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The Beast 2.0: What the 2016 presidential election winner will ride in

The current presidential limousine, which is referred to as "The Beast," will be altered for the next President of the United States. Our photographers managed to capture the vehicle testing. " The Beast 2.0" will follow closely behind the current presidential limousine that's built upon a rugged commercial truck chassis and has a sedan-like body. Instead of wearing styling details from the now-retired Cadillac STS, the new presidential limo appears to borrow looks from the latest Escalade and the CT6 sedan. The bomb-proof prototype is wearing LED headlights, has a more angular grille that features Cadillac's wreathless crest, and ditches regular antennas for a shark fin unit. Other than these changes, the Beast 2.0 should still be able to house seven passengers and have enough protection to be one of the safest vehicles on the planet. The prototype looks like it's higher off the ground, as well, which should help the next president to avoid an embarrassing moment. There's no word on whether the Beast 2.0 will be ready in time for the next president presidential inauguration in January, but our photographers report that GM recently stepped up its testing for the limousine at its Milford Proving Grounds. Related Video: Featured Gallery The Beast 2.0 Spy Shots Image Credit: KGP Photography Government/Legal Spy Photos Cadillac Truck Sedan president Hillary Clinton the beast

Car subscription services: A slow, expensive start — but the potential is huge

Americans are used to paying for subscriptions — to magazines and cable television, for instance — but experience shows they'll cancel when the price of admission gets too high, or there are more tempting alternatives. Cord cutters ditched nearly 1.5 million pay-TV subscriptions in 2017, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group. Cable TV started out cheap with basic offerings, and then got expensive. The auto industry's subscription offerings are new, but they're starting out costly, and not price-competitive with traditional leasing. The upside is that they take the hassle out of car ownership for busy people by letting the service take care of maintenance, insurance, licensing and taxes. And they give consumers choice, often allowing relatively painless switches between different cars in the automakers' lineup. Subscription services also point the way toward an ownership-free auto experience, and offer an easy transition to a potential world where ride- and car-sharing will be dominant. Subscriptions are here to stay, but consumers may take a while to "get" them. Lincoln's subscription service for lightly used 2015 to 2017 models, offered through the Ford-owned Canvas beginning this year, got off to a slow start. Many early subscribers canceled. Last month, Cadillac announced it would " temporarily pause" its $1,800-per-month Book subscription service for "adjustments" as of December 1. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." The challenge for automakers is to come up with a strategy that offers consumers a compelling, affordable option to regular ownership, and one that can also make a profit. I think they'll find that sweet spot, but they're not there yet. Jack Nerad, former executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book and author of " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car," points out that "A lot of people expected that subscriptions would be very valuable for people who wanted inexpensive transportation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Subscriptions are offering more choices for the wealthy.

2021 Cadillac CT5 Review | Is the price (and size) right?

The Cadillac CT5, which was brand new for the 2020 model year, took the place of the CTS in General Motors’ luxury sedan portfolio. Its mission is the same as the car it replaced: compete on equal footing with the German trio of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz along with Japanese brands Acura, Infiniti and Lexus. But it does so with a radically different package than the CTS. In place of the sharp corners and angular greenhouse of its predecessor is a smoother sedan with a flowing fastback shape. The new CT5 is also around $10,000 cheaper than the CTS it replaces, despite the fact that the two are within a few inches in exterior dimensions. So while it may be sized similarly to the cars it used to compete with, including the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class, it's now priced like a 3 Series or C-Class.  Clearly, Cadillac thinks this refined strategy will position the CT5 to better compete against those established luxury players. The car itself drives quite well and is stylish, well equipped, and that price-to-size ratio gives it a unique proposition to attract buyers away from the Europeans. What's new for 2021? The CT5 finally gets CadillacÂ’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology for 2021. It's the latest version that includes Lane Change on Demand functionality, but itÂ’s only available on Premium Luxury and V-Series trim levels. CaddyÂ’s sport sedan also gets a 12-inch digital gauge cluster with multiple themes, including a Track theme on the high-performance CT5-V. A new Diamond Sky special edition package will be offered on Premium Luxury CT4 and CT5 models, adding interior and exterior styling upgrades along with all-season run-flat tires on unique wheels. Additional updates include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a console-mounted rotary infotainment knob that enables left and right clicks to more easily navigate the infotainment system. 2020 Cadillac CT5 View 22 Photos   What's the CT5Â’s interior and in-car technology like? The Cadillac CT5 interior can best be described as “nice enough.” Unfortunately, "nice enough" isnÂ’t quite good enough to compare favorably with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Volvo. We'd say it's not good enough to compare with cross-town rival Lincoln, either, but they won't be selling sedans in 2021.