Auto blog

Cadillac, Daimler execs take swipes at Tesla

Despite the financial ties between Daimler and Tesla Motors, at least one Mercedes exec thinks the electric automaker doesn't have a bright future. And over at Cadillac, the message is that Tesla doesn't pose a threat but offers the luxury arm of General Motors more of classroom experience. The Mercedes story runs like this. Mercedes-Benz USA president and CEO, Steve Cannon, said at the New York Auto Show last week that Tesla has "no network" and only offers "little shops that don't have service capacity." He also said: "Folks are buying a Tesla now because they're kind of cool, but if you're a Tesla buyer, you have to have multiple cars. With Mercedes, you have a whole network. You've got no worries. ... Tesla is great, but you've got plenty of well-established brands that mean luxury, like Porsche or Mercedes-Benz, and how long do you think we're going to wait and let Tesla be out there alone [selling premium electric cars]?" "Treehuggers do not buy new luxury cars" – Uwe Ellinghaus For Cadillac's global chief marketing officer, Uwe Ellinghaus, Tesla's EV success represents little other than "a great opportunity and a learning exercise for all of us, and will help us traditional manufacturers to think twice about electric mobility." He added that, "I am not afraid of Tesla. ... There is no willingness to really sacrifice on the traditional qualities of a luxury car. These are not cars for treehuggers, as treehuggers do not buy new luxury cars." Ellinghaus made the comments during a panel discussion at the 2014 Automotive Forum. Perhaps the lesson of Tesla's offer of free Supercharging to Model S owners is what led to Cadillac to recently announce a deal with Chargepoint that gives ELR drivers access to that company's 16,500 charging stations. Read more details on that below. Cadillac and ChargePoint Bring EV Customer Luxury Driving Experience World's largest, most open electric vehicle charging network available to ELR drivers 2014-04-16 NEW YORK – Cadillac today announced a partnership with ChargePoint, the largest and most open electric vehicle-charging network in the world. The collaboration brings Cadillac ELR drivers immediate access to more than 16,500 charging locations on the ChargePoint network. The ELR electrified luxury coupe went on sale at the end of 2013. It embodies Cadillac's Art & Science design philosophy, combining provocative design with progressive technology.

2021 Cadillac CT5 adorned with Diamond Sky Special Edition Package

Among the changes due to appear on the 2021 Cadillac CT5 will be an exclusive Diamond Sky Special Edition Package. We don't have photos of the design theme yet, but Cadillac Society reports that the heaven-hued composition will only be available on the Premium Luxury trim. It starts with Diamond Sky Metallic paint that could provide perfect contrast for the Dark Sky Metallic offered on the GMC Sierra 1500. The CT5 goes all-in with the exterior color, dressing the rocker moldings and rear diffuser in Diamond Sky Metallic, and sitting on 19-inch wheels with a Diamond Cut/Midnight Silver finish. Tucked behind the wheels, buyers will find blue Brembo V Performance brake calipers. And having decided that standard taillamps will detract from the effect, for the first time on a non-V and non-V Sport Cadillac, the special edition CT5 will get clear taillights with a gray-tinted outer lens. The interior fabric comes in Sky Cool Gray with a Diamond Fall seat perforation pattern, offset with Jet Black accents, Galaxy Wood trim, and alloy pedals.  In typical Cadillac fashion, getting the Diamond Sky Special Edition Package will necessitate ordering another package when ordering opens next year. The required Climate Package bundles heated and ventilated driver and front passenger seats and an automatic heated steering wheel, and costs $1,090 in 2020. Elsewhere for the CT5 and the CT4, the next model year delivers a 12-inch customizable digital gauge cluster, plus the option of Super Cruise. Some of the changes already outlined for the 2021 CT5-V are likely headed to the CT5, so in the case of Super Cruise, for instance, checking that option could get real pricey, requiring the $1,300 Driver Awareness Plus Package as well as either the $8,330 Platinum Package or $1,950 Driver Assist Package.  Related Video:    

Cadillac cancels its car subscription program after just two years

Cadillac is cancelling its Book by Cadillac subscription service, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal and confirmed to Autoblog by a Cadillac spokesperson. The $1,800 a month service has been in operation since early last year. The Cadillac spokesperson told us this: "Following nearly two years of service, Cadillac will temporarily pause the Book by Cadillac program effective December 1, 2018." This moves comes not too long after the decision to leave its New York City headquarters and return to Michigan. While Cadillac claims the disruption of service will be temporary, there's no defined plan to start the program back up again. The reason for the cancellation? The service ended up being more costly than Cadillac expected it to be. Owners will have 30 days from the time they're notified to turn their vehicles in. If this subscription service was your only transportation, then you better start looking for something else. The service was available in New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles. Subscribers could choose between five different Cadillacs: ATS-V, CTS-V, CT6, XT5 and Escalade. You'd be allowed up to 2,000 miles per month and 18 vehicle swaps per year through the concierge service. Cadillac would bring the car of your choice to you and take the old car away at your whimsy. The price included registration, taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. No long term commitment was necessary to sign up. This makes Cadillac one of the first manufacturers to end a nascent subscription service. If it starts back up again, expect it to look a bit different from the current program. Cadillac says it's using this experience to make strategy adjustments in the future. Whether that means a much more costly program for users, or no subscription program at all, we don't know. Plenty of other manufacturers still offer limited subscription programs in select cities. We highlighted some of the biggest ones in our vehicle subscription service guide here. It'll just be a waiting game to figure out if these modes of ownership take off going forward. For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide. Related video: Cadillac Car Buying subscription service book by cadillac