Factory build sheet
2012 Cadillac CTS Performance
Build 1G6DK5E3-C · 3.6L 6cyl · Rear-wheel drive · Sedan
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1G6DK5E3 and position 10 reads C. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every CTS whose VIN starts 1G6DK5E3 and carries C in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 216 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 216 known VINs
This configuration is identical to 2012 Cadillac CTS Performance 3.6L 6cyl Sedan (325 vehicles). That page carries the full record.
Factory specification
As filed by Cadillac with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 3.6 L
- Cylinders
- 6
- Engine model
- LFX
- Valve train
- Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- Rear-wheel drive
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sedan/Saloon
- NHTSA body type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS LLC
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1
- GVWR
- 6,000 lb or less
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
The same build, other model years
Cadillac used the VIN pattern 1G6DK5E3 for 2 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
-
2012 You are here code C
- 2013 Performance 3.6L 6cyl Sedan · 236 vehicles code D
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1G6 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | DK5E3 | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | C | Model year — 2012 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
216 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1G6DK5E3-C shares the specification above.
- 216 Known VINs
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the CTS, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 216 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.