1971 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible 8.2 L on 2040-cars

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Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year

Vaunted men's magazine Playboy knows that its readers are nearly as interested in cars as they are in the female anatomy... sorry, we thought we could write that with a straight face. Anyway, the buff-book does occasionally fill some of its spreads with sexy metal, to accent all the rest of the sexiness.
To wit, the magazine has unveiled its feature on the 2013 Cars of the Year. Without giving us much in the way of criteria for the awards, nor a clear framing of the categories ("Responsible Ride" is a particularly challenging concept, especially when you consider that the Mazdaspeed3 was the winner), Playboy has nevertheless highlighted what we assume to be it's favorite 12 or 13 (depending on how you count) cars from the 2013 model year.
Headlining the class is the Porsche 911, which Playboy writers single out for having "remarkable electronic voodoo." BMW M5 is named "Slickest Sports Sedan" though the Cadillac ATS then follows on because "we couldn't resist giving the new Caddy a shout-out." The rest of the picks are pretty conventional (save, perhaps, the Honda Fit EV as "Ace Electric"), even if the categories and methodology are fairly wonky. Cruise through or gallery for a taste or check out the full list, here. The site is safe for work, and you can legitimately (this time) say that you were reading it for the articles.

de Nysschen pushes to separate Cadillac, GM

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen continues his push to separate his brand from General Motors. After controversially picking up shop and moving to New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood, de Nysschen has now gone on record as saying that within two years, the brand will enjoy "a far higher degree of autonomy and self sufficiency." That autonomy will include the brand reporting its own financial results, independent of GM. But what would such a move do for Cadillac? Well, as de Nysschen explained it to Automotive News, "Cadillac at this state makes a very sizeable contribution to the overall profit at General Motors." If that's truly the case, separating financial announcements serves to emphasize the prosperous character de Nysschen seems so keen on attaching to his brand. But that's only one phase of Cadillac's push to distance itself from GM. De Nysschen is eager to revamp the company's dealership model so that it stands out from other GM brands, calling it a "very profound focus." Those moves, according to AN, including a change to the current dealer incentive model with a particular emphasis on building the brand rather than nailing sales figures. "If you aren't strengthening the brand perception, you should have less reward," de Nysschen told AN. While his goals seem clear, de Nysschen's statements have left us wondering whether they're also somewhat counterintuitive. Emphasizing Caddy's prosperity to potential consumers while incentivizing dealers to move less metal seems more like a tactical move rather than a strategic one. And there's no telling how the new dealership model will impact de Nysschen's goal to hit 500,000 global sales by 2020. Related Video:

Cadillac sells out Lyriq Debut Edition reservations in 10 minutes

Cadillac opened reservations for the 2023 Lyriq Debut Edition electric crossover at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon. Anyone could put down a refundable $100 to reserve a buying slot for Cadillac's limited-run first salvo at the brand's all-EV future. At 4:19 p.m., the automaker tweeted that "every Debut Edition has been reserved." According to GM Vice President Rory Harvey, the process took "just over" 10 minutes. First, we'll say "Congratulations!" to Cadillac. Then we'll say: We have no idea what the news means. See, Cadillac has declined to say how many reservations it made available and how many Debut Editions it's building.  We don't know why the crest and wreath brand is being so coy, but we can imagine at least one reason. GM and Cadillac can attract such wild reactions that unless the Lyriq booked an absurdly large number of reservations in an absurdly short time, both brands were going to get flayed by comparisons to other EV makers. Still, since Cadillac's playing the long game with this entire transition to EVs, we wish it had placed its neck gracefully in the guillotine anyway.  The Lyriq Debut Edition that no one can buy anymore unless reservation holders bow out comes with a 100.4-kWh battery pack, a single e-motor on the rear axle putting out 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque for a range claimed to be "more than 300 miles," a glass roof, 19-speaker AKG audio, heated steering wheel, and 20-inch wheels standard, 22-inchers optional. The only two colors available are Satin Steel Metallic and Stellar Black Metallic. Tech features include adaptive cruise control, HD Surround and Vision recorder, rear camera mirror, and, of course, the 33-inch curved display across the instrument panel. First deliveries for the rakish $59,990 CUV are expected in early 2022. The next order slots will open for standard Lyriq trims in summer 2022. Based on Cadillac's Twitter feed, quite a few internet users wanted to reserve Debut Edition cars but were prevented from doing so. If first reports from the early deliveries are positive, Cadillac might hold onto last weekend's demand until next summer. And not only will the brand have a widely available new vehicle then, it will have a new consumer look. Last year, Cadillac told its dealers what they would need to do with their stores to prepare for the EV era, including spending around $200,000 on EV infrastructure and tools.