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Cadillac ATS coupe and sedan get Midnight Editions

Horror stories and fairy tales make a mint by having the scariest things happen at midnight, but automakers make a mint by marketing midnight. Chevrolet busted out a Silverado Midnight Edition early this year, followed shortly thereafter by an Impala Midnight Edition. In between those two we got the Cadillac CTS Midnight Edition, and now comes an ATS following in the zero-dark-thirty tradition, according to GM Inside News. The ATS Midnight Edition will add $1,695 to the sedan price and $600 to the coupe. For that cash outlay you get black chrome on the grille, around the windows, and on the rear fascia, 18-inch "After Midnight" wheels, "sueded microfiber" trim on the steering wheel and shifter, plus the Cold Weather Package with a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. Just those few exterior changes make a big difference up front, increasing the appeal and aggression of the sports sedan without being ostentatious. You can't go dark with just any old ATS, though. The package is limited to rear- and all-wheel-drive versions of the Performance trim. And the color palette is reduced to four hues: Crystal White Tricoat, Red Obsession Tintcoat, Phantom Gray Metallic, and Black Raven. The three possible interior combos are Light Platinum with Jet Black accents, Morello Red with Jet Black accents, and Jet Black with Jet Black accents. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Cadillac ATS Midnight Edition News Source: GM Inside News Design/Style Cadillac Coupe Luxury Special and Limited Editions Performance Sedan

GM announces 3 new recalls affecting 1.7M vehicles in North America [w/video]

Still embroiled in the ongoing ignition switch recall, General Motors announced today three more discrete recalls, affecting a grand total of 1,546,900 vehicles in the US. The Detroit News reports that some 1.7 million vehicles are affected overall in North America. The first and largest of the trio of new recalls concerns some 1.18-million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from 2009-2013 (pictured above) and Saturn Outlook vehicles from 2008-2010. All of the crossover utilities may have an issue with the wiring harness for their seat-mounted side airbags. Apparently, the vehicles are equipped with a Service Air Bag warning light that, if ignored, "will eventually result in the non-deployment of the side impact restraints." Those restraints include the side airbags, a front-center airbag if the vehicle is so equipped and seatbelt pretensioners. Dealers of affected vehicles will be instructed to remove driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness connectors, and then "splice and solder the wires together." The second recall affects 303,000 Chevrolet Express (pictured right) and GMC Savana vans from model years 2009-2014, and with gross vehicle weights under 10,000 pounds. Said vehicles do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants, and will need a reworking of the instrument panel material to be sent back on the road. It doesn't sound as though there's a quick fix for this one, as the GM press release states: "Unsold vehicles have been placed on a stop delivery until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available." Finally, the third recall affects 63,900 Cadillac XTS luxury sedans from model years 2013 and 2014. A brake booster pump may be susceptible to corrosion by way of the relay, potentially causing and electrical short, overheating, melting of plastic components and even engine fires. GM says it is aware of two engine fires in unsold XTS models and two cases of melted parts. Repairs for the issues affecting the XTS have not not mentioned by GM in the release. The Detroit News is also reporting that along with news of the triple-recall, GM is taking a $300-million credit to help pay for the repair costs, and to deal with the ongoing costs associated with the ignition switch recall. In an attempt to explain just what GM has been doing in the face of these very serious issues, newly minted CEO Mary Barra has addressed the issues in a new video.

2015 Cadillac Escalade

I have never liked traveling to Monterey, CA. The picturesque coastal city is about 300 miles from my home in Los Angeles, which means cramped and uncomfortable regional aircraft are part of the equation when the turnaround is only one night. Over the years, I have cursed the LA Basin's bumper-to-bumper traffic en route to the airport, argued with TSA personnel over carry-on baggage and waited countless hours for the fog to lift just for the anguish of being packed into a small regional jet for the flight. Of course, the process repeats on the trip home with equal misery.
Yet this time I am not suffering.
Cadillac has dropped its all-new 2015 Escalade in my driveway. Instead of battling city congestion, attempting to reason with misinformed government agents, snacking on a too-small bag of pretzels and physically rubbing shoulders with a dubious stranger for 90-plus minutes within the confines of a bumpy aircraft, I have chosen to forgo air travel and drive myself door-to-door in a fullsize luxury sport utility vehicle.