1990 Cadillac Allante Convertible 2-door 4.5l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac's striking Escala concept is reportedly headed for production

Cadillac is reportedly planning a new flagship four-door, and it won't be based on its alphanumeric naming system a la the CT6. It'll be the Escala, the stunning concept fastback it revealed in 2016 in Pebble Beach. The news comes via Autoline, which cites AutoForecast Solutions. The Escala is said to be planned for production starting in December 2021 at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which currently builds the CT6, Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Volt and Impala. That suggests the Escala, which was branded as a four-door coupe, will likely keep that layout. It'll also be built on the CT6 platform. Cadillac has been talking about fitting a flagship sedan above the CT6 for years, and the Escala's design language has been influencing bits of other Cadillac models, from the refresh of the CT6 to the broad grille shape on the new XT4 crossover, which debuts at the New York Auto Show next week. The concept Escala featured a wide, muscular stance and a minimalist, white mid-century modern interior aesthetic, with tail lamps that evoke waterfowl in flight. Interestingly, it came equipped with a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 with cylinder deactivation, which Cadillac President Johan De Nysschen said at the time was "absolutely worthy of a car of this caliber." But with such a long horizon before production, there's obviously lots of time to develop a more pragmatic production model and cue ravenous speculation. Or, for that matter, to decide to rename it something like the CT8. Related Video: Featured Gallery Cadillac Escala Concept View 33 Photos Image Credit: Jeff Jablansky Design/Style Cadillac Coupe Concept Cars Luxury Sedan cadillac ct6 cadillac xt4 cadillac escala

GM to build $1.3 billion Cadillac plant in China

General Motors has gotten approval to build a $1.3 billion manufacturing facility for its Cadillac brand in China. China's National Development and Reform Commission signed off on plans for GM to build the plant in the country's Shanghai's Jinqiao zone; construction is expected to begin in June of this year. According to a Bloomberg report, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
No surprise here, but Cadillac would like to sell a lot more cars in the plush Chinese luxury market. The brand moved only 30,010 cars in China last year, compared with 400k for Audi, and about 330k for BMW. With Cadillac already telling us that it would be moving production of its XTS sedan to China - a production decision that saves having to pay 25-percent import tariffs - approval of the factory is a critical win for the company.
In fact, according to earlier comments by GM China president Bob Socia, it's at least conceivable that Chinese-built Cadillacs could be shipped back to the US for sale. The brave new world of globalization, getting stranger by the minute.

Chevy's low-cost pedestrian avoidance to debut on 2016 Malibu

The mainstreaming of safety technologies that began on luxury vehicles will get a big boost from General Motors later this year. The General says it plans to offer 22 driver assistance systems across its product portfolio of 2016 models, starting with the redesigned Chevrolet Malibu - the one that we know will keep tabs on teenagers for the benefit of parents. Pedestrian avoidance will be another of its available options. Instead of kitting the sedan out with numerous and expensive radar arrays, the GM system uses the camera mounted next to the rearview mirror that is already used for the lane-keeping function. New software lets it detect pedestrians, and when it detects a potential collision with one, it can alert the driver and brake autonomously if the driver doesn't react. Eventually, engineers want to give it the ability to do the same with cyclists. Because it uses existing hardware updated with new code, GM says the application costs "a few hundred dollars." GM demonstrated the Front Pedestrian Braking preventing a crash with a dummy pedestrian at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Automotive News reports that it will reduce the severity of impact up to 40 miles per hour, but "may not be of much use in collisions at higher speeds." That feature will also join the options list of the Cadillac CT6. The press release below has more on GM's driver tech soon on the way. Related Video: GM Paving Way to Smarter and Safer Driving at All-New Active Safety Test Area 22 crash-avoidance technologies offered on 2016 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models MILFORD, Mich. 2015-07-24 – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac will offer 22 different active safety technologies across their 2016 model year U.S. lineups, ranging from driver alerts to those that automatically intervene and assist the driver in critical situations. Safety engineers will develop and test these and other safety technologies for products around the world at GM's new, 52-acre Active Safety Test Area at its Milford Proving Ground near Detroit. The $14 million facility officially opened Friday. "Our comprehensive safety strategy of helping customers before, during and after a crash continues," said Jeff Boyer, vice president of GM Global Vehicle Safety.