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2021 Cadillac Escalade Interior Review | Tech-forward fortress

Of all the interiors that are vital to Cadillac’s success, the new 2021 EscaladeÂ’s is arguably the most important. ItÂ’s supposed to be the best GM can muster, and the previous generation was a distant second to the classically elegant Lincoln Navigator. Cadillac didnÂ’t try to copy LincolnÂ’s success with its redesigned full-sizer, instead opting to follow a more generic theme of tech-forward luxury. When we say tech-forward, though, we mean it. The 38 inches of curved OLED screens we covered in our Escalade infotainment review absolutely dominate the dash in a brazen display of opulence. There isnÂ’t much room for anything else to take center stage, but whatÂ’s there is extremely nice. Large swaths of wood trim stretch across the dash and also adorn a substantial part of the center console. ItÂ’s harder to find something that doesnÂ’t feel like soft-touch leather, wood or metal trim than it is to find cost-cutting materials. There are certainly some areas with the usual black plastic for buttons, but every car company that isnÂ’t Rolls-Royce resorts to plastic at some level. The seating position and ergonomics of the Escalade are a big step up from past models. There was a feeling of claustrophobia in previous Escalades with the whole interior being built up around the driver in an unfriendly manner. This Escalade tones that down with lower and flatter surfaces, along with just being bigger in general. That feeling of expansiveness is great for decompressing and relaxing in the available heated, cooled and massaging seats. Riding in the back is almost as lovely. Switching to an independent rear suspension and making the vehicle longer means more passenger and cargo space (10.3 cu-ft more than before with the third row up). The majority of this is realized in the third row (10.4 inches more than before), where even large adults can sit comfortably with a laid-back seating position. Before, if your knees weren't in your face, it's probably because you gave up and hitched a ride with someone else. A BMW X7 or Mercedes-Benz GLS will still outclass it for materials and third-row features, but the Escalade wins on sheer bigness. Getting back there is a breeze with a huge walkway, though putting the seat back into place is borderline annoying, requiring much more physical effort than a powered second row would. As big as the third row is, sitting in the second row is even better thanks to the massive dual screens mounted to the front headrests.

Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.

Cadillac XT6 SUV will be revealed in Detroit in January

Cadillac will hold an event on Jan. 13 on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show to reveal its long-awaited new XT6 three-row crossover, Automotive News reports. The XT6 is seen as a critical product for Cadillac, which has been caught flatfooted with a lineup heavy on sedans amid the boom in crossovers and SUVs. It'll slot between the midsize XT5 crossover, and the full-size Escalade luxury SUV. Cadillac recently started selling the smaller XT4 crossover as well. The XT6 is expected to arrive in showrooms around mid-2019. We've seen several spy shots of the XT6 cloaked in heavy camouflage, including some views of the uncovered dashboard and console layout earlier this week that showed a wide, sweeping dash and elements seemingly borrowed from the CT6 sedan. Cadillac is also reportedly working on a "master brand" campaign strategy expected to be unveiled early next year, with plans to make Cadillac GM's technology leader for self-driving and electric-vehicle systems, with plans to bring Super Cruise to its entire lineup. The GM luxury brand plans to launch a new or redesigned vehicle every six months for the next three years. Related Video: