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GM’s move to Woodward is the right one — for the company and for Detroit

Back in 2018, Chevy invited me to attend the Detroit Auto Show on the company dime to get an early preview of the then-newly redesigned Silverado. The trip involved a stay at the Renaissance Center — just a quick People Mover ride from the show. IÂ’d been visiting Detroit in January for nearly a decade, and not once had I set foot inside General MotorsÂ’ glass-sided headquarters. I was intrigued, to say the least. Thinking back on my time in the buildings that GM will leave behind when it departs for the new Hudson's site on Woodward Avenue, two things struck me. For one, its hotel rooms are cold in January. Sure, itÂ’s glass towers designed in the 1960s and '70s; I calibrated my expectations accordingly. But when I could only barely see out of the place for all the ice forming on the inside of the glass, it drove home just how flawed this iconic structure is.  My second and more pertinent observation was that the RenCen doesnÂ’t really feel like itÂ’s in a city at all, much less one as populous as Detroit. The complex is effectively severed from its surroundings by swirling ribbons of both river and asphalt. To the west sits the Windsor tunnel entrance; to the east, parking lots for nearly as far as the eye can see. To its north is the massive Jefferson Avenue and to its south, the Detroit River. You get the sense that if Henry Ford II and his team of investors had gotten their way, the whole thing would have been built offshore with the swirling channel doubling as a moat. This isnÂ’t a building the draws the city in; itÂ’s one designed to keep it out. Frost on the inside of the RenCen hotel glass. Contrasted with the new Hudson's project GM intends to move into, a mixed-use anchor with residential, office, retail and entertainment offerings smack-dab in Detroit's most vibrant district, the RenCen is a symbol of an era when each office in DetroitÂ’s downtown was an island in a rising sea of dilapidation. Back then, those who fortified against the rapid erosion of DetroitÂ’s urban bedrock stood the best chance of surviving. This was the era that brought us ugly skyways and eventually the People Mover — anything to help suburban commuters keep their metaphorical feet dry. The RenCen offered — and still offers — virtually any necessity and plenty of nice-to-haves, all accessible without ever venturing outside, especially in the winter, but those enticements are geared to those who trek in from suburbia to toil in its hallways.

Cadillac Super Cruise needs subscription after free trial period

Not long ago, Motor Trend broke the news that Cadillac's Super Cruise is only free for the first three years, after which the Level 2 autonomy system moves to subscription pricing. MT's report came on the eve of 2018-model-year Cadillac CT6 buyers being asked whether they wished to retain access to their Super Cruise. A few days after that report, Cadillac said it would give those first-year buyers of the technology — "the helpful adopters" — another free year, so they'll need to make a decision in August 2021 along with the 2019MY CT6 buyers. After a bit of digging by other outlets, it seems Motor Trend broke the Super Cruise news primarily to members of the media (including us); the details in the report have been communicated to customers in fine print in at least two places. First, let's clarify that the subscription is for OnStar, not Super Cruise only. Cadillac has made clear since the beginning that the tech needs an active OnStar plan, a Wi-Fi Hotspot, a working electrical system, cell reception, and a GPS signal to work. Knowing that, and knowing OnStar is only free for one month on new vehicles — GM shortened the free trial last year from three or six months — before requiring a subscription, might have encouraged someone to ask the question before now (we didn't...). In response to Jonathan Gitlin at Ars Technica asking Twitter about who knew, Bozi Tatarevic responded, "It might not have been released in the press materials but I remember reading about it in the order guide documents for the CT6 and noting that it was tied to OnStar and would eventually require a plan that started at like $25 per month." And Tatarevic pointed to this snippet in The Philadelphia Inquirer review of the CT6 from 2018: "The Super Cruise feature is part of OnStar and is free for three years. OnStar advertises subscriptions from $24.99 to $59.99 a month." If Super Cruise is only free as long as OnStar is free, then new car buyers now will get the tech for one month. Owners who cancel OnStar or choose a plan that doesn't include Super Cruise will still benefit from adaptive cruise control and lane-centering.   The automaker hasn't said what Super Cruise pricing will be, but the OnStar site apparently reveals the answer. There are six plans listed on the Compare Plans page, but two are combinations of other plans.

Cadillac tipped to call flagship something other than LTS

Cadillac wouldn't be Cadillac without large sedans in its lineup, and while the XTS has had to hold down that end of the fort all on its own, it won't have to for too long. That's because the luxury brand in the General Motors portfolio is preparing to roll out its new LTS, stylistically previewed by the Elmiraj concept pictured above. Only now, the latest thinking is that the upcoming flagship model may not be called LTS at all.
As Automotive News points out, Cadillac's naming scheme is all over the place at the moment. The ATS slotting below the CTS makes sense (alphabetically), but where do the ELR, SRX and especially the Escalade fit into that naming hierarchy? And how would LTS - as the project has been known until now - sit above the XTS?
Fortunately, Cadillac may be on the case, as two of the division's most recent senior appointments seem keen to rationalize the naming scheme. One is Uwe Ellinghaus, who joined Cadillac as chief marketing officer late last year. Speaking of the brand's nomenclature last spring, Ellinghaus was quoted as saying, "We are aware that this is currently a weakness of the Cadillac brand." And his new boss is bound to agree.