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2015 Cadillac Escalade gets 8-speed auto, range-topping Platinum Collection trim

The redesigned 2015 Cadillac Escalade is still quite fresh on the market, but the luxury brand has a host of mid-model-year updates for its massive luxury SUV that should make it an even better driver. The range-topping Platinum Collection (pictured above) is also all set to ensconce drivers in leather when it hits the road in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The entire Escalade range now gets an eight-speed automatic to replace the previous six-speed, and four-wheel drive models also get a two-speed transfer case to go along with it. New standard features include a Surround View camera system, 4G LTE connectivity, and the electric tailgate also now closes hands-free, in addition to opening that way.
To make riding in the Escalade an even more luxurious experience, Cadillac is adding a Platinum trim. Exterior changes add even more shine to the behemoth SUV with a grille wearing the redesigned brand crest, additional chrome trim, 22-inch wheels and Platinum badges. However, the interior is where things really get plush. The first and second row of seats are wrapped in Nappa, semi-aniline leather in a choice of either beige or gray. The dashboard, upper door panels and center console also get hand-stitched and wrapped leather, plus a suede microfiber headliner. Both front seats are heated and cooled with 18-way power adjustments, and the driver even gets a massaging function. Rear passengers are hardly left out, either, with 7-inch LCD screens in the headrests and a 9-inch screen in the center.

GM admits goal of 500,000 EVs by 2017 won't be met

After a little over four years of Chevy Volt sales, General Motors has a better handle on how many people it expects will buy cars with plugs. And it's less than the company thought back in 2012, when then-senior vice president of global product development, Mary Barra, said that GM expected to sell 500,000 "vehicles with electrification" by 2017. In a sustainability report released this week, GM says that half-million vehicle target will not be met but that it still, "believes the future is electric." In the report, GM says that, "For our commitment to electrification, our forecasted outlook currently projects us, along with the broader automotive industry, falling short of expectations for 2017. ... We continue to aspire to our stated goal." GM's electric lineup includes the Volt, the recently popular Spark EV, the slow-selling Cadillac ELR and upcoming Malibu Hybrid, CT6 plug-in hybrid and eAssist technology in the Buick LaCrosse and Regal. GM says it has 180,834 electrified vehicles on the road in the US today. In 2013, it had 153,034; 95,578 in 2012, and 39,843 in 2011. The company's next big plug-in vehicle will be the second-gen Chevy Volt, which is coming to market later this year, followed by the 200-mile Bolt EV coming, we think, in 2017. GM Employees on Mission to Transform Transportation Sustainability report outlines vehicle and manufacturing progress; sets new targets 2015-05-07 DETROIT – General Motors' just-released sustainability report chronicles efforts by the company's 216,000 employees to live out GM's newly defined purpose and values by earning customer loyalty, applying meaningful technology advances and improving the communities where it does business. These actions – led by CEO Mary Barra – further drive sustainability into the company's culture through building safer and smarter vehicles with less environmental impact. "GM will take a leading role in the auto industry's transformation as it undergoes an unprecedented period of change," said Bob Ferguson, senior vice president, GM Global Public Policy. "From GM's labs to its assembly lines, our people are driving the world to a better place through improved mobility." The company believes the future is electric, with billions of investment to support an all-in-house approach to the development and manufacturing of electrified vehicles. It now counts 180,834 on the road in the U.S – up from 153,034 in 2013.

Cadillac CT6 to be lighter than CTS, get PHEV model

Cadillac is suddenly one of the most talked about automakers in the US with Johan de Nysschen taking control. The brand claims that it eventually wants to become, once again, the standard of the world. One of the first vehicles to actually prove whether that's possible is its upcoming CT6 flagship sedan. We still don't know what the production version looks like undisguised, but other important details are falling into place. The latest big news sheds some light on the Caddy's powertrain and some estimates of its weight and size.
General Motors product chief Mark Reuss dropped the details at the automaker's Global Business Conference. According to The Detroit News, he revealed that the CT6 would use a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a plug-in hybrid would be an additional option. He reportedly claimed it would be the most "powerful six-cylinder gas engine in the segment" and said the hybrid could get around 70 miles per gallon.
Reuss also revealed that the CT6 would be about 53 pounds lighter than the current CTS, despite being about 8 inches longer, according to The Detroit News. If that's the case, the new flagship is about 203.5-inches long, which is 1.5-inches more than the XTS.