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North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year finalists revealed

The finalists for the 2023 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced Thursday at the L.A. Auto Show. — The Acura Integra, Genesis Electrified G80 and Nissan Z made the cut in the car category. — The Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevy Silverado ZR2 and Lordstown Endurance advanced in trucks. — And the Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis GV60 and Kia EV6 advanced among utilities.  The winners will be announced Jan. 11 in Detroit.  The finalists underscored the industryÂ’s shift to electric vehicles, as all three utilities and two of the three trucks are EVs. The finalists were culled from a list of 26 semifinalists made up of three trucks, 10 cars and 16 utility vehicles that are new this year.  Notables that missed the cut include the Mercedes EQE, Subaru WRX and Toyota GR Corolla in cars; while the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage and Rivian R1S were among the utes that did not advance. The three trucks are the only ones eligible this year and have advanced through the voting.  50 jurors who work for media outlets across North America vote three times over the course of the year to whittle down the field, which was originally 47 vehicles. Jurors also test the semifinalists at an October group event in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Honda Civic (car), Ford Maverick (truck) and Ford Bronco (utility vehicle) were the 2022 winners. Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is a NACTOY juror.   Featured Gallery Ford F-150 Lightning View 48 Photos Green LA Auto Show Acura Cadillac Chevrolet Ford Genesis Kia Nissan Truck SUV NACTOY Lordstown Endurance

GM to build $1.3 billion Cadillac plant in China

General Motors has gotten approval to build a $1.3 billion manufacturing facility for its Cadillac brand in China. China's National Development and Reform Commission signed off on plans for GM to build the plant in the country's Shanghai's Jinqiao zone; construction is expected to begin in June of this year. According to a Bloomberg report, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
No surprise here, but Cadillac would like to sell a lot more cars in the plush Chinese luxury market. The brand moved only 30,010 cars in China last year, compared with 400k for Audi, and about 330k for BMW. With Cadillac already telling us that it would be moving production of its XTS sedan to China - a production decision that saves having to pay 25-percent import tariffs - approval of the factory is a critical win for the company.
In fact, according to earlier comments by GM China president Bob Socia, it's at least conceivable that Chinese-built Cadillacs could be shipped back to the US for sale. The brave new world of globalization, getting stranger by the minute.

Cadillac XT5 confirmed for 2016 as next-gen SRX

Cadillac's entire lineup of 2016 models gets a major infotainment upgrade this summer with improvements to CUE and integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's one major exception for now, though. The SRX retains the old system until its all-new generation, called the XT5, debuts early in the 2016 calendar year. "When we transition into all new product lines, we will evolve the naming convention to suit the new classification we have announced. So SRX becomes XT5 next year," company spokesman David Caldwell said in an email to Autoblog. Earlier spy shots and rumors suggest the XT5 might be offered with a turbocharged four-cylinder and naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines, plus a nine-speed automatic transmission. For the rest of Cadillac's models, CarPlay arrives with the launch of the 2016 vehicles, and Android Auto joins later. Using either of them requires a connection via USB, and they add a new projection icon on the CUE screen. Once activated, both systems integrate with driver's phone and incorporate features like navigation, music, and contacts. They can also accept voice commands. Even for those that don't want to hook up a smartphone, CUE should work better thanks to a more powerful processor. Start-up times for the infotainment system are expected to be faster, and Cadillac claims that it's also more responsive for voice recognition, navigation searches, and media. The navigation interface is simplified, as well. The Escalade, CTS, and XTS can now be ordered with a 360-degree camera system to display on the screen. Cadillac Enhances Phone Integration for 2016 Models with Apple CarPlay, CUE Upgrades APPLE CARPLAY AVAILABLE AT LAUNCH; ANDROID AUTO COMING LATER IN MODEL YEAR 2015-06-09 NEW YORK – Cadillac's 2016 model year products will feature enhanced connectivity and control, including the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the predominant new systems for in-car phone integration. These additions are part of a broader enhancement of CUE, Cadillac's user experience, with new features and a faster, streamlined operation. Apple CarPlay will debut in 2016 Cadillac models featuring CUE's 8-in multi-touch screen except the SRX Crossover, a model that will move to an all-new generation in early 2016. Android Auto is expected to be phased into 2016 production at a later date. The 2016 model year will begin this summer.