, and investment, has actually gone into creating SUVs that can perform since that’s what the public wants to consume