1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham on 2040-cars

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2021 Cadillac Escalade getting a star-studded introduction

Now that Chevrolet's Tahoe and Suburban are out of the bag, it's Cadillac's turn to introduce its new body-on-frame SUV. The next-generation Escalade will make its public debut on Feb. 4, 2020. The Escalade could have been one of the stars of the 2020 Detroit Auto Show had the event not moved to June. That's far too late for Cadillac, so the company will introduce the model during a special event held in Beverly Hills, Calif. The date wasn't chosen at random; it's less than a week before the 2020 edition of the Academy Awards, an event Cadillac has partnered with for the past six years. It's reasonable to assume the Escalade will play a key role in the ritzy event. The Escalade won't look anything like its Chevrolet-badged siblings, as leaked images show a tall, upright rendition of Cadillac's shield-shaped grille, but we expect many similarities beneath the sheetmetal. It will be bigger and correspondingly more spacious than the outgoing model, and an independent rear suspension will make it more comfortable. Inside, the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system's screen will blend into a single unit angled toward the driver. Powertrain specifications remain under wraps, though we expect a naturally-aspirated V8 will come standard. An earlier report claims the twin-turbocharged Blackwing engine available in the CT6 will not make its way to the Escalade, and we doubt Cadillac will follow Chevrolet's lead by making a 3.0-liter straight-six turbodiesel available at an extra cost. An electric model is in the works, however. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade will go on sale about halfway through next year with a base price in the vicinity of $80,000. It will again be available with a short or a long wheelbase. Once it's unveiled, the coast will be clear for GMC to round out General Motors' portfolio of full-size SUVs with new variants of the Yukon and the Yukon XL. They'll likely break cover during the first half of 2020.

2020 Cadillac CT4 revealed in non-V form

We got our first look at the 2020 Cadillac CT4 when its V variant made its debut a few months ago. Now the company is officially showing off the regular CT4 luxury sport sedans. They actually don't look all that different from the V, though - especially the CT4 Sport trim. The Luxury and Premium Luxury trims are distinguished by less aggressive ground effects and a grille studded with chrome pieces shaped like the Cadillac logo. The interior is similar, too, complete with an 8-inch touchscreen. Super Cruise will be made available on the CT4 later in 2020, including on the V model. Really, the big news is the powertrain as V6 engines have been dropped entirely from Cadillac's compact sedan. The base CT4 engine available in Sport or Luxury trim cars is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Coupled to either rear- or all-wheel drive, it features cylinder deactivation and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Unlike in the old ATS, a manual transmission is not available. One notable mechanical difference between trims is the Sport trim gets standard Brembo brakes. Moving up from the 2.0-liter engine is the turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder introduced on the CT4-V. Available on the Premium Luxury trims, its output is downgraded to 309 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque from the CT4-V's output of 325 hp and 380 lb-ft. It too has cylinder deactivation and can be had with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The only transmission offered is a 10-speed automatic. The V model also gets Brembo brake upgrades, and with rear-wheel drive includes Cadillac's magnetically controlled adaptive suspension. Cadillac will start taking orders for the CT4 later this year, but pricing has not been announced yet.

Cadillac CT5-V comes in under $50,000

Cadillac CT5-V pricing is out, giving us a fuller picture of the CT5 lineup from a pricing perspective. We still haven’t driven CadillacÂ’s new sedan, but we now know that a CT5-V with rear-wheel drive will set you back $48,690, including the $995 destination charge. If you want all-wheel drive, thatÂ’ll be $51,290, a $2,600 upcharge. ThereÂ’s a small tidbit of powertrain news available today, as well. When Cadillac first announced the CT5-V, it said the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 would make 355 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Since then, Cadillac has upped the final figures to 360 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. The difference is only 5 horsepower and 5 pound-feet of torque, but still worth noting. We also got pricing information on the CT5 with the lower-spec 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. This engine is only available on the Premium Luxury trim and it starts at $45,190 with rear-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive version costs $48,280. Cadillac opened up the CT5Â’s configurator with all the different variants on it today, too. We built a CT5-V with all the option boxes checked and saw the price balloon to more than $67,000. This sedan can get expensive if you let it. Compared to the BMW M340i or Audi S4, the Cadillac's base price is still cheaper. If you want to keep it in the Cadillac family, the smaller CT4-V starts at $45,490, coming in $3,200 less than the CT5-V. Cadillac says the CT5 will begin shipping to dealers in the first quarter and the CT4 will arrive in the second quarter.