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Ghostbusters director tweets first photos of new Ecto-1

Ghostbusters is heading back to theaters next year with a new look. Rather than bringing back the original's aging comedic actors, four actresses are taking over the starring roles, including Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Although, one of the movie's major highlights is missing from that list – the Ecto-1. Originally based on a 1959 Cadillac ambulance, we're now getting the first glimpses of the decked-out, ghost-hunting wagon from the new version thanks to director Paul Feig on Twitter. Purists might like that the Ghostbusters are sticking with a Caddy, but the producers are going for a slightly newer, more macabre approach, as well. Rather than an ambulance conversion, the latest one starts as a hearse. Feig also has his Twitter profile picture of a ghost taking over as the hood ornament, and he even tweeted a shot of the rear. @szewcik_james Okay. pic.twitter.com/sHkx1Soj6p — Paul Feig (@paulfeig) July 8, 2015 Being the Internet, Feig is being deluged both with hyperbolic vitriol for changing things, and praise for the switch. He has politely tweeted about the situation. Not blocking or deleting. I hear you all and appreciate all your input, good or bad. Thanks. https://t.co/pxZsWGeNyL — Paul Feig (@paulfeig) July 8, 2015 Keep in mind this Caddy hearse is about as old today as the original Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters' release in 1984. Having the ladies driving a '50s Caddy might stretch the imagination too far even in a movie about fighting the undead. This approach seems like a perfect compromise between old and new.

2020 Cadillac XT5 leaks onto web, adopts elements from smaller XT4

Cadillac just showed the new XT6 at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, but today's news covers its smaller brother the XT5. A couple of leaked images on GM Authority along with information about the cars squirmed its way onto the web for the 2020 mid-cycle refresh, and we have the details for you. In looking at the shots here, not much has changed. The mesh grille is the most obvious update, adopting the same look as the compact XT4 crossover. Its lower grille has ever-so-slightly grown in size, and the headlights and taillights get new internal LED designs. Yawn. Better news comes out of the powertrain side. Information from the leak suggests GM's updated 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder will be tapped for duty. As of now, the 2.0-liter offered in international markets has not been an option in the U.S. That could very well change this time around, since it's already being used in one Cadillac — see our first drive of the XT4 with this engine for the full breakdown on its improved refinement and efficiency. The 3.6-liter V6 will undoubtedly carry over, but it'll be getting the GM nine-speed automatic also paired to the new four-cylinder. This should be a marked improvement over the Aisin-based eight-speed torque converter it makes do with now. We weren't exactly blown away by the Cadillac XT6's interior, but expect styling elements from the slightly newer Caddy SUV to make its way to the XT5, too. A reveal for this updated crossover should be on its way soon, as GM will most likely be selling the updated 2020 XT5 before the year is done. We asked GM if it could confirm or deny any of the information in this report, and will update when we hear back. Related video:

GM will likely build PHEV batteries in China soon

It's a big week for batteries. Friday, Tesla will hold a big event at its Gigafactory in Reno, NV. But even in Michigan, there are things happening on the electrified automotive front. This was proven when GM invited journalists to its Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant today, highlighting the six different battery packs it makes for nine vehicles around the world (plus a tenth, coming to Asia, that has not yet been announced). During our tour, we learned a few interesting tidbits that we thought readers would like to hear: The Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid launches in China this fall before coming to the US next year. GM builds the battery packs in Michigan and ships them to China for final assembly in the PHEV. For now, this is all fine for GM to qualify for China's incentives for building green cars in the country. But, as Bill Wallace, GM's director of global battery systems, told AutoblogGreen, this could change thanks to the country's 'Made in China 2025' plan. The situation is "evolving," he said, and it's a safe assumption that GM will need to build packs in China some day. For the CT6 PHEVs that will be sold in the US, the batteries will make a round trip, since GM will only build the plug-in version in China. As for the range of the CT6 PHEV, that hasn't been announced, but since China offers incentives for vehicles that get at least 50 kilometers (31 miles), that's a likely target (the US range (UPDATE: GM did announce an expected range for the CT6 PHEV in the US at the LA Auto Show last fall, saying it would "travel approximately 30 miles on a full electric charge"). The battery pack in the CT6 is also a clunky box-type thing, totally unlike the near-elegant T-shape used in the Volt. This despite the fact that the guts of the two packs are similar. Both have 192 li-ion cells and weigh almost the same, but GM tuned the CT6 pack for acceleration instead of range, the way it did with the Volt's pack. Still, the main reason the packs are different is because the CT6 is a rear-wheel drive vehicle, and the tunnel that the Volt's pack uses is occupied by the driveshaft. Despite the highly touted second-gen Chevy Volt going on sale last year, GM still has the capacity to build battery packs for the old, first-gen model. This is because the company is legally required to be able to provide replacement packs for warrantied vehicles (for up to 10 years), and the second-gen packs don't fit into the first-gen vehicles.