2011 Cadillac Cts-v on 2040-cars

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Timely hole-in-one wins high schooler a Cadillac or $50,000

If it happens at all, many golfers knock in hole-in-ones in the quiet of a mediocre local course while three friends sit in their carts drinking Coors Lights. After dreaming of the moment for years, lucky golfers barely have time to process the tremendous achievement before it's followed up with a double bogey on the next hole. That wasn't the case for high schooler Jack Kyger, who drilled an ace during a golf outing, and in turn, won a Cadillac or $50,000. Kyger, a junior at Harper Creek High School in Battle Creek, Mich., says he wasn't even considering a hole-in-one when he stepped up to the tee on the fourth hole at the Battle Creek Country Club. A secondary prize, a TV, would be awarded to the golfer who came closest to the pin, so Kyger was simply trying to get it close to the cup. In front of his dad and Harper Creek Superintendent Rob Ridgeway, he stuck the shot just past the hole, and with some backspin, it rolled into the pin. It's the first time somebody has hit the bullseye at the Gene Lewis Hughes, Sr. Memorial Golf Outing, which has raised more than $150,000 for the Bronson Battle Creek Cancer Care Center throughout the years. By hitting a hole-in-one, Kyger won a $50,000 decision: take home a Cadillac or a big bag of $50,000 in cash. As a student preparing to go to college, it's not an easy choice. "I haven't made up my mind," Kyger said in a USA Today article. "But the way I think about it, no 17-year-old needs a brand new Cadillac to drive around in. I have a truck that gets me places. So, if I take the cash, I would probably put most of it away for college, but keep a little back to have a bit of fun, you know." Smart kid. We did notice a peculiarity about the prize. In the attached photo, the Cadillac at the event appears to be a Cadillac ATS-V. Those familiar with Cadillac's performance vehicles know that an ATS-V starts at significantly more than $50,000 - $68,790 to be exact. So we're not sure why they're calling it a $50,000 Cadillac, unless it's a lightly used vehicle or the Cadillac in question is in fact a different car entirely. No matter the price, it sounds like Kyger is going to take the cash. If he sticks to practicing his golf game, maybe he can earn some more money for college, too. News Source: USA Today Auto News Cadillac Performance

Weekly Recap: Automakers rethink the definition of luxury

Variety is the spice of life, but it's becoming a prerequisite for luxury carmakers in the ultra-competitive US market. The Detroit Auto Show was strong evidence of this reality. It's not enough to offer attractive and well-appointed cars and SUVs anymore. Luxury brands that want to be competitive need to invest in everything from high-powered supercars to clever hybrids. To be relevant, you need to be green and mean – and everything in between. As General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said after the reveal of the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V: "We are not leaving anything on the table." He was speaking for Cadillac, but he might as well have been speaking for the luxury car market. The CTS-V debuted in Detroit about an hour after Lexus surprised showgoers with the reveal of the RC F GT3 race car and then announced ambitious plans to return to competitive racing. That almost overshadowed the fact Lexus had just revealed another potent addition to its growing F line, the 467-hp GS F. View 20 Photos But for luxury brands, it's not just about maximum horsepower for well-heeled enthusiasts or decadent amenities for the Grey Poupon set. Strong competition from all corners has forced automakers to refine and expand their lineups in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. Case in point: Mercedes-Benz finally has an answer to the BMW X6, rolling out the GLE coupe in Detroit. The X6, which blends coupe-like styling cues with some of the functionality of an SUV, debuted in 2008. Back then it was a punchline, but seven years and more than 260,000 sales later, the X6's success has compelled Benz to respond. Mercedes – one of the strongest proponents of diesel technology – also debuted the C350 plug-in hybrid sedan, which promises a range of 20 miles on electricity, though fuel economy figures were not announced. The car pairs Mercedes' well-received 208-hp turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor for total output of 275 hp and 443 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, Infiniti will add the Q30 hatchback to its lineup by the end of the year, new president Roland Kruger reiterated in Detroit. It's expected to be joined by a crossover variant, and the additions will help strengthen Infiniti in the United States and abroad. "While we're expanding our product line, we're also expanding our market reach," he said. That's something echoed by Jaguar executives, who are preparing to launch the brand's first crossover, the F-Pace, in 2016.

Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.