1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Coupe 2-door 7.0l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac's Euro reboot may have implications for US models, sales

Firmly on the comeback trail in the US, Cadillac is still trying to get out of the starting blocks in Europe. At the Geneva Motor Show in March, Cadillac' senior execs revealed plans to grow the brand's presence in a luxury market dominated by the big three German marques, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
GM President Dan Ammann says he sees "enormous" potential for Cadillac globally.
Over the past 20 years, the General Motors premium nameplate has tried and failed multiple times to break into the European market. This time around, Cadillac recognizes that progress will be modest at best, and depends on specific changes to models, some of which may impact the brand's US lineup. Planned new sales tactics in Europe may also impact the way Cadillac does business on this side of the pond.

Safety group pans GM’s new Marketplace in-dash shopping

When it comes to our cars, is the Internet of Things a godsend? Or a hidden menace that will create more problems than it will solve? On the same day General Motors announced it will equip newer-model cars with its in-dash Marketplace e-commerce app, a prominent safety group was shooting it down. National Safety Council President Deborah Hersman tells Bloomberg the technology will only contribute to distracted driving and hurt efforts to stem the tide of rising auto fatalities, which grew 5.6 percent to more than 37,000 in the U.S. in 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted driving was responsible for 3,477 fatalities and 391,000 injuries in 2015, the most recent year for which it has data. "There's nothing about this that's safe," Hersman told Bloomberg. "If this is why they want WiFi in the car, we're going to see fatality numbers go up even higher than they are now." Marketplace, developed with IBM, will allow drivers — or more often, one hopes, their passengers — to order coffee or food, find gas stations and reserve hotel rooms from their dashboard screens. The technology is set to be uploaded automatically to nearly 1.9 million GM vehicles model-year 2017 and later that are equipped with WiFi hotspots and compatible systems. By the end of 2018, about 4 million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles will be equipped with Marketplace. The app will debut with a limited number of participating retailers, including TGI Fridays, Shell, Exxon Mobil and Starbucks, with more likely to join later. Online retail giant Amazon is also partnering with automakers such as Ford to bring e-commerce capabilities inside the car through its Alexa personal assistant. While convenience is nice, one other thing is becoming clear as the IoT wedges its way into our cars: It's taking aim at some decidedly first-world problems.Related Video: Image Credit: GM Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Technology Infotainment in-car entertainment marketplace e-commerce

Cadillac boss: We will have diesels

Johan de Nysschen doesn't usually mince words about his plans, and the Cadillac boss says that diesel-fueled models are on the horizon for the luxury brand in the US by the early 2020s. The four- and six-cylinder engines under development would launch first in Europe about 2019. "We will definitely bring them to the US," de Nysschen said during a press event, according to Automotive News. Unfortunately, the Cadillac president isn't saying which models would get the diesels, yet. This plan has been in the works for at least several months, and Cadillac made mention of the two oil-burners earlier this year during the unveiling of its new V6 engine. De Nysschen broached the possibility during an interview at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and he also referred to the inclusion of hybrids and plug-ins into the company's lineup at that time. Last year, a rumor suggested the addition of a V6 turbodiesel into the Escalade range. There were also rumblings of an oil-burning ATS during that model's launch. While Cadillac is no stranger to offering diesels in Europe, the decision to develop these new ones could come at an inopportune time. Governments there are rapidly moving against the fuel in favor of electrification. Tighter emissions regulations could also be on the way for the EU. Related Video: