78 Coupe Deville on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Cadillac CT4 Review & Buying Guide | Cadillac recommits to the small sedan

The 2020 Cadillac CT4 is a brand-new entry into the baby luxury sedan space, replacing the ATS. With an excellent rear-wheel-drive chassis and a performance-oriented “V” trim (to be topped by a yet-wilder “Blackwing” model), the CT4 is aimed at the enthusiast end of the segment. Cadillac fields the lone American entry in this class, meaning the CT4Â’s main competitors — the Audi A3, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and the Mercedes-Benz A- and CLA-Classes — are all European. However, since it's a bit bigger than those and features a rear-wheel-drive platform (all-wheel drive is available), it's hardly an apples-to-apples situation. The Genesis G70 is perhaps a closer comparable. In any event, the CT4 is a compelling, American alternative that delivers excellent comfort, interior quality and driving dynamics at a price that strongly challenges the various competitors from Europe. What's new for 2020? The Cadillac CT4 is new for 2020, alongside the bigger CT5. You can check out our first drive of the hot CT4-V model for more on CadillacÂ’s new sedan strategy. 2020 Cadillac CT4 View 4 Photos What's the CT4's interior and in-car technology like? The Cadillac CT4 packs the sort of high-quality materials and convenience features one expects from an entry-level luxury model. The seats are comfortable and supportive, and in higher-end models, the front buckets are offered with heat, ventilation and massage features. The CT4 also boasts what GM calls a “sound-optimized” interior coupled with active noise cancellation and amplification to mitigate unpleasant frequencies and enhance desirable ones. In all, we find the CT4Â’s interior much more compelling than that found in other recent Cadillac products such as the new XT4 crossover. The infotainment system is controlled by an 8-inch touchscreen with an optional rotary-control interface. The base setup includes Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa integration and offers USB Type-A and Type-C connectivity and charging. Upgrades include navigation and multiple Bose audio packages, all of which bring with them wireless device charging. How big is the CT4? Like many of CadillacÂ’s previous sport sedans, the CT4 is a bit of an oddball size-wise for the segment it targets, stretching more than a foot longer than the Audi A3 and nearly 9 inches longer than the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. However, this doesn't translate into a comparable interior space advantage because of the CT4 rear-wheel-drive platform.

Jeff Gordon will come out of retirement to race new Cadillac endurance racecar

Jeff Gordon is not a man who takes well to retirement, apparently. That's not a surprise at all, given that we've been talking about his return to racing since almost the minute he retired in the first place. This year, he's taken the wheel for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who is recovering from a concussion, several times already. So we shouldn't be too surprised to find out he's officially coming out of retirement – the twist is that it won't be in a stock car. Gordon has signed onto Wayne Taylor Racing, Motorsport.com reports, and he'll join Ricky and Jordan Taylor as well as Max Angelelli. Their ride will be the newly-revealed Cadillac DPi-V.R racer, a Dallara-chassis car powered by a 6.2-liter pushrod V8 loosely related, Cadillac claims, to the engine in the current CTS-V. You can read all about the DPi-V.R right over here. Remember, Gordon has a total of 93 NASCAR wins to his name, as well as four titles. He knows his way around Daytona pretty well, too, having won the 500 three times. He's also dabbled in endurance racing once before, in the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona with Taylor, Angelelli and Jan Magnussen in a WTR Riley-Pontiac car. They ended up on the podium, so you can say Gordon's inaugural and only outing in endurance racing so far was a success. It's been a decade, so we'll see if he's rusty, although knowing about how competitive champions are, we think he'll blow out the cobwebs and get right down to work. You can read Gordon's statement over at his personal site. Related Video:

GM struggles to sell small cars, plans to lay off 2,084 employees at two plants

Due to low demand for some of its vehicles, General Motors plans to cut 2,084 jobs at its assembly plants in Lordstown, OH and Lansing, MI. At the same time, the automaker also announced plans to invest approximately $900 million in three of its facilities – the Toledo Transmission Operations in Ohio, Bedford Casting Operations in Indiana, and Lansing Grand River in Michigan - for future products. GM will discontinue the third shift at both the Lansing Grand River plant and the Lordstown, OH plant. The Cadillac ATS, Cadillac CTS, and Chevrolet Camaro are made at the automaker's plant in Michigan, which currently has 2,700 employees. The move to eliminate the third shift affects 810 hourly workers, as well as 29 salaried employees, starting on January 16th. The plant in Lordstown, OH currently has 4,500 employees and makes the Chevrolet Cruze sedan. The plan to discontinue the third shift will affect 43 salaried workers and 1,202 hourly employees and will start on January 23rd. As Fortune points out, sales of the Cruze are down 20 percent through October, while sales of the Cadillac ATS and CTS were down 17 percent through the same period of time. In addition to cutting the third shift at both assembly plants, the automaker plans to invest a total of $900 million between three of its facilities for unnamed future products. GM's Toledo Transmission Operations will receive $667.6 million, the Lansing Grand River Assembly plant will receive $211 million, and the automaker's Bedford Casting Operations will get $37 million. Last year, GM cut roughly 500 jobs from its Orion Township factory due to slow sales of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, with surging crossover and SUV sales as the most likely culprit. With GM posting much healthier sales figures for the Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac XT5 compared to the ATS, CTS, and Cruze, it looks like compact SUVs are to blame for this year's layoffs as well. Related Video: News Source: Fortune, General MotorsImage Credit: REUTERS / Rebecca Cook Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing Cadillac Chevrolet GM Coupe Sedan Lordstown Ohio