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Mystery shoppers love Infiniti, hate Tesla

Infiniti, followed by Lexus tied with Mercedes-Benz took the top two spots for best sales experience according to mystery shoppers from the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, while EV manufacturer Tesla recorded the lowest overall score. Not surprisingly, premium brands dominated the top ranks. Including the three already mentioned, luxury brands occupied seven of the top ten spots and included Audi, BMW, Porsche, and the only American brand to crack the upper echelon, Cadillac. Toyota, Volkswagen, and Nissan rounded out the first ten positions. The news for domestic automakers isn't good. Aside from Caddy, the only other star-spangled automaker to score above the industry average is Chrysler. The rest of FCA, most of GM, and all of Ford fell below the line. But Pied Piper's mystery shoppers handed Tesla the biggest walloping – the company is ten full points below the next lowest brand, Volvo, and its score of 86 is 17 below the average of 103. It's baffling, considering the company's touted direct-sales model. "Tesla leaves me scratching my head," Fred O'Hagan, Pied Piper's president and CEO, told Wards Auto. "They own all of their stores, so you would think each one would be doing the same thing. But they're not. Tesla is consistent in its inconsistencies." O'Hagan added that there's a "huge variation" in Tesla's store-to-store effectiveness, and that in some cases, shoppers found showroom workers that acted more like "museum curators," Wards Auto reports. It might be popular to call Tesla the Apple of the car world, but based on Pied Piper's work, the brand has a long way to go to emulate the uniform shopping experience of an Apple Store. The news might be bad for Tesla, but even for the brands that scored below average, there's cause for celebration. Only Tesla and Mini lost points in this year's rankings, and only Mercedes and Lincoln held steady. Every other brand, including Infiniti, which topped the index for the first time, gained at least one point. The biggest improvements belong to Porsche, Land Rover, and Mitsubishi, which all jumped five points. Pied Piper's annual Prospect Satisfaction Index uses mystery shoppers – over 6,100 this year – from across the country to assess dealers and generate rankings from over 50 individual factors. News Source: Pied Piper via WardsAuto Green Audi BMW Cadillac Chrysler Infiniti Lexus Mercedes-Benz Nissan Tesla Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers study

Cadillac Escalade driven by Tony Soprano for sale

If you're a fan of The Sopranos imagining a trip to the Bada Bing, then check out this white 2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV for sale by RR Auction. James Gandolfini drove this luxury SUV in the role of Tony Soprano for the last three seasons of the mafia-themed series. Gandolfini also signed the interior to give you something to show off to your buddies. If you've ever watched the show, you've almost certainly seen this white SUV before. According to the auction listing, the series featured two Escalades, and this one was used for exterior shots. The Caddy even starred in an action scene in season 5 when Tony chased after Phil Leotardo. Gandolfini's signature appears inside twice: once with "Thanks for the truck, James Gandolfini" and again with just his name. The auction also includes a letter of authenticity that's signed by the actor, and a second document asserts the SUV's use in the series. Apparently, Gandolfini had a habit of signing messages in his vehicles from the show – at one point he wrote a threatening "Be nice to my car" message in a red Chevrolet Suburban from earlier episodes. The auction for Tony's Escalade runs from November 12-19, which still leaves plenty of time for a meeting of the families to decide to buy it. Bidding starts at $5,000, and according to The Drive, the consignor estimates a final price between $30,000 and $50,000. This sale should at least come to a more definitive end than The Sopranos did. Related Video:

Cadillac launches ATS-V, CTS-V Crystal White Frost editions

With power and performance enough to challenge the best that Europe and Japan have to offer, buyers in the luxury performance market shouldn't need much more reason to consider a new Cadillac ATS-V or CTS-V. But to make its fastest models that much more enticing, Cadillac is rolling out the new Crystal White Frost editions you see here. Available on the ATS-V coupe, ATS-V sedan, or CTS-V sedan (pictured), the new Crystal White Frost Edition models feature unique matte-finish white paint. They also get special wheels and the Carbon Fiber and Luxury packages as standard. Other equipment like Recaro buckets and microfiber-trimmed control surfaces are also available, among other options. GM's luxury division will only make 99 examples available across the three models – 39 ATS-V coupes, 31 ATS-V sedans, and 29 CTS-V sedans. So if you want to get your hands on one, you may have to act faster than these forced-induction performance machines will muscle their way around the track. Prices start at $71,460 for the smaller sedan and extend up to $94,900 for the larger one – those prices including destination but not taxes, registration, and other fees. For a full rundown of the equipment included and available, scope out the detailed press release below. Related Video: 2016 Cadillac V-Series Crystal White Frost Editions CELEBRATING THE FIRST-EVER CADILLAC ATS-V & THIRD-GENERATION CADILLAC CTS-V 2015-10-16 Cadillac today announced the exclusive Crystal White Frost Edition for all three of its new high-performance V-Series models – the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe and Sedan, and the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan. These new special edition models celebrate the ongoing launch of the first-ever Cadillac ATS-V and the third-generation Cadillac CTS-V super-sedan. They feature a special production run of low-gloss Crystal White Frost exterior paint, which first appeared for the world premiere announcements of the new V-Series models, receiving positive consumer reaction. The edition includes select V-Series wheels and Carbon Fiber and Luxury packages that are options on regular V-Series models. The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Crystal White Frost Edition sedans start at $71,460 and coupes at $73,660. The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V Crystal White Frost Edition sedans start at $94,990, including destination freight charges but excludes tax, title, license and dealer fees.