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2020 Cadillac XT6 earns IIHS Top Safety Pick award

The 2020 Cadillac XT6 luxury three-row crossover has proven to be plenty competent on the road, and now it turns out to have impressive performance in crash tests. The IIHS recently tested the big Caddy and gave it a Top Safety Pick award. It just missed out on the highest Top Safety Pick + rating because of headlight performance. In every single crash test, the XT6 earned the highest "Good" rating for passenger protection. Both the standard and optional forward collision prevention systems also received the highest "Superior" ratings, and they were both able to bring the car to a stop before colliding with another vehicle at speeds up to 25 mph. The one area it didn't earn top marks was with headlights, which were rated "Acceptable," the second-highest score. Though it doesn't factor into the Top Safety Pick criteria, the IIHS also rated the child seat LATCH anchor access "Acceptable." Among three-row luxury crossovers, there are three others that have the Top Safety Pick rating: the Infiniti QX60, Lexus RX and Volvo XC90. Only one crossover in this segment has the highest Top Safety Pick + rating, and that's the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class.

2021 Cadillac Escalade price increases take starting price to $77,490

Update: This story has been updated with official pricing from Cadillac that includes the destination charge and pricing for the long wheelbase ESV model. The modified story continues below. As the 2021 Cadillac Escalade prepares behind-the-scenes for duty in front of real-life red carpets, more information on the brand new fifth-generation SUV bubbles to the surface. GM Authority got its hands on some MSRP figures the other day, but we have the official pricing from Cadillac now. GM kept pricing of the other full-sized SUV family — the Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon — unchanged or close to the outgoing models. Escalade intenders will be happy to know the same goes here, the 2021 example priced at $77,490 after a $1,295 destination charge is added in, only $1,000 more that the soon-to-be retired 2020 Escalade for a fancier cabin and lots of new tech inside and out. Cadillac reworked the trim walk for 2021 to its Y-trim configuration, splitting into Luxury and Sport models above the base trim. There were four options in 2020, not including all-wheel-drive versions: Base, Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum. There are five for the new year: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury Platinum, and Sport Platinum. The switcheroo makes it hard to compare all but the bottom and top trims, but the price walk for rear-wheel-drive versions goes: Luxury: $77,490 Premium Luxury: $84,290 Sport: $86,890 Premium Luxury Platinum: $101,290 Sport Luxury Platinum: $101,290  Add $3,000 to any of those trim prices, and you'll have the corresponding long wheelbase ESV price. Four wheel drive is a similar $3,000 charge on any trim. That means the base price on the top trim Escalade ESV with four-wheel drive is $107,290. The 2021 Platinum models are $7,700 more than the 2020 Escalade Platinum. The standard engine is the 6.2-liter V8, shifting through a 10-speed transmission. And the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel is a no-cost option, so take your pick. Customers could end up waiting for the Escalade as well, depending on when every kind of manufacturing can restart in earnest to serve the Arlington, Texas, plant all the parts it needs to build the new SUV. Related Video:      

Weekly Recap: Ford GT inspires guitar, foosball table, sailboat

Ford design vice president Moray Callum had just wrapped up a briefing on the interior of the Ford GT last month, but something seemed out of place. He grinned and pointed behind him, "You might be wondering why I have a boat behind me," he said mischievously. It was there because Ford set its designers on a mission to stretch and showcase their talents: design non-automotive objects inspired by the interior of the GT supercar. Callum received quite a response, too. His team produced a guitar, a foosball table (yeah bro!), a racing sailboat, a Wi-Fi speaker and some furniture. As the veteran design chief explained, "It's a really great exercise both to highlight our designers' talents, but also to really see how our design philosophy can work and how you can use it and get a common response back from a worldwide design team." Guitar View 25 Photos The objects have been on display this week at the Salone del Mobile furniture and fashion design fair in Milan, Italy, where Ford has had a presence for three years. There's also a light exhibition that apparently was inspired by the GT, as well. While this might seem a little far-fetched for the automaker, Ford said exhibitions like the Salone del Mobile give its designers another way to be creative and ultimately produce striking interior style. Ford wants this to be a differentiator, as research shows consumers are placing emphasis on the layout and features inside when they're making a decision about buying a new car. It's a little light hearted – but it's also potentially big business. Other News & Notes Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for Buick General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said the Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for a large Buick, though "not yet," Automotive News reported. The underpinnings can accommodate rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and would give Buick the large flagship it lacks. The report jibes with comments Reuss made at a roundtable with Autoblog and other reporters at the New York Auto Show. When asked if Buick had space for a large car on the CT6 chassis, he replied, "Yeah, I think it does. Yeah, I think we do." Buick has revamped its lineup in recent years with attractive crossovers and small and midsize sedans, but hasn't added the proverbial flagship that's yearned for by enthusiasts. Buick surprised industry observers with the stylish Avenir concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year that raised the possibility of a halo sedan.