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2015 Cadillac Escalade gets 8-speed auto, range-topping Platinum Collection trim

The redesigned 2015 Cadillac Escalade is still quite fresh on the market, but the luxury brand has a host of mid-model-year updates for its massive luxury SUV that should make it an even better driver. The range-topping Platinum Collection (pictured above) is also all set to ensconce drivers in leather when it hits the road in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The entire Escalade range now gets an eight-speed automatic to replace the previous six-speed, and four-wheel drive models also get a two-speed transfer case to go along with it. New standard features include a Surround View camera system, 4G LTE connectivity, and the electric tailgate also now closes hands-free, in addition to opening that way.
To make riding in the Escalade an even more luxurious experience, Cadillac is adding a Platinum trim. Exterior changes add even more shine to the behemoth SUV with a grille wearing the redesigned brand crest, additional chrome trim, 22-inch wheels and Platinum badges. However, the interior is where things really get plush. The first and second row of seats are wrapped in Nappa, semi-aniline leather in a choice of either beige or gray. The dashboard, upper door panels and center console also get hand-stitched and wrapped leather, plus a suede microfiber headliner. Both front seats are heated and cooled with 18-way power adjustments, and the driver even gets a massaging function. Rear passengers are hardly left out, either, with 7-inch LCD screens in the headrests and a 9-inch screen in the center.

Cadillac CTS-V gets Stealth Blue and Silver Frost limited edition models

A little more than a year and a half ago, former weekend editor Alex Nunez and I were talking about how sweet it would be for Cadillac to offer a CTS-V in the Corvette's Supersonic Blue paint, and as if General Motors eavesdropped on our conversation, this showed up. And while the Stealth Blue car you see here isn't an exact duplicate of the hot-looking sedan GM showed off in prototype form, it's really close. And really sweet.
New for 2013, the Cadillac CTS range gets two new colorful editions, starting with the Stealth Blue package available on the CTS-V (in sedan, coupe and wagon bodystyles) as well as the naturally aspirated CTS coupe. In addition to the unique paint, blacked-out grille and dark satin wheels, Stealth Blue cars can also be done up with an optional Twilight Blue leather interior. (And you thought blue-on-blue color schemes died in the '90s.)
Cadillac is also offering a new Silver Frost package, but it's a bit more exclusive. Only 100 examples will be built, all in CTS-V Coupe form. The Silver Frost paint is a low-gloss matte finish, in that while it technically has a clearcoat covering, it's reduced in a way that the surface still appears flatter than standard paint. Even so, Cadillac states that the car should be hand-washed only.

GM to build $1.3 billion Cadillac plant in China

General Motors has gotten approval to build a $1.3 billion manufacturing facility for its Cadillac brand in China. China's National Development and Reform Commission signed off on plans for GM to build the plant in the country's Shanghai's Jinqiao zone; construction is expected to begin in June of this year. According to a Bloomberg report, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
No surprise here, but Cadillac would like to sell a lot more cars in the plush Chinese luxury market. The brand moved only 30,010 cars in China last year, compared with 400k for Audi, and about 330k for BMW. With Cadillac already telling us that it would be moving production of its XTS sedan to China - a production decision that saves having to pay 25-percent import tariffs - approval of the factory is a critical win for the company.
In fact, according to earlier comments by GM China president Bob Socia, it's at least conceivable that Chinese-built Cadillacs could be shipped back to the US for sale. The brave new world of globalization, getting stranger by the minute.