2013 Cadillac Ats 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac Live virtual showroom is open for business in the U.S.

Cadillac launched the streaming showroom known as Cadillac Live in Canada earlier this year. The program places a Cadillac product specialist in an open studio laid out similar to a dealership. Equipped with an iPhone X on an Osmo Mobile gimbal and a Bluetooth headset, the specialist conducts one-way video chats with car buyers shopping for Cadillacs and owners who have questions about their cars. Now Cadillac Live has arrived in the United States. Described as "part personal shopper and part interactive digital showroom," it's aimed at converting luxury shoppers into Wreath and Crest buyers by making the research experience simpler. The automaker says it has data showing that "71% of customers report switching to a competitor’s product after finding their selection process easier." As well as being able to show and demonstrate 10 physical vehicles and their features, product specialists will be able to use a tablet app interface to run through color and accessory options. Shoppers and buyers with questions can reach a Cadillac Live agent from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET on Friday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Calls can be taken on demand or scheduled at the Cadillac Live site, call appointments can be made for times outside of the traditional opening hours, and multiple callers can participate. U.S. customers in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York who like what they discover can automatically be connected to a local dealer to move on to the next phase. And video calls are one-way, so work-from-home types need not worry about broadcasting their coffee-stained "Beast Mode" workwear. 

GM, UAW poaching Nissan workers in Tennessee

General Motors and the United Auto Workers are going on a recruitment drive at the Spring Hill factory in Tennessee, and they're hoping to poach some skilled workers from Nissan's nearby plant in Smyrna, TN. The General and the union even bought a billboard advertising for industrial electricians near the Japanese automaker's facility, according to the Daily News Journal. The reason for the billboard was simple. "GM was short of electricians," said Tim Stannard, the president of the UAW local at Spring Hill, to the Daily News Journal. The factory currently builds the Chevrolet Equinox but has a contract to assemble the next generation of Ecotec engines and the Cadillac XT5, which replaces the SRX. Thanks to the $185-million deal, employment there is expected to double by May 2016, according to Stannard, with roughly 1,800 additional union jobs. Beyond just several billboards, GM has job postings online for the Spring Hill plant looking for workers with specific skills. There has already been some interest in the positions among Nissan employees, Stannard indicated. According to a recent study by the Center for Automotive Research, the average GM worker currently makes $58 an hour, including benefits. Comparatively, Nissan pays an average of $42 an hour with benefits. The General's number could change in the coming weeks because its contract with the UAW is about to expire, and higher wages are among the major negotiating points.

Facelifted Cadillac ATS spied completely uncovered

The Cadillac ATS makes for a pretty svelte little coupe, and General Motors appears to know it, because multiple, completely undisguised prototype sedans have been spotted testing wearing what look like many of the forthcoming coupe's body parts.
Not only does it wear at least the outline of the brand's new, broader crest, it has the same front air dam with continuous chrome strip found on the coupe. The only real difference is that it has the somewhat taller side view mirrors from the sedan, rather than the narrower, longer ones from the coupe. Around back, the changes are harder to spot because the test car is outfitted with an unpainted lower bumper. However, it seems to lack the chrome strip that offsets the lower portion of the coupe from the sedan.
The ATS sedan is already a looker, but it is good to see Cadillac is taking a second pass using what it learned on the coupe. There's no word yet on when this revised sedan is going to hit the streets - let alone what changes will take place beneath the skin - but we're thinking it looks about right for 2015.