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GM, UAW poaching Nissan workers in Tennessee

General Motors and the United Auto Workers are going on a recruitment drive at the Spring Hill factory in Tennessee, and they're hoping to poach some skilled workers from Nissan's nearby plant in Smyrna, TN. The General and the union even bought a billboard advertising for industrial electricians near the Japanese automaker's facility, according to the Daily News Journal. The reason for the billboard was simple. "GM was short of electricians," said Tim Stannard, the president of the UAW local at Spring Hill, to the Daily News Journal. The factory currently builds the Chevrolet Equinox but has a contract to assemble the next generation of Ecotec engines and the Cadillac XT5, which replaces the SRX. Thanks to the $185-million deal, employment there is expected to double by May 2016, according to Stannard, with roughly 1,800 additional union jobs. Beyond just several billboards, GM has job postings online for the Spring Hill plant looking for workers with specific skills. There has already been some interest in the positions among Nissan employees, Stannard indicated. According to a recent study by the Center for Automotive Research, the average GM worker currently makes $58 an hour, including benefits. Comparatively, Nissan pays an average of $42 an hour with benefits. The General's number could change in the coming weeks because its contract with the UAW is about to expire, and higher wages are among the major negotiating points.

2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid is the most efficient and torquey CT6 of all

Cadillac is returning to the hybrid game after discontinuing the ill-fated ELR, this time with an existing car and a new drivetrain. The company has taken its CT6 flagship and given it a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a pair of motors, and a big battery pack. The result of this combination is a CT6 that manages a rating of 65 MPGe, can go 30 miles on a full electric charge or 400 miles combined with the engine. The powertrain produces 335 horsepower and 432 lb-ft of torque. That's the same amount of power as the 3.6-liter V6 CT6, and more torque than that engine or the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. Cadillac claims the CT6 plug-in is capable of hitting 60 miles per hour in 5.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 150 mph. The green and grunty CT6 plug-in will be available this coming spring, and it will have a premium price of $76,090. Cadillac says that its equipment list is comparable to the CT6 Premium Luxury trim level, which starts at $64,590 with the 3.6-liter V6, and $68,590 with the twin-turbo V6. However, in addition to the hybrid powertrain, Cadillac throws in a number of features that are options on the conventional gasoline models. To get the hybrid's rear seat infotainment system and enhanced night vision, a buyer would have to add $5,800 in option packages. That still leaves the twin-turbo model $1,700 shy of the hybrid, but that's not a terrible trade for the option of fuel-free driving for at least some of the time. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid View 15 Photos Image Credit: Cadillac Green LA Auto Show Cadillac Hybrid Luxury Sedan cadillac ct6 2016 LA Auto Show

Cadillac ELR getting massive discounts, some up to $14,000

Well, that didn't go as planned. General Motors had marketed the Cadillac ELR extended-range plug-in as a premium version of the Chevrolet Volt with some Caddy refinements. Now, it looks like that premium, at least from a price standpoint, is shrinking. Shoppers in a number of states are reporting that GM and its dealers are discounting the ELR in order to move more off dealer lots. The issue is that few people are biting at the official price tag of about $76,000, so GM has started offering as much as $8,000 worth of dealer and customer incentives, Transport Evolved reports. More recently, dealers in states such as Florida, Texas and Maryland are offering discounts in the $12,000-to-$14,000 range, and that's before any federal and state plug-in incentives kick in. It's not difficult to guess why. Through the first half of the year, GM sold fewer than 400 ELRs. Last month, Caddy moved just 97 units, or about as many as Tesla sells of its Model S in a day. Perpahs recent spy shots that reveal a test ELR that appears to up the sportiness quotient, with touches such as larger wheels and brakes, will also help sales. Check out Autoblog's "First Drive" impressions of the ELR here.