2014 Cadillac Ats 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Cadillac XT5 cuts weight, adds room over SRX [UPDATE]

UPDATE: This post has been updated with a full set of official photos. Impressions on the interior and exterior have also been added. The attention of Cadillac fans may be focused on the new CT6 sedan, but the most important new vehicle in the New York-based company's quiver might be the all-new XT5. Cadillac officially unveiled the SRX replacement today ahead of its full debut in Los Angeles next week. Short for Crossover Touring 5, the new XT5 drops 278 pounds over the old SRX, while offering an extra 3.2 inches of interior space. The XT5's face balances the best parts of the Escalade and CT6's fascias, with a strong egg-crate grille and prominent LED accent lights. It looks good scaled to a vehicle of this size. The taillights curve up and over the rear haunches, which feed into a strong shoulder line that runs towards the front of the car. It's a solid look, and one we're looking forward to seeing in person. The interior looks very, very nice, with warm leather and wood trimmings. The steering wheel, with its large, central wood accent, looks remarkably good. In fact, it might be one of our favor parts, if only because it's such a bold piece of design. We aren't crazy about the sheer abundance of buttons on the wheel, though. All four spokes are covered, and it just looks kind of cluttered. As is the trend nowadays, the center console features a floating bridge design with plenty of storage space underneath. Our early impression of the leather-wrapped dash is positive, although as is so often the case, we need to get a hands on before rendering a final judgment. There are no major surprises under the hood. Like the current SRX, the XT5 utilizes the same 3.6-liter V6 as the CTS and ATS sedans. Start/stop has been fitted, which should provide a boost in fuel economy although no mileage figures have been published yet. Cadillac will also offer a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder XT5, although for reasons that aren't clear, it's only for the Chinese market. This seems like a misstep in our eyes, considering the XT5 will challenge the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, and Mercedes-Benz GLC – all of which offer four-cylinder turbos. With the V6, the XT5 delivers 310 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. While there's more total horsepower than the Lexus, Audi, or BMW, the 3.6 still faces a torque deficiency versus the turbocharged X3 xDrive35i or supercharged Audi V6. The XT5 has a standard eight-speed automatic transmission.

It's going to cost $12 billion to fix Cadillac

The Cadillac CT6's development predates Johan de Nysschen taking over at Cadillac, but the forthcoming flagship is the luxury brand's first major new product launch since the beginning of his tenure. The vehicle's debut also marks the beginning of a comprehensive $12 billion renewal plan bringing eight new vehicles in the next five years. Now, the former Audi and Infiniti exec is talking about joining Caddy and the company's future. "Cadillac will be a powerhouse global luxury brand that will command the respect of its peers," de Nysschen said about the forecast state of the company in 2020 to Bloomberg. He disclosed that three of those new vehicles under the five-year plan would be crossovers and reiterated that plug-in hybrids are on the way that would take advantage of the Chevrolet Volt's tech advances. De Nysschen also reminisced about joining Cadillac last year. He told Bloomberg that leaving Infiniti wasn't an easy decision, and there were apparently long conversations on the phone with General Motors President Dan Ammann discussing strategy for the luxury brand. De Nysschen was apparently clear that a greater investment and more autonomy from the corporate mother ship were vital. These days, the revitalization of Cadillac is just getting rolling. The company has a swanky New York office with a dedicated team to focus on the future. According to de Nysschen, the brand will grow its staff to around 150 people by the end of the year, compared to over 40 now. The marketing plan is to position the American luxury brand as a more distinctive product versus more common German rivals. It's going to be very interesting to see if this new Caddy can dare greatly enough to accomplish these lofty goals.

GM announces 3 new recalls affecting 1.7M vehicles in North America [w/video]

Still embroiled in the ongoing ignition switch recall, General Motors announced today three more discrete recalls, affecting a grand total of 1,546,900 vehicles in the US. The Detroit News reports that some 1.7 million vehicles are affected overall in North America. The first and largest of the trio of new recalls concerns some 1.18-million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from 2009-2013 (pictured above) and Saturn Outlook vehicles from 2008-2010. All of the crossover utilities may have an issue with the wiring harness for their seat-mounted side airbags. Apparently, the vehicles are equipped with a Service Air Bag warning light that, if ignored, "will eventually result in the non-deployment of the side impact restraints." Those restraints include the side airbags, a front-center airbag if the vehicle is so equipped and seatbelt pretensioners. Dealers of affected vehicles will be instructed to remove driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness connectors, and then "splice and solder the wires together." The second recall affects 303,000 Chevrolet Express (pictured right) and GMC Savana vans from model years 2009-2014, and with gross vehicle weights under 10,000 pounds. Said vehicles do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants, and will need a reworking of the instrument panel material to be sent back on the road. It doesn't sound as though there's a quick fix for this one, as the GM press release states: "Unsold vehicles have been placed on a stop delivery until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available." Finally, the third recall affects 63,900 Cadillac XTS luxury sedans from model years 2013 and 2014. A brake booster pump may be susceptible to corrosion by way of the relay, potentially causing and electrical short, overheating, melting of plastic components and even engine fires. GM says it is aware of two engine fires in unsold XTS models and two cases of melted parts. Repairs for the issues affecting the XTS have not not mentioned by GM in the release. The Detroit News is also reporting that along with news of the triple-recall, GM is taking a $300-million credit to help pay for the repair costs, and to deal with the ongoing costs associated with the ignition switch recall. In an attempt to explain just what GM has been doing in the face of these very serious issues, newly minted CEO Mary Barra has addressed the issues in a new video.