Cadillac Allante " Excellent Condition" on 2040-cars

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Looking back on our favorite cars of Mad Men

The second half of the seventh and final season of Mad Men debuted this week, set to cap a run of public and critical acclaim. A decade's worth of interesting cars also made for good television, if you were paying attention. Vehicles didn't often steal the spotlight from Don, Betty, Roger, Joan and the gang, but they added meaningfully to the tone and beauty of the series. We sorted through the wheeled extras from Mad Men's archives, and choose some of our favorites to highlight. The list consists of cars that had at least a small impact on the plot of an episode, though certainly there are worthy gems hiding in just about every street and driving scene. Check out our subjective top five, and then let us know which of the Mad Men cars would be on your list. 1962 Cadillac Coupe DeVille – Season 2 Don Draper's Cadillac Coupe DeVille, all 500 feet of it, shows up in a few seasons of the show, but it's the first appearance that sets the tone. A Cadillac salesman, cut from the same cloth as Draper, asks what Don drives right now. "A Dodge," Don admits. "Those are wonderful if you want to get somewhere," allows the salesman, "this is for when you've already arrived." For a man on the move up corporate and social ladders that's a powerful message, and a pitch-perfect car. 1961 Lincoln Continental – Season 3 The most stylish Lincoln Continental ever is perfect set dressing for the mod show, of course. Though it's interesting that the car isn't cast as dapper Draper's ride, but rather his father-in-law's. Grandpa Gene does what all great grandfathers are bound to: lets his granddaughter Sally drive the big Lincoln while he works the pedals. Generational bond secured, in fine fashion. When you go back through the first three seasons of the show, you'll notice that Continentals show up more than once, too. There's nothing quite like them to evoke the best of the early '60s. 1963 John Deere 110 – Season 3 The only non-standard passenger vehicle on the list, no self-respecting gearhead/Mad Men fan should quibble with the inclusion of the John Deere 110 riding mower. For starters, the Deere is lovely to look at; a miniature version of the American Heartland icon in its green and yellow duds. The 110 appears as if milled from a solid block of steel, just the opposite of today's sleek, plasticky lawn minders (we're scouring Craigslist for one to bring home). The John Deere also has dear ramifications to the plot, too.

Recharge Wrap-up: Cadillac CT6 Plug-In on sale in China, Oregon utilities spur EV adoption

The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In is now available in China. The luxury plug-in hybrid sedan uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine plus two electric motors, which give the car a 0-62 mph time of 5.4 seconds. Its liquid-cooled 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack gives the car an all-electric range of 50 miles, with a total range of 581 miles. Cadillac offers a 200V charger with the CT6 Plug-In, which provides a full charge in less than five hours. Owners can check charging status remotely using OnStar or the MyCadillac app. The CT6 Plug-In is offered in two variants, priced at about $80,400 and $94,800. Read more from GM. Two Oregon utilities are launching a program to increase EV adoption. Portland General Electric (PGE) will build six charging locations, each with up to four dual-standard fast chargers. PGE will also build and operate charging sites for electric buses, freeing up money for Portland's TriMet transit agency to spend on the actual buses. Pacific Power will also build public EV chargers, and lower some electricity rates for operators. Both companies will also work to inform the public about the benefits of electric mobility. Oregon utilities are required to stop using coal by 2030, and use 50 percent renewable energy by 2040, which will make EVs even cleaner. Read more at Green Car Reports. Continental says a shift to EVs will cost its company jobs. The automotive parts supplier's CEO, Elmar Degenhart, says that while the company will need to cut production jobs, those will be offset at least in part by the creation of new positions related to electric mobility. "There is enough time to design the process such that the blow is softened and major pain can be avoided," says Degenhart. Some 30,000 jobs at Continental are tied to combustion engines. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Featured Gallery 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-in Hybrid View 15 Photos News Source: GM, Green Car Reports, Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Cadillac Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Cadillac GM Green Culture Electric Luxury recharge wrapup

Recharge Wrap-up: Lyft partners with Didi Kuaidi, Cadillac uses ultracapacitors

Lyft and Chinese on-demand transportation venture Didi Kuaidi have announced a partnership. Additionally, Didi Kuaidi is investing $100 million in Lyft. The two ridesharing companies will share technology and provide interoperability between platforms. For users, this means it will be easier to get around when traveling between the US and China. "In today's rideshare environment, where every region presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, partnering with the homegrown leader is the winning approach to Chinese expansion," says Lyft President and co-founder John Zimmer. Learn more in the video above, and in the press release below. Car2go has announced service in Miami Beach, FL. Beginning October 1, the one-way carsharing service will expand its boundaries beyond its current Miami service area to include neighboring Miami Beach. "We're thrilled to see car2go expand to Miami Beach," says Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. "Miami Beach residents and visitors are increasingly seeking new, environmentally conscious options to move around North, Middle, and South Beach, and carsharing is an important part of realizing that vision." Read more from Car2go. ClipperCreek has added the HCS-30 EVSE to its product line. The 24-amp, 240-volt Level 2 charging station is designed for residential and workplace duty. It allows for faster charging without the customer having to upgrade their electrical service panel. Delivering about 20 miles of range per hour of charging, the HCS-30 EVSE can charge most EVs in about four hours. Pricing begins at $565. Read more from ClipperCreek. Cadillac will use ultracapacitors in its stop-start systems for 2016. Rather than relying on battery power to run electrical systems while the engine is not running, the utracapacitors can provide a stable flow of energy without losing lifespan to repeated cycling. Supplied by Maxwell Technologies, the ultracapacitors are also lighter than batteries and, according to Cadillac, provide smoother restarts. The 2016 models to use the updated stop-start technology as standard will be the ATS and CTS, with the exception of the V performance variants. Read more at Green Car Reports. Lyft and Didi Kuaidi Announce Strategic Partnership, Building Toward a Collaborative Global Ridesharing Alliance - Didi Kuaidi Invests $100 million in Lyft - Companies Introduce Ridesharing Coverage Between the U.S.