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Hennessy wastes no time in supercharging the 2015 Cadillac Escalade

The ink is still drying on the all-new 2015 Cadillac Escalade sales brochures, but that hasn't stopped Texas-based Hennessey Performance (HPE) from leaping out of the gate with its own high-performance variant. In stock form, the big fourth-generation Cadillac flagship arrives with a new small block naturally aspirated 6.2-liter Ecotec3 V8 delivering 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Fresh out of the showroom, the 5,900-pound SUV will sprint to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.
While that is plenty fast for some owners, others don't want to be shamed by a 550 horsepower Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG or a 510 horsepower Land Rover Range Rover Sport - both will leave the stock Escalade at a stoplight.
The team at HPE has come to the rescue with its HPE550 supercharger upgrade, which includes a belt-driven supercharger, air-to-water intercooler, recalibrated engine management software and a three-year/36,000 mile powertrain warranty. With 6 psi of boost, the direct-injected 6.2-liter is tuned to deliver an impressive 557 horsepower and 542 pound-feet of torque - gains of 32 percent and 18 percent, respectively, over stock. Although HPE isn't releasing performance figures as of yet, our math says that should be enough power to put the two Europeans in the Cadillac's rearview mirror. The company also offers a set of 20-inch lightweight H10 forged monoblock wheels, to further improve performance.

Cadillac launching crossover-heavy product offensive

Utilizing information provided by Cadillac suppliers, Reuters says that Cadillac is preparing two more crossovers that will bow after its current product initiative is complete. According to the report, a year after the next SRX arrives in 2016, a pair of CUVs will be unveiled that will bracket it in size, and they'll be headed for the US and Chinese markets.
That is years away, though. For now, the company's attentions are on the nearly here CTS and ELR range-extended coupe, the next Escalade SUV (shown above), an ATS coupe, and the range-topper that will sit above the XTS. That, and possibly an even more impressive range-topper that promises to be the mean and majestic super-luxe unicorn Cadillac we've been dreaming about for more than a decade now.
In response to the issue of how German crossovers might be having an impact on Cadillac's future plans, a company source said - rightly, we think - "we don't need to duplicate the Germans." That doesn't mean, however, that it can't wade deeper into a market segment that the Germans are making a ton of money in. In fact, and since everyone is doing it, we'd be surprised if Cadillac didn't, even if it won't happen for another four years.

General Motors shaking up its marketing... again

One of the things that dogs the full comeback of General Motors is the instability of its marketing. That part of the automaker got yet another big shakeup today when GM confirmed what I have been tweeting for a few days - strong rumors that the Chevrolet and Cadillac ad accounts are walking to new ad agencies.
Cadillac, GM's luxury brand, is going into review from Fallon Worldwide, Minneapolis and the indications are that Campbell-Ewald, Chevy's old ad shop, will end up with most or all of it. C-E just announced that it was moving from its long-time home in Warren, MI to a new downtown Detroit office next to Ford Field, just blocks from GM.
The other shoe to drop shortly will be the shift of GM's most important brand, Chevy, from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco to McCann-Erickson of Troy, MI. McCann used to be the agency for Buick and GMC, as well as GM's corporate advertising, and has retained some pieces of business over the last few years. Sources have even told us that it was McCann that did a lot of the creative work on Chevy's new ad platform, Find New Roads. (Not to be confused with a former McCann tagline for Saab, "Find Your Own Road.")