Awd 4dr Luxury Cadillac Escalade Awd Luxury Low Miles Suv Automatic Gasoline Eng on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Despite strong profits, GM still fighting flat market share

Looking at the progress General Motors has made since it entered bankruptcy, it's easy to forget that the company still has a long way to go before it's the juggernaut it once was. A recent report from Reuters points out that, while GM is making money, it isn't making any gains in terms of US market share. Quite the opposite, really. Consider this factoid: In 1963, nearly half of the cars sold in the United States were from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC or Pontiac. Now, the company's US market share is stagnant at 17.9 percent. That same number is half of just Chevy's 1963 market share. This is all despite GM going on a binge replacing or updating its models. "Market share increases are not instantaneous," Mark Reuss told Reuters at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. "We've got a lot of baggage. Don't underestimate what people though of us, or these brands, through these hardships and 30 years." The reasons for the stagnant market share are numerous. Reuters points out that retooling of factories and a focus on limiting incentives are both good things for profit, but not necessarily for market share. There's also the troubling turnover of the brand's marketing department. These issues don't change the fact that Chevrolet has lost 1.4 percent of its market share in two years, and that Cadillac - arguably GM's most improved brand overall - has lost 1.2 percent in the same period. Part of that can be blamed on GM's avoidance of fleet sales in favor of more profitable customer sales. "Our focus has really been on retail and that's where we've got the growth," said Alan Batey, GM's interim global marketing boss. "We want to grow GM and that means growing market share and profits, but it's not at all costs," Reuss said. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: paul bica - Flickr CC 2.0 Earnings/Financials Buick Cadillac GM GMC sales profits

Cadillac prices new XT5 from $39,990

Keen to put your deposit down for a new Cadillac XT5, but waiting to find out how much you'll need to set aside? Well the wait is over, friend, as Cadillac has announced pricing for the new crossover. US pricing starts at $38,995, which works out to $39,990 once you factor in the standard $995 destination charge. That's only $1,390 more than the now wreathless brand charged for the outgoing SRX, which the new XT5 replaces and which carried a starting price of $38,600 (delivered). It also undercuts the competition from most other luxury automakers. The BMW X3 ($40,495), Audi Q5 ($40,900), Lexus RX 350 ($42,850), and Infiniti QX70 ($45,850) each start at a higher base price than the Caddy. However the Mercedes GLE stats marginally lower at $39,875, and the Lincoln MKX goes for significantly less at $37,935 – all prices including destination charges. Of course, that starting price is just for the base model with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is optional on Luxury and Premium models, but comes standard on the top-spec Platinum. Step that far up the ladder, though, and you'll be looking at $63,495 (delivered). Related Video: New 2017 Cadillac XT5 Crossover Arrives in April 2017 XT5 CROSSOVER PRICED FROM $38,995 IN THE U.S. 2016-02-10 The first-ever Cadillac XT5 will arrive in U.S. dealerships in early-April, continuing the brand's product-driven growth. XT5 enters the strongest category in the luxury automotive space, the midsize luxury crossover segment, where Cadillac set sales records in 2015. "The arrival of this sophisticated new crossover positions Cadillac well, as XT5 enters the most popular segment in the global luxury market," said Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. "It's pivotal to our ongoing growth, which is why we've developed XT5 from the inside out to provide customers more space, more technology, more luxury and more efficiency." The XT5 is the first in a series of upcoming luxury crossovers carrying the "XT" designation, a key aspect of the brand's product-driven global growth plan. The new luxury crossover joins Cadillac's lineup immediately following the new range-topping CT6 Sedan, as the brand enters a new phase of product growth. The XT5 is the next chapter in elevating the Cadillac brand: it is bold, distinctive and sophisticated with enhanced driving dynamics. This new crossover perfectly reflects Cadillac's positioning in the luxury automotive marketplace, de Nysschen said.

Meet the other Cadillac wagon. It's as American as ABBA

The Cadillac CTS Wagon became a cult classic the second it went on sale. We all knew that it was never going to sell in anything approaching significant numbers, and if that "we" didn't include those actually working at GM, one would have to wonder what they were smoking. Cadillac was still having a hard enough time trying to convince people that it was now a BMW-fighting sport luxury brand rather than the purveyor of Grandpa-piloted land yachts. To many, a sport sedan like the CTS seemed like a stretch. But a CTS sport wagon? It sure seemed like GM was just doing things for funzies, an impression only enhanced by the CTS-V Wagon. Forget cult classic. That thing was an instant legend.  And yet, the CTS wasn't the only Cadillac of that era offered as a wagon. It wasn't even the first. Before GM said "to hell with it, let's have some fun" on this side of the pond, over in Europe, it had already taken a page from its old badge-engineering playbook to create the 2006 Cadillac BLS Wagon. It was available as a sedan, too, but its awkward majesty is best enjoyed as the long-roof model.  There's just something off about the whole thing, right? That's probably because it also looks vaguely familiar, as if you've seen it before. So where the hell does this thing come from? Sweden! Behind that Cadillac Art and Science face is a Saab 9-3, and in the case of the BLS Wagon, the Saab 9-3 Sport Combi wagon. The roofline is the dead giveaway, as no other wagon has ever looked like that. In fact, the roof and windows were the only exterior elements to copy directly over from 9-3 to BLS. No kidding. With the Cadillac front end, doesn't the Saab-funky-boxiness make it look like a miniature hearse? The answer is yes. GM's design team, led by Ed Welburn, was quite pleased with his work. Perhaps it even egged him on to create a real Cadillac sport wagon? "The whole team was very excited to apply Cadillac's design language to a wagon for the first time," said Welburn in a press release from the time. "The V-shaped chrome-plated grille, a Cadillac hallmark, is picked up again by the shape of the rear window, and the body side character lines make it unmistakably a Cadillac." The interior is surprisingly different from the 9-3, including the ignition switch migrating from the center console up to the steering column. It also wasn't exactly in keeping with the Cadillac norm of the time.