2004 Cadillac Escalade Base Sport Utility 4-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac puts on a big performance for the Oscars with 'Rise' campaign

Cadillac skipped the Super Bowl, saving its big play for the 91st Oscars telecast tonight. America's luxury brand has a presence planned for nearly every medium, from television to Twitter to stairstep stories tied into the new commercial campaign. Speaking of which, that campaign is called "Rise," and lauds the "now-complete SUV portfolio" as well as Cadillac's determination to get back to the top. Four new spots will debut: "Rise Above," celebrating the XT6 and the rest of the new range, "Take the Stage," focused on the Escalade, "Make Your Escape," all about the XT4, "Take Flight," for the XT5. The first commercial will be 60 seconds, while the other three are 30-second spots. Cadillac chose Childish Gambino's song "Me and Your Mama" for the campaign soundtrack — it works a lot better than you might guess based on the track name. Beyond that, the Cadillac logo will grace the red carpet, the first time any commercial logo has made a home on the walk of honor. The stairs will be decorated with blue horizontals, inspired by the stair-like pattern of blue in the Cadillac crest. The blue in the carmaker's logo is said to represent "knightly valor" — which, yes, is totally made up, but Cadillac made it up a long time ago, not for this campaign. The real point is that two celebrities in attendance will stand on the steps and present their own stories of rising up. You can check out all the commercials here, watch them unveiled in real time during the Oscars telecast, keep up with what your eleventy hundred Twitter friends think by checking out the hashtag #KeepRising, and finish it off with some time on the Keep Rising microsite.

Cadillac ATS Crimson Sport Edition is here for a limited run

The Cadillac ATS has been a well-received entry into the small sport sedan segment for General Motors' premium brand, but keeping the model fresh is an understandably high priority. A two-door coupe variant is on the way and should help keep interest up, but the line's volume leader is still expected to be the sedan. In order to keep awareness high and sales going, GM will need to lavish a little attention on its four-door, as well. That's where the Crimson Sport Edition comes in.
Crimson Red Metallic paint is the exterior highlight for this special-edition Cadillac, while the interior is complemented with a number of microsuede touchpoints, including the heated steering wheel and shifter. To this point, the car's rich burgundy finish has only been offered on CTS-V Coupe and Sport Wagon models, and brand spokesperson Donny Nordlicht tells Autoblog that this is the first time that the company has offered a microsuede wheel with heat. Four interior trims are also available, although all have been seen previously.
The Crimson Sport will be limited to production this spring, and the trimmings can be added to either the 2.0T Performance or the V6 Premium specifications. Both rear- and all-wheel drive will be available, as well. Prices start at $46,010 for the turbocharged model and $51,010 for the V6 including destination fees, which represents a premium of $2,990 for the extra equipment.

Cadillac will expand its range of high-performance Blackwing models

Cadillac proved the American sport sedan isn't dead when it introduced the Blackwing variants of the CT4-V and the CT5-V (pictured) in February 2021. Launched to denote a short-lived V8 engine, the nameplate will appear on other go-fast members of the company's range in the coming years, but there's at least one model it will steer clear of. "Blackwing is reserved for really the pinnacle, the purest expression of performance and track capability, and that's what it's going to stand for going forward. [The CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing] won’t be the last Blackwing cars that we do, but you wonÂ’t see one on every vehicle. ItÂ’s not appropriate. I couldnÂ’t imagine doing an Escalade-V Blackwing," said Cadillac engineering boss Tony Roma in an interview with enthusiast site GM Authority. His comments are reassuring, because they confirm that Cadillac won't water down the Blackwing badge by putting it on sporty-looking models that are more show than go. What's next remains up in the air. The CT4 and the CT5 are Cadillac's only sedans as of writing, so the next Blackwing-badged model will either be an electric car, a crossover, or both. Regardless, it should arrive as a truly track-capable hot rod developed for hardcore enthusiasts. For others, Roma also suggested more V-badged cars are in the pipeline, though he stopped short of listing the models the emblem will appear on. Demand for quick crossovers is growing steadily in America, so it's not difficult to imagine an XT4-V, for example. And, an unverified report published in February 2021 claims the Escalade's 6.2-liter V8 will soon receive a 200-horsepower bump thanks to a factory-backed, dealer-installed supercharger. If the rumor is accurate, the 600-plus-horse Escalade could be the V-branded model that Roma alluded to in the interview. "The V-Series lineup has expanded," he said. "You're going to see more of that in the future. We're going to do more V-Series. It's important to our brand, and you'll see it on other products." Related video: