1976 Cadillac Deville D'elegance Coupe 2-door 8.2l No Reserve Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Johan de Nysschen tells his side of the story

Automobile snagged time with ex-Cadillac, Infiniti, and Volkswagen of America boss Johan de Nysschen. General Motors decided to part ways with de Nysschen on April 18, 2018, after the German spent four years in charge of America's luxury brand. The longtime auto exec is a polarizing figure for enthusiasts, who seem to take a mostly negative view of his work at Infiniti and Cadillac. However, there's no denying de Nysschen is frank, and in the Automobile interview he puts an insider's perspective on a big bag of issues we can only speculate on. One of the biggest bombshells in the interview was that it wasn't de Nysschen's idea to move Cadillac to New York: "When I was recruited, I was informed that the company would relocate to New York," he said. Previous GM CEO Dan Ackerson had made the decision before hiring de Nysschen, then Ackerson let his new hire make the announcement. The big change came only two years after de Nysschen had taken over Infiniti after insisting Nissan's luxury brand move to Hong Kong. De Nysschen explained Cadillac's NYC move with the same rationale as Infiniti's Hong Kong move, so everyone assumed the new guy was doing his usual. He explains in the interview that after the move, "Folks who rooted for Detroit felt betrayed. Cadillac had an enemy." And that became a problem. He has nothing bad to say about GM or Cadillac, believing on the contrary that "GM is in a good position going forward." But he brought clarity to some of Cadillac's struggles. Among the issues was GM's "very vigorous" post-bankruptcy test for green-lighting a project. Another was the lack of specialization for the luxury arm. "Engines were generically developed with the Chevy brand in mind," he said, "and, then, 'Okay, well, yeah, it's good enough for Cadillac.'" That carried over into haphazard technology rollouts. "GM didn't have a specific technology roadmap aligned to particular brands," he said. "The process was, as they were developing new technologies, they would look at what product's launch date would be aligned with the maturation date and market readiness of a technology and go with it, whether Buick, Chevy, or what have you." De Nysschen worked to end such generalized approaches, which is how we get Cadillac taking the GM lead on technology and electrification.

2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV spied uncovered

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade made its big debut a little over a week ago, complete with its fancy interior and displays, but the company has only shown the short-wheelbase model. One of our spy photographers has picked up the slack and caught the long-wheelbase ESV model cruising around southeast Michigan without any camouflage. It's pretty much what you would expect: an Escalade but longer. But it does have a couple subtle differences. Those differences lie in the sides of the Escalade ESV where the length makes some changes. The wheelbase is indeed longer, not just the body, as evidenced by the rear wheels sitting farther back from the edges of the rear doors. Those doors are also a bit longer, so rear seat access should be a little better with this lengthened Escalade. Another change is in the stylized C-pillar. It's a bit more difficult to see since this is a Sport trim with black trim, but the C-pillar is substantially thicker, and the rear edge leans forward more than on the shorter version. This reworked trim probably helps hide the ESV's extra length somewhat. The extra thickness might hinder some rear and side visibility, too. The Escalade ESV will make its formal debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show, and we expect it will go on sale at the end of this year at about the same time as the short-wheelbase version. The extra length will probably also bring a little extra cost to the base price. Pricing for the 2021 Escalade has not yet been announced, though. It will probably be revealed closer to the luxury SUV's on-sale date. Related Video:

Cadillac ATS to go racing in 2015 as CTS.V.R replacement

Cadillac has been racking up victories with the CTS.V.R in Pirelli World Challenge racing for two model generations now, including recent GT class championships in 2012 and 2013. However, even winning racers eventually have to retire, and it looks like the CTS may be taking a bow at the end of the season. In its place, Caddy is reportedly working on a new racecar based on the ATS Coupe, and it might even get to compete internationally.
According to Racer, Pratt & Miller Engineering is leading the development and is already lapping the ATS racecar in Michigan for testing. It reportedly drops the CTS' V8 in favor of a twin-turbocharged V6 powering the rear wheels. Since this is the same team behind the hugely successful Corvette Racing program and the current CTS.V.R, the latest car appears to be in good hands.
The new model would also adhere to GT3 rules, according to Racer, and that might signal a big change for Cadillac's motorsports program. It means that the ATS could be sold to teams in the numerous series around the world that accept these vehicles. That would broaden the luxury coupe's exposure and put it up against GT3 racecars from premium brands, like Bentley, Porsche and McLaren. If it wins, the change could be a marketing bonanza for the brand.