1985 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible on 2040-cars

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2022 Cadillac Lyriq launch is running ahead of schedule

General Motors says all of the components and technologies in the Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover have passed the 80% validation benchmark. As a new video shows, getting to this point has included plenty of real-world driving on gravel, ice, and snow at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds in Wanaka, New Zealand, as well as hours of jostling on suspension rigs and aero work in the lab. A voiceover in the video has a GM worker saying the Lyriq has "a lot of potential as far as setting a new benchmark for ride and handling in the segment, the brand's ride and handling mission statement said to be called "Isolated Precision." Having proved the substance of the foundation, engineers can spend the next six months or so fine tuning the vehicle's touchpoints. Lyriq customers will get the final say on all of this early next year, around eight months earlier than planned. In August 2020 when Cadillac officially revealed the Lyriq, the automaker said it wouldn't hit the market until late 2022. According to General Motors, the compressed development schedule is thanks to the "modular and highly flexible qualities of the Ultium system, along with engineering advances in battery technology, use of virtual development tools and lessons learned during the Hummer EV development process." The model that comes first is the Lyriq Debut Edition, its single motor on the rear axle providing 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Juice comes from a 100-kWh Ultium battery pack that GM believes will be good for 300 miles of range on a charge. Home charging with the standard 11.5-kW charger restores needs a full overnight session to refill from empty, the optional 19.2-kW onboard charger takes about six hours, restoring roughly 52 miles or range per hour. Plugged into a DC fast charger, at the max 190 kW the Lyriq gains about 76 miles of range in 10 minutes. Production starts in Q1 next year at GM's Spring Hill, Tennessee facility that will built the other five Cadillac electric vehicles planned by 2025, and their batteries. Next summer Cadillac will reopen the Lyriq reservation system for series production models, among those being the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive performance trims. Related video:

Cadillac CTS-V and Suzuki e-Survivor | Autoblog Podcast #527

This week, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by General Manager Adam Morath. They discuss driving the Cadillac CTS-V and talk about the Suzuki e-Survivor concept. Other news includes possible Jaguar Land Rover acquisitions, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and the Autoblog Car Finder. Autoblog Podcast #527 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Topics and stories we mention Rundown Jaguar Land Rover acquisitions? Suzuki e-Survivor concept Tesla Model 3 Autoblog Car Finder tool Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Cadillac CTS-V What we've been driving: Jaguar F-Pace Ken Block's "Climbkhana" Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Green Podcasts Cadillac Jaguar Jeep Suzuki Electric Performance Videos Sedan jaguar land rover

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.