1957 Cadillac Deville Coupe Deville on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cadillac is returning to endurance racing with a new prototype in 2017

In two months, Cadillac will return to top-tier endurance racing with its all-new Daytona Prototype International racecar after 14 years away. The car, which adheres to IMSA's new DPi regulations, looks as long, low, and Cadillac-like as anyone could have hoped. It's set to debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and will compete head to head with the likes of Mazda and Nissan in what is shaping up to be one of the most diverse and exciting forms of American motor racing in years. The new car will be run by Wayne Taylor Racing, the team that previously fielded the Corvette Daytona Prototype. Wayne Taylor himself has won the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, in 1996 and 2005. He now manages the team and leaves the driving duties to his two sons, Ricky and Jordan. They'll be joined in the cockpit by Max Angelelli, Wayne Taylor's teammate in 2002 at Cadillac's last unsuccessful attempt at endurance racing. To understand Cadillac's new car, officially called the DPi-V.R., you need to understand IMSA's DPi category. Basically, manufacturers are allowed to base their car on one of four chassis that follow the FIA LMP2 regulations. The chassis come from either Dallara, Onroak Automotive, ORECA or Riley/Multimatic. Cadillac will base their car on the Dallara platform. The DPi regulation differ from the LMP2 in two major ways: non-standardized engines and the ability to change certain parts of the bodywork. The DPi regulations are intended to give the variety of the top-tier LMP1 cars at a fraction of the cost. When it came to choosing an engine, Cadillac wanted to power the new car with something kinda sorta production based. The new car will use a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter pushrod V8 that shares some base architecture with the engine in the current CTS-V. While the power output hasn't been announced, expect about 600 horsepower. While that's down compared to the CTS-V, there is far less mass to move around as the Dallara chassis is a svelte 2,050 lbs. Since all the teams will be running different engine configurations, expect restrictors of some sort to help balance the power disparity. The parts of the body work that can be modified - The nose, sidepods, rear wheel arches and rear valance - have all been designed to mimic Cadillac roadcar design elements. Even the wheels look like they were pulled straight from the CTS-V. The front splitter, the floor, and the diffuser are common elements shared with other DPi cars.

J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.

Cadillac logo losing its wreath?

The easily recognizable Cadillac logo dates back to the company's founding in the early 1900s, but over the last 110 years, there has been an on-again, off-again love affair with the wreath surrounding the crest. Cadillac's current badge design has used the wreath since the 1980s, but Automotive News is reporting that GM's luxury division is planning to ditch the laurel wreath for a cleaner-looking logo.
The new logo could make its debut as early as next month on a new concept car that will be revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, although the report also says that it might be until 2015 before it makes its way to a production car. Even then, it doesn't like anything has been finalized yet, as the article also says that plans could still change.
As Cadillac looks to improve its global presence as a luxury automaker, the report says that a simpler logo could make it easier for designers to incorporate the badge onto the car - either in the grille or above the grille (possibly in a fashion similar to Mercedes-Benz). Head on over to the AN article, which shows the Cadillac logo dating back to its earliest design.