1968 Cadillac Coupe Deville Straight, Clean, Minimal Needed on 2040-cars

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Cadillac goes white-out on social media as prelude to Oscars announcement [w/video]

Cadillac appears to be in a very odd place at the moment. On one hand, Johan De Nysschen is pushing the company towards a much more luxurious image that includes converting 700 dealers into boutiques, and a blitz of new products is also supposed to be on the way in the coming years. However, at the moment sales aren't necessarily keeping pace with production, and there are reportedly heavy incentives available on some models. Now, we're seeing the earliest hint at the next strike in the brand's strategy as its social media presence goes white across the web. Go check out Cadillac's official pages on the major social media hubs, and all you can find is blank space. There's just a period on Twitter, a blank box on Facebook, another one on Instagram and the company logo is even gone from Pinterest. Perhaps most bizarre is YouTube, where Caddy is showing five minutes of absolutely nothing (embedded below) with no sound at all. The video description is only a period. All of this nothingness is supposed to be a lead-up to Cadillac unveiling a completely new advertising campaign during the Oscars on February 22. This method of blanking everything out beforehand could suggest a minimal, to-the-point message in the future. While it wouldn't be shocking for a few teasers to come out in the meantime, Caddy is keeping quite a secret before the big reveal.

First Cadillac ELR rolls off the line

Gearing up for the Belle Isle Grand Prix this weekend, General Motors invited some of the Chevrolet and Cadillac racecar drivers out to its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. While there, the racers - including IndyCar Driver and Chevrolet Volt owner, Simona De Silvestro - witnessed the very first 2014 Cadillac ELR to roll off the assembly line.
These vehicles are not destined for customers, however, but instead pre-production units will be used by engineers for testing purposes. Actual production of ELR consumer models is expected to commence closer to the end of this year. As a refresher, this range-extended electric Cadillac shares much of its powertrain with the Volt but will have a sportier coupe design inspired by the Converj Concept. De Silvestro manged to snap a few images of here own, which you can see in the gallery below.

Recharge Wrap-up: Free chargers for Canadian ELR buyers, Renovo gets funding for EV supercar

Chevrolet offers versions of its Express passenger van with B20 biodiesel and E85 capability. Customers can buy the van with the Duramax turbodiesel V8, which is compatible with the 20-percent biodiesel blend. There is also a FlexFuel V8, which can use the 85-percent ethanol gasoline blend. It's a great option for shuttling the whole soccer team to practice using renewable fuels. Read more at Domestic Fuels. Early buyers of the Cadillac ELR in Canada will get a 240-volt charger installed at their home for free. It should help convince some buyers to adopt the range extended luxury EV. Cadillac's Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus says, "Professional installation of the fastest home-charging unit is a natural way to mark the introduction of ELR to the luxury market." Read more in the press release below. Renovo has received venture capital funding from California-based True Ventures to build its Coupe electric supercar. The impressive EV, with its 500 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque, is an inspiring vehicle built by a promising company, according to its financial backers. Toni Schneider of True Ventures says that Renovo has "created incredibly advanced technology and a beautiful machine that is well positioned to disrupt the automotive market." Read more in the press release below. Renault says it will build its Fluence ZE electric car in China for an unnamed brand, pending government approval. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn announced the plan at a test drive event in France on Monday. Renault has a partnership with Dongfeng Motors to build and sell its cars in China. Read more at Reuters. Germany has lifted its ban on Uber. While the German court believes the ride-hailing service is operating illegally without proper licensing for drivers, it says Taxi Deutschland waited too long to file the case against Uber. The taxi association plans to appeal the decision soon. See more in the video below, and read more at The New York Times. A new report from UC Davis claims that a global expansion of public transit could save 1,700 megatons of carbon dioxide yearly and over $100 trillion by 2050. A "high-shift scenario" would be necessary, wherein governments invest in rail and clean buses, expand biking and walking infrastructure and shift focus away from projects that encourage car use. This shift to public transit would especially be important in the US, China and India. Read more in the press release below.