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Reuss says Cadillac CT6-based Buick could happen

Could the upcoming Cadillac CT6 and its Omega platform spawn a Buick variant? According to General Motors' product chief Mark Reuss, it could potentially be in the cards, but "not yet." "We're working on that," Reuss told Automotive News at the 2015 New York Auto Show. While there hasn't been a large, rear-drive Buick on dealerships since the Roadmaster in 1996, the company gave a big hint that it could head in that direction with the Avenir Concept, shown earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show. As Automotive News explains, a rear-drive Omega-platform Buick could be a real hit in China, where consumers buy 13 Buicks for every one Cadillac. That move would be a big help to GM's bottom line, too, as it'd significantly increase the Omega platform's economy of scale. If a large Buick based on the CT6 were to head to China, though, it likely wouldn't be a simple case of badge engineering (thank God). Reuss hinted to Automotive News that while the mixed-material construction of the CT6 platform "is very flexible," doing an "identical version of that platform or not is a different conversation." What are your thoughts? Should Buick adopt the Omega platform for an Avenir-based sedan? Should that vehicle be sold here in the US, or should it be a China-only offering? Have your say in Comments. Related Video:

GM CEO to meet with U.S. lawmakers over job cuts

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra plans to visit Capitol Hill next week to discuss the company's plans to halt production at five plants in North America next year and cut up to 15,000 jobs, two congressional aides said on Friday. GM has come under harsh criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties, and from President Donald Trump, since Monday when it announced the biggest restructuring for the U.S. No. 1 carmaker since its bankruptcy a decade ago. Barra is expected to meet with lawmakers from Michigan and Ohio, where GM plans to shutter three plants, as well as senior leaders in Congress. GM did not immediately comment. Barra has been calling lawmakers this week to explain the decision to end production. Trump has threatened to revoke subsidies for GM. The Detroit automaker plans to halt production next year at three assembly plants: the Lordstown small-car factory near Youngstown, Ohio; the Detroit-Hamtramck complex in Detroit; and the Oshawa, Ontario, assembly complex near Toronto. It will also stop building several models now assembled at those plants, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, the Cadillac CT6 and the Buick LaCrosse. Additionally, GM plans to shutter the Warren transmission plant outside Detroit and a plant that makes electric motors and drivetrains outside Baltimore, Maryland. The Cruze compact car will be discontinued in the U.S. market in 2019, although GM may continue building it in Mexico for other markets, Barra said. Reporting by David Shepardson. Related Video:

2016 Cadillac CT6 to get an aluminum body?

Well this is interesting: A hot-off-the-press report in Automobile claims the coming Cadillac CT6 will have an aluminum body. Most write-ups on the CT6 claim it will have a body that's a combination of aluminum and high-strength steel - Automobile itself wrote of "high-strength steel, aluminum, and steel stampings" in October. An all-aluminum body would be quite the reversal, contradicting the last four months of reportage and company statements on the matter. Mark Reuss, EVP of global development at General Motors, told The Detroit News in October, "We will create with the CT6, the world's most advanced body structure... [and] it's not aluminum. It's a stronger, smarter, safer premium luxury vehicle." It echoed the earlier Automobile story in saying the CT6 would use GM's "patented welding technology with high-strength steel, aluminum and steel stampings and castings." That same month, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece titled, "GM Won't Follow Aluminum Strategy in Future Cars," in which Reuss said, "making big statements around all carbon fiber, all aluminum, all magnesium, they're very interesting," and that GM wouldn't be doing it. That piece also circled back to a material mix and GM's special welding process, saying the CT6 "will have a body made of aluminum, high-strength steel and other materials, and will be 100 kilograms (220 pounds) lighter than a similar-sized car made of high-strength steel." We don't know what kind of body Cadillac's new assault on luxury is going to wear, but now we can't wait to find out. Featured Gallery Cadillac Elmiraj Sedan: Spy Shots View 22 Photos News Source: AutomobileImage Credit: Chris Doane Automotive Cadillac GM Luxury Sedan aluminum cadillac ct6