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Opel director Sedran to succeed Docherty as Chevy Europe boss

When longtime General Motors executive Susan Docherty announced she would be stepping down from her post as the head of Chevrolet and Cadillac in Europe, there was some idle chatter that plans for the creation of a new global overseer position for the Bowtie brand was behind the move. And while US sales chief Alan Batey has indeed assumed control of Chevy worldwide since her departure announcement, Docherty's vacancy is being filled after all, with Opel chief strategist Thomas Sedran taking up the reins.
That's according to Automotive News, who reports that Sedran will be tasked with pulling Chevy out of a sales funk, much of it pegged on Europe's stagnant auto industry, which has sunk to a 20-year low. AN notes that Chevy's EU sales plunged 32 percent to 57,584 units through the first five months of 2013, but the everyday value brand is faring worlds better than Cadillac, which has sold just 167 units in Europe over the same time period.
Sedran, 48, has been in the auto industry for over 20 years. Most recently, at Opel he had been working on long-term plans for the marque, and was appointed to the brand's management board in April of last year. Prior to joining GM, Sedran was employed as a management consultant for AlixPartners, where he worked closely with Opel for six years. Sedran will assume his new duties beginning July 1.

2021 Cadillac Escalade to have a massive 38-inch curved OLED display

The redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade is going to be revealed Feb. 4, and it’s going to have a huge screen. Cadillac released a video teaser today showing the enormous display — watch it above. This screen is a curved OLED display that measures 38 inches from corner-to-corner. The exact resolution wasnÂ’t revealed, but Cadillac claims the pixel density is twice that of a 4K television. That particular stat is also rather nebulous, as the pixel density of a 4K TV varies with the TVÂ’s size. Regardless, itÂ’s safe to say that the screen is going to be very sharp and look fantastic. CadillacÂ’s use of an OLED screen will ensure it has spectacular color representation and the best blacks that a screen is capable of. Smartphones with OLED displays typically offer a better experience than those with LCD displays, and we can hope the same is true for this Cadillac display. On top of it being a huge screen, Cadillac also says itÂ’s the “first curved OLED” in the industry. Most infotainment screens in cars these days are flat displays, but Cadillac appears to be sticking its best tech foot forward with this curved screen. Other details worth noting in this teaser is the obvious presence of Super Cruise. The green light stretches across the steering wheel, indicating that the new Escalade will definitely offer the semi-autonomous driving technology. The rest of the interior is difficult to make out, but there appears to be a row of shiny buttons below the screen. Below this we can see what might be the top of the gear lever sticking up. ItÂ’s tough to know for certain what it is, but itÂ’s similar in size, shape and style to other new Cadillac gear levers. However, both the 2021 Chevy Tahoe and Suburban use push-button shifters. The switch to an actual gear lever would be more consistent with other Cadillacs, but inconsistent with its full-size SUV brethren. We wonÂ’t have terribly long to wait to find out. Cadillac says itÂ’s going to reveal the new Escalade in Los Angeles during Oscars week. Expect some of the big stars to roll up to the red carpet in new Escalades. ItÂ’s hard to think of a better place to show off the chromed-up, shiny new Cadillac. Related Video:      

GM says safety is a reason it's dropping Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

Update: GM sent us a statement as a follow-up to its original comments seen in this post: "We wanted to reach out to clarify that comments about GM's position on phone projection were misrepresented in previous articles and to reinforce our valued partnerships with Apple and Google and each company’s commitment to driver safety. GM's embedded infotainment strategy is driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles." The original story can be read in its entirety below.   General Motors announced its intention to remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality from its upcoming EVs earlier this year, and internet comments sections haven't been kind since. As the first of many EVs to follow – the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV – hits the market, GM is expanding on its initial explanations for dropping the tech. Motor Trend spoke with Tim Babbit, GMÂ’s head of product for infotainment, to learn more. Attributed to Babbit, from the story: “They have stability issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections. And when CarPlay and Android Auto have issues, drivers pick up their phones again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the purpose of these phone-mirroring programs. Solving those issues can sometimes be beyond the control of the automaker.” Babbit suggests that a world without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto will be a safer one, as folks wonÂ’t be looking to control their infotainment systems via their phones. However, Babbit also tells MT that this theory hasnÂ’t been tested in either the lab or the real world yet. Instead of using a navigation or music-playing app powered through your phone, upcoming GM EVs will use a Google-based infotainment system called “Ultifi” that runs a ton of integrated Google apps. Google Maps will be the native navigation app in the system; youÂ’ll be able to log in to Spotify or other apps to load your music up, and so on. The idea here is that youÂ’ll have all the same apps that were on your phone available but integrated within the infotainment system instead, and you'll be able to use voice controls to control every last bit of it with no need to reach for a phone. That sounds amenable in theory, but how consumers react to the removal of a feature that they know and love now is a risky gamble.