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Cadillac Celestiq, Lyriq, Hummer, other future GM electric cars: Here's everything we saw at ‘EV Day’

WARREN, Mich. — Today, General Motors held an “EV Day” event at its Warren, Michigan, campus to present its new “Ultium” battery technology, modular electric vehicle architecture and soon-to-come electric vehicles. Unfortunately, we were forbidden from bringing cameras into the event, so while we canÂ’t show you what we saw, we can tell you more about it. While we saw the previously teased Cadillac EV (which we now know to be called the Lyriq) and the GMC Hummer pickup teased during the Super Bowl, there were a number of other future cars at the event, which GM President Mark Reuss assured us are all real vehicles in the works. The biggest surprise came at the end of the event, though, in the Cadillac Celestiq electric sedan, which Reuss described as a future flagship that would be hand-built “very locally.” It had been hiding under a dark sheet all morning, with the front and rear illuminated Cadillac emblems shining from underneath. When the wraps came off, we saw a long, white, four-seat fastback sedan. The 23-inch wheels were pushed out to the very corners of the car, giving it what appeared to be a very long wheelbase. The model on the stage had no side mirrors or visible door handles. The grille mirrored that of the Lyriq crossover next to it, with integrated lighting in lieu of the usual mesh or slats youÂ’d see in an internal combustion car. The entire roof, all the way until it tapered to the tail of the vehicle, was tinted glass. In back, vertical tail lighting ran down the C-pillar before turning rearward across the top of the trunk. Inside, everything below the beltline of the windows — essentially all but the headrests and top portion of the steering wheel, was hidden from view. Behind the Celestiq, a large digital display showed a rendering of its interior. The dash consists of a pillar-to-pillar curved LED display serving as both instrument panel and infotainment system. Protruding forward between the front seats was another touchscreen that appeared to house some more controls, with open area, probably for storage, below it. The rear seats had the same sort of touchscreen between them. Built into the back of the front seats were a pair of rear-seat entertainment screens, much like we saw in the Lyriq. The door panels blended wood, metal and animated lighting to give character and a sense of opulence. GM interior design manager Tristan Murphy was on hand to tell us a bit more about the Celestiq.

GM execs fired over fraudulent India emissions testing

General Motors hadn't had a recall in India since 1995. That changed when it was discovered that certain employees were playing tricks with local emissions testing in order to ensure passing grades for engines. More than ten GM Powertrain employees in India and the US have been let go over the ensuing emissions flap, including Sam Winegarden, VP of global engine engineering, a man who has been with the company since 1969, leading development of some marquee powerplants.
According to Automotive News, an internal investigation revealed that employees "violated testing procedures," sometimes swapping specially prepared low-emissions engines during testing regimes for the Chevrolet Tavera SUV equipped with the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter engines. Employees were also manipulating weights in order to get vehicles placed into different emissions categories. The discovery has led to GM recall the 114,000 Taveras produced over an eight-year period and halting their production and sale.
The Economic Times of India reports that the issue is due to "a faulty component." GM has developed a solution to the issue, and once it is validated in testing and approved by the Indian authorities, the recalled vehicles will be fixed at dealers and production will resume.

GM tells owners not to use SUV wipers due to fire risk

General Motors is recalling 31,685 examples of the 2016 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia because a short circuit in the windshield wiper motor can potentially lead to a fire. Due to the danger, the company is asking owners not to use the wipers until the problem is fixed, according to The Detroit Free Press citing the Associated Press. A manufacturing defect in the wiper motor cover means that the electrical terminals can come into contact and cause a short. The part could "melt, smoke, or catch fire," according to a statement from GM. The company will get them fixed immediately, and dealers will replace the cover. If there's bad weather at the time the owner specifies to get the recall work completed, the automaker will come pick up the crossovers. Depending on parts availability, the automaker will supply a rental car for customers, as well. The issue was discovered at the factory. According to the company's statement, only 6,405 actually made it to customers, and they were notified immediately by overnight letter. The rest were in dealer stock. The affected crossovers carry build dates between August 18, 2015 and September 24, 2015. Of those, there are 29,295 in the US and 1,073 in Canada. GM Statement: General Motors has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it will recall approximately 29,295 2016 model year Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia SUVs in the U.S. because the front windshield wiper motor may overheat when in use because of a manufacturing defect. In some cases, the front windshield wiper motor cover may melt, smoke or catch fire. The approximately 6,405 customers who have taken delivery of these vehicles were notified by overnight letter and are urged to contact a GM dealer as soon as possible to arrange a service appointment. These customers should not use the front windshield wipers until they have been repaired. If weather conditions prevent driving the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will arrange to pick up the vehicle for servicing. If repair parts are unavailable, GM will provide a rental car at no cost until parts become available. The total population, including Canada, Mexico and exports, is approximately 31,685. About 25,280 of these vehicles are in dealer stock and will not be sold until repairs are made.