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Cadillac's Butler announces surprise departure

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Cadillac's vice president of global strategic development, Don Butler, has resigned. Butler has held the position since April, after a term as vice president of US marketing for General Motor's luxury brand.
As the report explains, the timing here is pretty unfortunate for Cadillac. Butler is the third high-profile member of Cadillac's brass to depart in recent months, following the firing of US sales boss Chase Hawkins and the pending departure of Susan Docherty. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell told the Detroit paper, "Bob [Ferguson]," global boss for Cadillac, "and other leaders asked him to stay on. Don's here in the office today - and told our team that his decision is purely on a personal level. After three years of putting everything into Cadillac, he is stepping away for some personal time, and to consider new avenues in his life."
Butler says his decision is part of a decision to "recalibrate, reassess my priorities." Whatever the reason, it's an unpleasant surprise for Cadillac, which has been on a surge in 2013, with 30-percent jump in sales on the heels of the hot-selling ATS.

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.

GM Super Cruise beats Tesla Autopilot again in latest hands-free test

DETROIT — General Motors' Super Cruise once again edged Tesla's Autopilot in an evaluation of 17 vehicles equipped with active driving assistance systems (ADAS) by Consumer Reports, the testing organization said on Wednesday. A Tesla Model Y fitted with Autopilot finished "a distant second," the group said, to a Cadillac CT6 equipped with Super Cruise, which GM is rolling out to more than 20 vehicles — including its new Hummer electric pickup truck — over the next three years. Safety and insurance researchers have frequently warned of the risks of consumers overestimating ADAS systems' abilities, a misconception increased by some automakers calling their products Autopilot, ProPilot or Co-Pilot. In 2018, the Cadillac CT6 with Super Cruise scored higher than a Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot, in a Consumer Reports test of just four vehicles equipped with ADAS. In the latest test, conducted this summer on a track and on public roads, the Cadillac scored 69 points out of a possible 100, while the Tesla scored 57. A Lincoln Corsair equipped with Ford's Co-Pilot 360 system, finished third with 52. The critical difference in the Super Cruise system is a driver-facing infrared camera to make sure he or she is paying attention to the road and is ready to take over manual control when necessary, said Kelly Funkhouser, head of connected and automated vehicle testing at Consumer Reports. The group noted that Autopilot can shut off abruptly in some situations, while Super Cruise did a better job of notifying the driver when the system is disengaging. In recent European safety testing, a Tesla Model 3 with Autopilot placed sixth out of 10 systems, getting high marks for performance and ability to respond to emergencies, but falling short on its ability to maintain a driverÂ’s focus on the road. Related Video: Green Cadillac GM Hummer Tesla Safety Technology Autonomous Vehicles Electric Super Cruise