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2014 Cadillac CTS configurator open for business

Cadillac has just set the new configurator for the redesigned, 2014 CTS live. While we've already tested out the new CTS, this is our first chance to play with all the interior and exterior color options and to get a fair idea of the price. The new CTS covers a broad swath from the $46,025 base model, with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, to the $59,995 VSport, complete with its brawny, 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6.
It doesn't take much to send the CTS's price up from there, though. Opt for the VSport Premium trim, and the price immediately jumps $10,000. Opting for one of the premium paint colors is all that's needed to nudge the CTS past $70,000. For reference, a 556-horsepower CTS-V (previous-generation, naturally) starts at $64,515.
Click over and have a look at the configurator for yourself.

Book by Cadillac subscription service returns next year

Cadillac rolled out its subscription service Book by Cadillac at the beginning of 2017. On December 1, 2018, the automaker put the service on hiatus after having made a few revisions and learned a lot of lessons. Just a month later, brand president Steve Carlisle told GM Authority at this year's Detroit Auto Show that Book was definitely returning. A week after that, GM chief financial officer Deborah Wahl said Book 2.0 could be ready as soon as Q2 this year. It's taken a touch longer than expected to sort out the kinks, but Automotive News reports Wahl told an audience at the J.D. Power/NADA AutoConference L.A. that the real return happens in the first quarter of 2020.  When Book went on hiatus last year, the service charged $1,800 per month for insurance, maintenance, unlimited miles, the ability to swap into any Cadillac at will, and concierge-like vehicle delivery to your location with amenities like bottled water, umbrellas, and detailing. Good things came of it for the brand, such as the 70% of subscribers who'd never owned a Cadillac. Yet the drawbacks were too much. At one point, the carmaker said Book's halt was due to technical issues like "snags with the back-end technology used to support the service" that hampered customer service and increased costs. Cadillac managed the Book's fleet, as opposed to the dealers, and consumer choice — or a lack of it — played a role in the hiatus. In Carlisle's comments to GMA, he said that subscribers didn't swap out vehicles nearly as much as expected. Even though everything up to the full-fat V-Series models was in the catalogue, Carlisle said of the customers, "They wanted an XT5." The devotion to that one product changed the economics. "Are [subscribers] going to stay in that service if thatÂ’s what they realize they want?" he asked. "It is inherent in that model that we maintain more than one car per customer. And you got to think through the economic implications of that. Particularly if utilization is a lot lower than we thought because people are switching less than we thought." Wahl didn't offer any specifics on how Book 2.0 will differ from Book 1.0, only saying that there will be more "convenience, flexibility and value for potential subscribers." There will be less focus on swapping cars, and Cadillac will "base it off the dealer network." Since the brand's 900 U.S. dealers have the inventory, anyway, that should help both parties.

Hotter Cadillac CT5-V and CT4-V spy photos, video hint at engines

Cadillac has some extra spicy V cars on the way, and this latest batch of spy photos and videos is more revealing than anything we’ve seen yet. We donÂ’t yet know the final name of these Cadillac V cars, but they are supposed to be the true replacements for the CTS-V and ATS-V. The CT4-V and CT5-V we saw previously are only mild performance variants of the regular sedans. Diving into the video seems more important than the photos on this one. Our spy shooters managed to capture great audio that allows us to take some guesses at whatÂ’s under the hood of these cars. The CT5-Vs in black and white camouflage sound like they have some gnarly V8s under their skin. We canÂ’t pick up a supercharger whine or a turbocharger whistling away, but weÂ’re not going to rule out the former. The CTS-V has a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that makes 640 horsepower, and it wouldnÂ’t be out of the question to see this car rival it in power. We still havenÂ’t heard the CT6-V at full song, but the engine weÂ’re listening to here just doesnÂ’t strike us as the sound of a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 in that car. It sounds a lot more guttural, like the LT4 or LT5 V8 engines. Also, none of the CT5-Vs here sounded like they had manual transmissions. CT4-V spied View 40 Photos Moving to the CT4-V in the blue getup, it sounds a lot like a V6 is under the hood. This also makes sense when we consider that the ATS-V had a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 itself. Most important of all to note, is the evidence of a manual transmission. In one of the acceleration clips, weÂ’re able to hear the tell-tale sound of a driver pausing in acceleration for a split second to change gears. This is great news, folks. The manual is looking alive and well in the Cadillac sedan to us. Another clip of a CT4-V in black and white camouflage makes it sound like that particular model is equipped with an automatic transmission, indicating that Cadillac may be offering both transmission options on the new car. As for the rest of the photos, go ahead and take in all the close-up details. We got photos of the tires on the CT4-V, showing 255/35/ZR18s up front and 275/35/ZR18s in back. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S rubber is used, telling us this thing is going to have a ton of grip. There are more vents, wider fenders and more aggressive styling throughout on these cars compared to the lower-performance V cars. Now that weÂ’re looking at them from much closer than before, the package is looking even more comprehensive.