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Seventies super-salesman challenges new car-sales record

Some of the fondest memories from my youth were the Sunday afternoons spent walking between rows of new and used cars. This preceded the advent of widely available internet, so the cars didn't sell themselves online: A tentative buyer had to come see the cars in the metal, with old-school salesmen taking well-earned smoke breaks after putting someone behind the wheel of a new Saab 900. All-inclusive subscription services were unheard of. If you open a Guinness records book and look up car salesmen, you'll find Joe Girard. The definitely old-school Detroit salesman regularly sold over 1,000 new cars per year, with a particular high point of 1,425 cars in 1973 guaranteeing him a mention in the Guinness book. To reach that kind of sales figure, you had to be a pretty special salesman, and Girard was. He didn't take breaks unless absolutely necessary, and even his lunch hours were dedicated to selling more cars instead of shooting the breeze with other sales persons. By 1977 he was worn through, having sold over 13,000 cars in his career, and his physique couldn't take it anymore. He's been a motivational speaker since. Now, 44 years later, a Dearborn, Mich., Cadillac and Chevrolet salesman named Ali Reda has reportedly broken Girard's record. The books at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac say Reda sold 1,530 new cars and 52 used cars in 2017, averaging 130 vehicles per month. But after Girard, 89, heard of the sales record, he called his attorney, not letting his record be broken without a fight — or at least an audit. The Dearborn dealer isn't too concerned about Girard's doubts, at least according to Gary Stanford, whose father founded the dealership. "It's very official, trust me," said Stanford to the Detroit Free Press. "Ali is the hardest worker I've ever seen. And if someone doesn't believe the data, well, they're more than welcome to consult with GM. It's all there in black and white." What Girard doesn't get is that Reda was honoring him with the accomplishment. "I read his book, 'How to Sell Anything to Anybody,' and it said it would teach you how to become the best," said Reda, who at age 44 was a newborn when Girard hit his peak. "He's an absolute legend in the industry. Your whole career, you're chasing his name.

2020 Cadillac XT4 Sport Drivers' Notes | Worth a look, or two

The 2020 Cadillac XT4 is Cadillac’s smallest crossover in its burgeoning lineup of SUVs. Most of the attention is on the new Escalade these days, but the XT4 is where someone with a lighter budget might enter the Cadillac brand. Our tester happens to be the Sport model, giving it a distinctive appearance, separate from the Luxury and Premium Luxury trims. This one has a gloss black mesh grille, black trim throughout the exterior and Sport-specific wheels — the others rely much more heavily on chrome. Cadillac stepped it up in the design studio for the XT4, as one of its best qualities is the exterior design. It compares well to other small crossovers and doesn't look like your typical cookie-cutter crossover on the road. ThereÂ’s only one engine available, and itÂ’s a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. When the XT4 came out for the 2019 model year, this engine was brand new. Today, Cadillac is passing it around the lineup to vehicles like the CT5 and CT4. A nine-speed automatic transmission is the only transmission option, as well. Our tester has all-wheel drive, but front-wheel drive is standard on lesser XT4s. There isnÂ’t a whole lot changed for the 2020 model year, but Cadillac did add an “Off Road” mode and made a bunch of safety equipment standard. With our test car being a Sport trim with all-wheel drive equipped, the base price is $42,295, a fair bit greater than the $36,690 standard car. After options, our XT4 totaled $48,310. The most expensive extra is a $1,500 Bose Centerpoint audio system, combined with navigation. An $1,100 Driver Assistance package brought adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking and reverse automatic emergency braking. A Cold Weather package added heated seats all around and a heated steering wheel for $850. Finally, the $470 Driver Awareness package brought automatic high beams and lane-keep assist. Senior Editor, Green John Beltz Snyder: This one grew on me the more I drove it. I was unconvinced for the first part of my drive, but then things started to feel more well-though-out as I used them. For instance, the line of buttons across the center stack looks daunting, until you turn the car on and their labels are illuminated. Then everything is easy to find thanks to the lighting, symmetry and the fact that you only have to look down a single line of buttons rather than hunt around a grid pattern.

Cadillac Lyriq EV debut delayed by Covid-19 virus

The, coronavirus, otherwise dubbed Covid-19, has claimed another large gathering. General Motors canceled the public debut of its coming Cadillac Lyriq crossover, planned for April 2 in Los Angeles, due to fears over the continued spread of the virus. With more than 14 confirmed cases of residents with Covid-19, Los Angeles declared a state of emergency last week. Michael Albano, a communications director at GM, said in an e-mail to The Verge that "Our top priority is the safety of our media guests and employees." At the time of writing there's no word on a potential new date for the reveal for the highly anticipated crossover that GM just announced last week at a private event in Warren, Michigan. However, the automaker provided Autoblog with a statement that read, in part, "Please know we are working to reschedule the reveal as soon as possible." What we know about the Lyriq is just as compelling as what we don't know. There XT5-sized people hauler will be out to dazzle in every way, with a ton of weight on its shoulders — many will be judging GM's and Cadillac's past and claimed preparedness for the future based on this one offering. The Lyriq will be the first GM EV to sit on a new EV architecture the engineers call BEV3 and the marketers call Ultium, with battery capacities up to 200 kWh and a potential range of 400 miles. Speaking of which, GM just applied to trademark the term Tecra with the US Patent and Trademark Office, so we could be in for more information on innovative battery systems in the not-too-distant future. The automaker could forgo a public debut for the time being and opt to livestream the event. Or, who knows, it's possible the Detroit Auto Show just garnered itself a whopping debut for the show's debut event in June; the first rendering of the Lyriq aired at last year's Detroit show. Related Video: