Cadillac Says News Escalade Will Put Style Over MPG

Unlike modern trends of SUVs going to uni-body construction and adopting smaller more fuel efficient engines, Cadillac says that then next generation Escalade will stay large, and forgo some mpg for power and presence.

Cadillac wants to offer its customers a full range of vehicles, from a sleek plug-in hybrid, all the way up to a full-size SUV. “If someone wants to make a technological statement and associate with a company that’s environmentally responsible, then the ELR will be perfect for them,” said marketing chief Don Butler. “But if somebody wants a no-compromises, biggest, most comfortable, baddest looking vehicle on the road, then we’ll have that for them as well.”

In line with its new slogan “standard of the world,” Cadillac wants to control every segment of the luxury market, including luxury SUVs. Letting its customer make a statement is also important to Cadillac, so expect the next generation Escalade to remain body-on-frame, and be big, bold, and flashy.

The 2014 Escalade should bow at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, and be available to consumers by late 2013.

[Source: Automotive News]

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GM sees Cadillac near U.S. luxury car market top soon

General Motors Co's top executive for Cadillac said the brand should be challenging foreign automakers for the top spot in U.S. luxury auto sales within a couple of years.

Don Butler, vice president of marketing for Cadillac, told reporters on Tuesday that sales for the brand should be double what they were in 2010 "within a couple years."

Cadillac's U.S. sales in 2010 were about 147,000 vehicles.

U.S. sales of the luxury brand rose 3.7 percent in 2011 to about 153,000, or 63 percent of the sales of luxury leader Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or BMW.

Through July this year, Cadillac U.S. sales were down 12.6 percent from a year earlier to 76,229, according to Autodata Corp.

GM expects to boost sales in large part due to the appeal of its soon-to-be-introduced ATS model, which is smaller that most previous Cadillac offerings. GM sees the ATS as a challenger to BMW's 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class cars.

The ATS is Cadillac's first attempt at making a small luxury car since its much-maligned Cimarron in the 1980s.

The ATS is one of 10 all-new or significantly refreshed products that Cadillac will introduce in the next three years, Butler told reporters in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Michigan, on Tuesday.

In 2011, German carmakers led the lucrative U.S. luxury market after Toyota Motor Corp's Lexus brand had been champion for 11 straight years.

BMW took the top spot last year at about 248,000 in sales, followed closely by Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand. Lexus was third.

Through July this year, Mercedes-Benz held the lead at 159,412 in U.S. sales, followed by BMW at 147,801 and Lexus at 126,367.

Cadillac's U.S. sales this year have fallen behind Volkswagen AG's Audi brand, which through July reported U.S. sales of 76,865.

Courtesy of Ben Klayman

Cadillac ATS vs The World - China - Adaptive Forward Lighting (Video)

Adaptive Forward Lighting reads your speed and steering angle, swiveling the High-Intensity Discharge headlamps up to 13 degrees to illuminate the road ahead, perfect for when one dark corner leads to another. Check it out in this video featuring the all new Cadillac ATS!

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New Cadillac CTS, Escalade Coming Next Year, Plus Plug-In ELR

Lincoln may have abandoned its ambitions to be a full-line ultra-premium brand, focusing more on mid-market volume, but Cadillac is not capitulating to competitors in its effort to have a full lineup of high-performance and high-efficiency models. At the Pebble Beach weekend festivities, Motor Trend’s Editor-in-Chief Ed Loh had a chance to chat up Cadillac brass about what it has cooking for the near term.

While most of the talk centered around its recently-launched products — the new Cadillac ATS compact sport sedan and XTS fullsize sedan — Cadillac officials confirmed what has already been largely reported, that the next-generation models of the CTS sedan and Escalade SUV would be shown next year, with the ELR plug-in (pictured at top) right behind it.

We expect the next-generation Cadillac CTS to grow slightly larger than the current model, changing its current status from a tweener straddling the territory between the BMW 3 and 5 series in price and size, to more squarely counter the new F10 BMW 5 Series. Like the new 5-Series as well as its little brother ATS, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is expected to supplant the  3.0-liter base V-6 of the current CTS. Some version of the 3.6-liter V-6 is expected to carry over. Unknown, but most assuredly coming, is a high-potency CTS V-series model.

The new Escalade will come around the same time as the new Tahoe and Yukon models, and like its less lavish siblings, is expected to have a version of GM’s fifth-generation small block V-8 with direct-injection. One critique the current GMT-900 Escalade has received is that it’s too similar to the Tahoe and Yukon in regard to its trim and appearance. The new Escalade may differentiate itself further from the Tahoe and Yukon, but mechanically, is expected to share most of its hardware with those models.

Finally, the production version of the ELR plug-in hybrid coupe will make its debut. Expected to share much of its hardware and software with the Chevrolet Volt, the Cadillac ELR may have a longer electric range or a more powerful range-extender engine or both. Based on teaser shots shown at the presentation Loh attended, LED accent lighting, and premium interior materials were shown, with Cadillac representatives promising a ‘concept for the road, that still looks like a concept car.’

China continues to figure prominently in the future of the brand, with projections showing the country accounting for nearly half of all luxury goods and services purchased worldwide by 2020. To better serve the China domestic market, the XTS fullsize sedan will be manufactured locally.

Detroit Editor Todd Lassa says an ultra-premium Omega rear-wheel-drive platform to counter the Mercedes-Benz S-Class may be in the works, although officials did not specifically discuss this top-of-the-line model. But let’s not forget that it was at this venue last year that Cadillac stunned show-goers with its head-turning Ciel concept, which many believe could be a preview of a coming fullsize flagship.

Courtesy of Motor Trend

Care and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition

Spark plugs do need changing

The advent of electronic ignition and on-board computers has eliminated the need for regular tune-ups, but you still need to change your spark plugs. Many manufacturers recommend changing plugs every 30,000 or 40,000 miles (48,000 or 64,000 km) to ensure good fuel mileage and engine performance. Some new cars come with long-life plugs (sometimes called double platinum plugs) that can last for 100,000 miles (160,000 km). If your car isn’t so equipped, make the switch after 30,000 miles. The extra cost is only a few dollars per spark plug. While you’re at it, change your spark plug wires as well. Their typical life is 50,000 miles (80,000 km). Deteriorated wires can cause those high-tech new spark plugs to foul.

2013 Buick Encore Luxury Crossover - Designed to Move (Video)

Introducing the all-new Buick Encore, the first luxury crossover of its size. Complete with signature Buick elements; this vehicle defines Buick style in a small luxury crossover. Check it out in this video!

Cadillac CTS Sport Sedan

Click here to check out our inventory of the Cadillac CTS Sport Sedan which is the winner of Edmunds.com Best Retained Value Award. Stop by and see us to test drive this awesome vehicle!

Rare, Historic Cadillacs on Display at Pebble Beach

A pair of one-of-a-kind Cadillac Fleetwood V-16s that were available but never ordered by customers during the Great Depression will be among the cars on display at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Carmel, Calif., this week.

Cadillac’s exhibit, open to the public Aug. 16-19 at Peter Hay Hill, features Cadillac’s newest cars, along with the two custom-built Fleetwood Convertibles from 1934 and 1937. Each has a historically significant pedigree.

A 1934 rumbleseat roadster model 5802 and a 1937 Phaeton model 5859 were part of Cadillac’s made-to-order Fleetwood collection, featured in the “build books” that customers used to select options for their cars. All other body styles were built for customers, but these two lavish models went unselected.

Decades later, noted automobile restorer and coachbuilder Fran Roxas built the Phaeton 5859 and Roadster 5802 from scratch, relying only on the original blueprints of Cadillac designer John Hampshire. Both have won best-in-class awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The two one-of-a-kind models were rarely seen until being profiled in a recent Hemmings Classic Car article.

Each recently sold at auction. The Phaeton 5859 sold for $962,500 and the Roadster 5802 for $1,001,000. Both vehicles are powered by Cadillac’s legendary16-cylinder engine. Cadillac designers recently used the original drawings as inspiration for the Ciel Convertible concept car shown for the first time in the Cadillac exhibit at Peter Hay Hill in 2011. It will be on display again this week.

Held annually since 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is a premier exhibition of pre- and post-war automobiles and motorcycles, as well as concept cars from manufacturers across the world. In order to be showcased, vehicles must be a well preserved or accurately restored model of the original and offer “historic value” in the form of engineering and design and craftsmanship among other factors from the vehicle’s time period.

“The Cadillac Phaeton 5859 and Roadster 5802 are literally unlike any other vehicle ever built,” said Clay Dean, Cadillac design director. “The Cadillac design team is still inspired by these two vehicles as we dream and conceive of future Cadillac entries.”

Cadillac will also showcase a 1953 LeMans at this year’s event. The LeMans, a relatively small and athletic design, is one of the famed Motorama show cars of the 1950s.

Courtesy of Cadillac Media

Here's a Tip To Extend the Life of Your Car

Don’t forget the filters.

There are several filters (the main ones are oil, fuel, transmission, and air) important to preserving your car engine, and they should be changed according to the schedule in your owner’s manual or as follows:

    Change the oil filter at least at every other oil change — every change is even better because the old filter contains nearly a quart of dirty oil that will remain with the new, clean oil. If you change your oil yourself, wipe the filter threads with an anti-seize lubricant, available at auto supply stores.
    Check the air filter every two months and replace it when dirty or as part of a tune-up. Air filters are generally easier to get to than oil filters.You find them under the big metal lid in a carbureted engine or in a rectangular box in a fuelinjected engine — check your owner’s manual for the exact location. Extend the life of air filters by blowing them clean with compressed air.
    Despite claims by makers and dealers that some newer fuel filters never need changing, it’s smart to have it done once a year. A clogged fuel filter will cause poor engine performance (hesitation and starting difficulties) and is an early warning that there may be corrosion in your gas tank.
    Change your transmission fluid filter after the first 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of driving and every 25,000 miles (40,000 km) or two year thereafter.

2013 Buick Verano Turbo Priced at $29,990

The 2013 Buick Verano Turbo luxury sedan will be priced at $29,990, including a destination charge of $885. The turbocharged Verano uses an Ecotec 2.0L four-cylinder engine with direct injection and continuously variable valve timing to produce an SAE-certified 250 horsepower (187 kW) at 5300 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. (353 Nm) of torque at 2000 rpm.

When the Verano Turbo arrives at dealerships this fall, buyers will get both performance and fuel efficiency with 0-60 mph acceleration in an estimated 6.2 seconds and EPA-estimated 20/31 mpg ratings with a six-speed manual transmission available as a no-cost option. Fuel economy ratings for the standard six-speed automatic will be announced closer to production.

Verano Turbo will offer more power and better fuel efficiency than the competition. A 2012 Lexus IS250 is rated at 204 horsepower, with fuel efficiency estimates of 19/28 mpg with a manual transmission.

In addition to its 2.0L engine, dual exhaust, sport pedals and rear spoiler, standard equipment for the Verano Turbo includes IntelliLink connectivity, a Bose 9-speaker audio system, leather-appointed upholstery, push-button start, rear park assist and rearview camera, radar-based side blind zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. A power sunroof and navigation are optional.

“Buick Verano continues to build momentum in the marketplace with eight straight months of sales increases since launch,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing. “The new Verano Turbo increases the performance of an already capable luxury sedan while continuing to offer customers the smart, purposeful technology they expect.”

Verano sales began in late November, 2011 with a 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission and standard voice-activated IntelliLink. For 2013, a rearview camera is standard across all Verano models.

With the arrival of this new model, Buick will offer three different models with turbocharged engines and optional six-speed manual transmissions, including the Regal Turbo and Regal GS luxury sport sedans. The 2013 Buick Encore luxury crossover, on sale early next year, will feature a standard turbocharged engine.

Courtesy of Buick Media

 

Care and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition

Wax to protect your car’s paint job

No way around it! Waxing your car is work. But it’s satisfying work that will help keep your car looking new. Car wax preserves paint by slowing oxidation and forming a barrier against bird droppings, sap, and pollution. Plus driving a nice shiny car is just plain fun.

Here’s what to do to ensure the maximum in protection:

    - Liquid and spray waxes are tempting to use — they make the car shiny with less work than rubbing in paste wax. But there’s still no beating paste wax for the hardest, longest-lasting finish. Look for paste with a high carnauba wax content.
    - Apply a thin, even coat of wax to the car’s surfaces with a damp sponge. Avoid applying too much, or it will be difficult to remove and some residue will inevitably mar your finish.
    - To avoid fine scratches, use a clean, soft cotton or microfiber cloth to remove wax once it has dried.
    - Apply an extra coat of wax to the nose and hood. The wax film in these areas wears away quickly.

Bridge Testing Verifies New Cadillac Safety Tech

New York’s famed Brooklyn Bridge provided a key testing ground for Cadillac’s new Driver Awareness and Driver Assist active safety technologies that include maintaining a safe following distance to other vehicles even in stop-and-go traffic.

The Brooklyn Bridge’s intricate metal design and traffic volume allowed General Motors engineers to refine the radar sensors so they can tell the difference between stationary objects like guard rails and bridge structure from vehicle traffic.

Metal structures can “confuse” some types of radar into detecting a vehicle or obstacle is approaching, causing an unnecessary warning or action from the safety systems,” said Jim Nickolaou, lead engineer for Sensor Fusion.

Sensor Fusion is what engineers call the science of discerning the data collected from cameras and sensors in and around the car. It is part of Cadillac’s all-new 2013 XTS luxury sedan and ATS compact sport sedan.

“The camera, sensors and radar technology act as the ‘brain’ behind all the safety features, feeding data 25 times per second into the car’s computer network,” Nickolaou said. “We found that the best way to test the system’s accuracy was to gauge its performance in stressful driving conditions that could confuse it, like those conditions found on the Brooklyn Bridge.” 

Once the largest suspension bridge in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River that divides Manhattan and Brooklyn. Its massive expanse of metal cables, barriers, and structures combined with New York City traffic to make it an ideal place to test Sensor Fusion.

Overall, nearly 2,000 scenarios were identified to test the sensors and radars, including variables such as weather, traffic volume, lighting, and radar reflections, all of which can impact radar systems or other sensors in the car. Data was collected to anticipate a range of real-world conditions, and Sensor Fusion software development was tuned to prepare the production technology for such rigors.

“We have to try and anticipate every scenario, especially those that really challenge the technology,” Nickolaou said. “We tune the systems to discern actual obstacles from other things in the vicinity that should not cause a warning or braking action.”

The Driver Assist Package also offers safety technologies such as Automatic Collision Preparation, Lane Departure Warning, and Front and Rear Automatic Braking. Common to these systems is the science of Sensor Fusion, which is also used in Cadillac’s unique Safety Alert Seat that delivers warnings to drivers via a pulse on either or both sides of the seat cushion.

The advanced features on Cadillac’s all-new 2013 cars are an early benefit from long-term research and development on semi-autonomous driving. Nicknamed “Super Cruise,” Cadillac’s semi-autonomous technology is capable of fully automatic steering, braking and lane-centering under certain driving conditions. This technology could be ready for production vehicles by mid-decade.

“We’re bringing the future forward for today’s drivers,” said Don Butler, vice president, Cadillac Marketing. “The Driver Awareness and Assist technologies are tailored for intuitive use in the rigors of daily commuting.”

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Courtesy of Cadillac Media

The Cadillac ATS will be here in September!

Happy Monday fans! Sorry for any confusion - The new Cadillac ATS was here for training purposes only but we wanted to let you it's a very stylish and amazing automobile! We will have vehicles to sell in September so we look forward to seeing you then!

Cadillac ATS Wins Gold in Olympics Advertising

General Motors captured the gold with its advertising of its new 2013 Cadillac ATS, its BMW 3 Series-fighter. The “Cadillac ATS vs. the World” campaign launched during the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games on Friday and continued through the weekend. Cadillac needs to establish this brand-new nameplate against the well-known and often-shopped 3 Series.

The Olympics ad campaign helped. Shopping on Edmunds.com for the Cadillac ATS, albeit from a small base, soared 351 percent after the first 60-second commercial aired during opening ceremony for the London Olympics on Friday. Cadillac followed up with 30-second spots throughout the weekend, leading to a lift in shopping consideration of 474 percent by the time Monday arrived. Shopping consideration is an indicator of marketing effectiveness, not necessarily actual sales.

The report card on Cadillac’s Olympics advertising comes a day after GM announced the departure of its chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick, who had been criticized for other GM marketing efforts, including the Chevy Runs Deep ad campaign, that failed to boost the automaker’s slumping U.S. market share.

The ATS ads are actually a series of mini-films featuring the new entry-luxury sport sedan in various places in the world to show off the car’s agility and driving capabilities. Locations include the deserts of Morocco, the streets of Monaco, the hand-chiseled Guoliang Tunnels of China and windswept Patagonia, Chile. The campaign was directed by Academy Award-nominated documentary film maker Joe Berlinger, and Jeff Zwart, an acclaimed automotive expert and film maker. The driver in the spots is Derek Hill, a champion race driver and son of Phil Hill, the only American to win the World Driving Championship. American actor and filmmaker Ross Thomas hosts the series. The ATS arrives in Cadillac showrooms later this year, with a starting price of $33,900.

“It was not lost on us that we were launching the Cadillac ATS, developed to take on the world’s best sport sedans, on the Olympic world stage,” Molly Peck, Cadillac director of advertising, said of the weekend’s results on the campaign. “We designed a global challenge to dramatically demonstrate the car’s all-new purpose-built chassis and advanced technology in a global, cinematic adventure.”

GM and BMW are official automotive sponsors of the London Olympics. GM is advertising Cadillac and Chevrolet, which did not get the same lift as its sister division. The Chevrolet Cruze featured in the ads, which also included mention of the Chevrolet Confidence program that offers a return policy and no-haggle pricing, generated only a 3-percent increase in shopping consideration during the weekend.

As a first-time sponsor of the games, BMW created a massive and multi-pronged effort in the U.S. and other global markets. During NBC’s broadcast, BMW launched its U.S. Olympic-themed advertisement “Victory,” a 60-second spot that points out the similarities of the BMW 3 Series’ sport performance and the athletes of the BMW Performance Team. The result was that the BMW brand experienced a 9-percent rise in shopping consideration on Edmunds.com after Friday’s opening ceremonies and a 30-percent increase by the end of the weekend. The 3 Series saw a 12-percent rise in shopping consideration following the opening ceremony and 22-percent hike after the weekend, but from a much higher base than its new Cadillac competitor, the ATS. The 2013 BMW X1, the German automaker’s small luxury crossover, saw a huge spike in shopping consideration after the first Olympics weekend – 219 percent after the opening ceremony and 1,063 percent after the weekend – but from a tiny base.

As is often the case, other automakers, with no official affiliation with the Olympics, rode the coattails of the games with a significant advertising presence – and achieved mixed results. Honda heavily advertised its 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan during the opening Olympics weekend and garnered a big spike in shopping consideration – 44 percent after the opening ceremony and 57 percent by Monday morning. Nissan didn’t fare as well with its advertising of the new Infiniti JX crossover; it saw only an 8-percent rise after the weekend.

Courtesy of Forbes

The all new Cadillac ATS is here!

The all new Cadillac ATS is here and it's a very stylish and amazing automobile!

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