2014 Cadillac Ats Turbo Clean Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.

2016 Cadillac ATS-V blasts into LA

The first details about the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V recently hit the web ahead of the official debut at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Now, the latest model to wear Caddy's high-performance V moniker is officially official, and the specs are even better than initial rumors suggested.
The latest figures actually give the ATS-V a hair more power than first believed, with 455 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque pumping out of the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6. With a standard electronic limited-slip differential keeping rear wheels in check, Cadillac claims that the model sprints to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 185 mph. Buyers have two transmission choices that both offer launch control: a six-speed manual featuring Active Rev Match and no-lift shifting, or an eight-speed automatic.
Thoroughly revised suspension and braking systems should also mean that the ATS-V excels at more than just going in a straight line. The chassis itself receives extra bracing to boost overall stiffness by 25 percent over lesser ATS models. On top of that, a host of suspension upgrades front and rear, including third-generation Magnetic Ride Control dampers, mean quicker steering response and a tighter ride. Plus, Brembo six-piston calipers up front and four-pistons in the rear should bring rapid deceleration. To tune it all to the driver's whim, the Performance Traction Management system gives five settings to choose from for stability and traction control.

2014 Cadillac ELR is making green sexy in Detroit

In terms of styling, inside and out, the ELR hits the ball out of the park.
Cadillac has pulled the wraps off of its newest family member, the long-rumored, Voltec-powered, eye-catching extended range hybrid coupe called the ELR. The car makes use of the same basic architecture as the Chevrolet Volt, but has been thoroughly layered on with design, technology and performance tuning - with the goal of being a properly situated product for the Cadillac brand.