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2017 Cadillac XT5 shows off its new metal in LA

Cadillac is in the midst of a comprehensive production overhaul, and few of its new arrivals will be as pivotal as the new XT5. Replacing the old SRX, the XT5 was revealed in the metal here on the floor of the 2015 LA Auto Show. Joining the new CT6 under Caddy's new naming scheme, the XT5 represents GM's assault on German competition like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes GLC, Japanese rivals like the Lexus RX, Infiniti QX50, and Acura RDX, and its own cross-town nemesis, the Lincoln MKX. And to better fend off their advances, the new XT5 promises marked improvements over its predecessor in every way. The model you see here is, to our eyes, handsomer than the model it replaces, adopting the Art & Science brand's latest design cues. It offers a fresh cabin space loaded with the latest equipment. And it weighs a solid 278 pounds less than the outgoing SRX. Power still comes from a 3.6-liter V6, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission with available all-wheel drive. 310 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque keep it going, which ought to help it keep pace with the competition. We're looking forward to seeing how it drives in due course, but in the meantime, you're invited to view our live photos from the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center in the gallery above.

Cadillac president de Nysschen says electrification coming 'across the spectrum'

We like to pick on new Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen for his insistence, many years ago, when he was president of Audi of America, that plug-in vehicles are for idiots. Listening to him give the keynote address at the Washington Auto Show today, you wouldn't know he ever said anything negative about an electric vehicle. Instead, he sounds something like a EV-angelist. De Nysschen said that Cadillac will be able to benefit from GM's considerable expertise in plug-in technology, which he said would be "applied across the spectrum of our portfolio." GM's electric committment will help in "making electrification commonplace." With the plug-in ELR already on the road, de Nysschen said that the company's next step in advancing powertrains will be the introduction of stop/start technology – which de Nysschen called an "important system to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions" – into a Cadillac for the first time later this year. Without giving any specific details, de Nysschen said that Cadillac will introduce eight new models (not necessarily plug-ins) by the end of this decade, including five that "will take Cadillac into market segments where the brand is not even present today." These new vehicles will likely be much lighter than today's vehicles, de Nysschen said, because "weight reduction today is critical to automotive design, it helps to improve fuel efficiency and contributes to desireable vehicle dynamics." The key is to reduce weight without compromising safety or comfort and to use the right material – steel, aluminum, carbon fiber – in the right place at the right time. It was a not-so-subtle jab at Ford and its new aluminum F-150. "In the pursuit of weight reduction, some manufacturers have also opted for abandoning steel and have gone for an all-aluminum approach," he said. "At Cadillac, we believe that different materials each present particular advantages in specific applications. There is no single material that represents the optimum balance of the conflicting objectives of every single application." Related video:

2014 Cadillac CTS debuts new design, twin-turbo power, Vsport model [w/video]

If ever there were a Cadillac to truly rival the world's best, this could be it.
With every new model, Cadillac indeed gets closer and closer to actually performing at the top of its class, rivaling those crafty Germans at their own sport/luxury sedan game. The best example yet of Cadillac's efforts to challenge the world came last year, when we met the 2013 ATS - a vehicle that we praised for its on-road dynamics and interior refinement, and later went on to be named North American Car of the Year.