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Consumer Reports loves the 2014 Cadillac CTS

Our first drive of the 2014 Cadillac CTS was just published today... we really liked the Vsport version. And Consumer Reports has some even stronger words of praise for the all-new luxury sedan. We already knew that Cadillac had stepped up its game with the third-gen CTS, but CR bluntly states that the sedan drives better than its German luxury counterparts.
While CR shows plenty of love for the new CTS, the outlet still takes issue with some of the in-car technology including the CUE infotainment system - no surprise there. The testers' offer all manner of positive comments where the impressive handling capabilities of the sedan are concerned, with lots of drifting around CR's private test facility in evidence to bear them out. Scroll down to watch the CTS get put through its paces.

Driving the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V at the old Elkhart Lake road course

The placid community around Elkart Lake, WI, looks about as far removed from a glorious motorsport venue as you can imagine. A turn of the century downtown gives way to old-school resorts, beaches, and boat launches around the picturesque lake, with farms framing the rolling hills all around. But it was those very same meandering country lanes that gave birth to one of America's greatest racing circuits, some 65 years ago. Between the first race in 1950 and the opening of the dedicated Road America track in 1956, the roads around Elkhart Lake provided the setting for some great post-war racing. Competing on public streets was ultimately outlawed across the country, but not before drivers risked life and limb in the name of glory in the Wisconsin summer. Cadillac asked us out to the area recently, not to talk racing history, but to look forward at one of the most track capable cars the company has ever offered: the 2016 CTS-V. We got to drive the 640-horsepower beastie for an entire morning of hot laps at Road America, but unfortunately, we're not allowed to tell you about all of that right now. You'll have to wait until the embargo lifts on August 3, at which point we promise a full recounting of our adventure. Having the CTS-V for a full two days though, and in the spirit of the motorsport that imbues the air in Elkhart Lake, we took the Cadillac on a drive around the old 6.5-mile road course. Come for the new Caddy, but stick around to find out what the hell Wacker's Wend is. Cadillac Luxury Performance Videos

Weekly Recap: GM scales back as Russian auto market teeters

General Motors' extensive plans to scale back its Russian operations are the latest sign the automotive market in the former superpower is collapsing – and there are few signs of recovery. GM said Wednesday it will stop selling mainstream Chevrolets and shutter the entire Opel brand in Russia. The moves leave GM with a luxury-focused presence consisting of Cadillac and Chevrolet's Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. The cutbacks will be completed by the end of the year. The automaker will also idle its factory in St. Petersburg and end a contract-assembly agreement with Russian manufacturer GAZ. "We had to take decisive action in Russia to protect our business," Opel Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann said in a statement. "We confirm our outlook to return the European business to profitability in 2016 and stick to our long-term goals." GM is the latest automaker to scale back in Russia as the economic conditions, volatile currency and uncertainty over the conflict in the Ukraine all have sandbagged new car sales. Last month, vehicle sales collapsed 38 percent in Russia to 128,298 units, according to the Association of European Business, which records sales. Joerg Schreiber, chairman of the AEB automobile manufacturers committee, didn't even feign optimism in a statement announcing the figures. "The market is entering a very difficult phase now, and February is only the beginning," he said. "Industry sentiment is the next few months will be extremely difficult and the market bottom has yet to be found." The dovetails with industry experts, who predict the Russian auto sector will remain in the doldrums. IHS said earlier this year it expects Russia's sales to slip to just 1.8 million units in 2015, which is a 40-percent drop from 2012. Other News & Notes Chief leads Jeep's Easter Safari stable Jeep is bringing seven attention-getting concepts to Moab for its annual Easter Safari off-roading celebration in Utah, but the Chief is perhaps the standout of the group. It salutes the 1970s Cherokee with a throwback appearance and surfer styling cues. The Chief has a custom modified razor grille made famous by the Wagoneer, and it rolls on 17-inch slotted mag wheels. The surf theme comes in with ocean blue paint, floral cloth and leather seats and a tiki-style shifter handle. Based on the Jeep Wrangler, the Chief has removable sides, a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a six-speed manual gearbox.