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Cadillac boss: Don't ask why we have so many sedans

Ugh, crossovers. Car-based, high-riding station wagons, for some reason, sell in absurd numbers and make automakers lots and lots of money. That's why automakers with a strong lineup of CUVs are running strong, while sedan-heavy brands are struggling. Cadillac is all too aware of this fact. While the company is preparing to launch the new CT6 luxury sedan, it's also realizing four sedans, a coupe, a crossover, and a $73,000, old-school, body-on-frame SUV does not a healthy lineup make. Worse, though, as Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen rued during the LA Auto Show, is that the new CT6 is joining a segment already oversaturated. While it's a big, expensive vehicle, it's not much bigger or more expensive than the CTS and XTS sedans. "Please don't ask me why we have three cars in the same segment," de Nysschen said, stopping midway through an interview with Automotive News on the CT6's market placement to make the crack. "That's a whole different subject." As for those CUVs, the new XT5 debuted in LA, and it will eventually be joined by another much-needed CUV in 2018, AN reports. Related Video:

Cadillac CT6 hits dealers in March for $54,490

When the Cadillac CT6 hits dealerships in March of 2016, it will carry a starting price of $54,490 (including a $995 destination charge). That strikes us as a reasonable asking price. For some context, the CTS, which sits a rung down the size and pricing ladder at Cadillac, starts at $46,555. A BMW 5 Series sedan begins its pricing journey at a bit over $50,000 while the larger 7 Series commands a bare minimum of $82,000. So, while the Cadillac's range-topping CT6 isn't exactly a 5 Series or 7 Series competitor, its pricing strategy seems to reflect an interesting position in the luxury-car playing field. For that $55,000-ish asking price, the CT6 comes equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that pushes 272 horsepower to the rear wheels. When equipped with a 335-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine and all-wheel drive, the CT6 nudges up just slightly to $56,490. Again, that's a reasonable $2,000 surcharge for more power and four driven wheels. Continuing up the CT6 structure brings us to the 400-horsepower, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V6 for $65,390 that also comes with all-wheel drive. All models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. At the very top of the pricing scale sits the CT6 Platinum, which carries a MSRP of $84,460. As noted earlier, that puts the tip of Cadillac's CT6 spear just into the starting territory of BMW's biggest luxury sedan. A plug-in hybrid model is promised that will offer 335 horsepower and 432 pound-feet of torque with double the fuel efficiency of a comparable non-hybrid CT6, but Cadillac hasn't yet announced pricing for that model. We're eager to find out exactly where the CT6 lands on the scale of high-end luxury cars in America. One thing is for certain, though: Cadillac is clearly trying pique the interest of German cross-shoppers with its top-level offering. Check out the press release below for more details from the automaker about its so-called Cadillac Touring 6 Sedan. Related Video: 2016 Cadillac CT6 Range-Topping Sedan Slated for March Launch NEW RANGE INCLUDES CT6 STARTING AT $53,495; CT6 PLATINUM PRICED FROM $83,465 2015-11-02 Cadillac extends the top of its range with the 2016 Cadillac Touring 6 sedan, which begins production in Detroit in January, with initial shipments to dealers in March. Through the integration of new technologies, the first-ever Cadillac CT6 creates a new formula for the range-topping sedan and substantially expands the Cadillac portfolio.

J.D. Power study sees new car dependability problems increase for first time since 1998

For the first time since 1998, J.D. Power and Associates says its data shows that the average number of problems per 100 cars has increased. The finding is the result of the firm's much-touted annual Vehicle Dependability Study, which charts incidents of problems in new vehicle purchases over three years from 41,000 respondents.
Looking at first-owner cars from the 2011 model year, the study found an average of 133 problems per 100 cars (PP100, for short), up 6 percent from 126 PP100 in last year's study, which covered 2010 model-year vehicles. Disturbingly, the bulk of the increase is being attributed to engine and transmission problems, with a 6 PP100 boost.
Interestingly, JDP notes that "the decline in quality is particularly acute for vehicles with four-cylinder engines, where problem levels increase by nearly 10 PP100." Its findings also noticed that large diesel engines also tended to be more problematic than most five- and six-cylinder engines.