2009 Cadillac Dts on 2040-cars

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Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

The wheel ranks right up there with the telescope and four-slice toaster in the pantheon of inventions that have moved humankind forward. But what if a circle in three dimensions had never occurred to anyone, and we all had just moved on without it? Perhaps we'd be driving around in Lucas Motors Landspeeders with anti-gravity engines. Or maybe we'd have the same cars we do today, just without wheels.
That's the thought experiment that seems to have led French photographer Renaud Marion to create his six-image series called Air Drive. The shots depict cars throughout many eras of motoring that look normal except for one thing: they have no wheels. The models used include a Jaguar XK120, Cadillac DeVille (shown above), Chevrolet El Camino and Camaro, and Mercedes-Benz SL and 300 roadsters.
Perhaps one day when our future becomes our past, you'll be able to walk the street and see with your own eyes the rust and patina of age on our nation's fleet of floating cars. Until then, Monsieur Marion's photographs will have to do.

Cadillac XT5 platform to underpin three-row crossover

Cadillac just launched the XT5 crossover to replace the SRX. But that's only the start. Speaking with Automotive News, Caddy president Johan de Nysschen confirmed that a new three-row crossover is also on the way. The seven-seater is based on a stretched version of the flexible platform underpinning the XT5, which we just drove recently. Taking that approach will give the luxury brand a larger crossover to pit against the likes of the Infiniti QX60, Audi Q7, and Volvo XC90 without having to develop one from scratch. It will also give buyers a more car-like alternative to the larger, truck-based Escalade. "It's one of the benefits of having this very flexible architecture. We can expand it, make it longer and wider. That gives us the ability to develop the car very quickly, as opposed to starting from scratch," de Nysschen told AN. "It's not running yet. It is a program request that we initiated with the engineers only last year. They are working at remarkable, record-breaking speed to get us the car." The new model would likely be called the XT7 and offer similar levels of equipment to the existing, smaller XT5. The existing mid-size model packs a 3.6-liter V6 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and comes in four trim levels. Related Video:

2016 Cadillac CT6 to get an aluminum body?

Well this is interesting: A hot-off-the-press report in Automobile claims the coming Cadillac CT6 will have an aluminum body. Most write-ups on the CT6 claim it will have a body that's a combination of aluminum and high-strength steel - Automobile itself wrote of "high-strength steel, aluminum, and steel stampings" in October. An all-aluminum body would be quite the reversal, contradicting the last four months of reportage and company statements on the matter. Mark Reuss, EVP of global development at General Motors, told The Detroit News in October, "We will create with the CT6, the world's most advanced body structure... [and] it's not aluminum. It's a stronger, smarter, safer premium luxury vehicle." It echoed the earlier Automobile story in saying the CT6 would use GM's "patented welding technology with high-strength steel, aluminum and steel stampings and castings." That same month, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece titled, "GM Won't Follow Aluminum Strategy in Future Cars," in which Reuss said, "making big statements around all carbon fiber, all aluminum, all magnesium, they're very interesting," and that GM wouldn't be doing it. That piece also circled back to a material mix and GM's special welding process, saying the CT6 "will have a body made of aluminum, high-strength steel and other materials, and will be 100 kilograms (220 pounds) lighter than a similar-sized car made of high-strength steel." We don't know what kind of body Cadillac's new assault on luxury is going to wear, but now we can't wait to find out. Featured Gallery Cadillac Elmiraj Sedan: Spy Shots View 22 Photos News Source: AutomobileImage Credit: Chris Doane Automotive Cadillac GM Luxury Sedan aluminum cadillac ct6