2015 Cadillac Escalade Luxury 4wd on 2040-cars

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VW, Rivian, Nissan, BMW, Genesis, Audi and Volvo lose EV tax credits starting tomorrow

The U.S. Treasury said Monday that Volkswagen, BMW, Nissan, Rivian, Hyundai and Volvo electric vehicles will lose access to a $7,500 tax credit under new battery sourcing rules. The Treasury said the new requirements effective Tuesday will also cut by half credits for the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Rear Wheel Drive to $3,750 but other Tesla models will retain the full $7,500 credit. Vehicles losing credits Tuesday are the BMW 330e, BMW X5 xDrive45e, Genesis Electrified GV70, Nissan Leaf , Rivian R1S and R1T, Volkswagen ID.4 as well as the plug-in hybrid electric Audi Q5 TFSI e Quattro and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) electric Volvo S60. The Swedish carmaker is 82%-owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The rules are aimed at weaning the United States off dependence on China for EV battery supply chains and are part of President Joe Biden's effort to make 50% of U.S. new vehicle sales by 2030 EVs or PHEVs. Hyundai said in a statement it was committed to its long-range EV plans and that it "will utilize key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate the transition to electrification." Rivian declined to comment and the other automakers could not immediately be reached for comment. Treasury also disclosed General Motors electric Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV will qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit. GM said earlier it expected at least some of its EVS would qualify for the $7,500 tax credit under the new rules, including the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq and forthcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV SUV and Blazer EV SUV. Treasury said all GM EVs will qualify. Earlier, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis said most of their electric and PHEV models would see tax credits halved to $3,750 on April 18. Treasury confirmed the automakers' calculations. The rules were announced last month and mandated by Congress in August as part of the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA requires 50% of the value of battery components be produced or assembled in North America to qualify for $3,750, and 40% of the value of critical minerals sourced from the United States or a free trade partner for a $3,750 credit. The law required vehicles to be assembled in North America to qualify for any tax credits, which in August eliminated nearly 70% of eligible models and on Jan. 1 new price caps and limits on buyers income took effect.

2021 Cadillac CT4-V Road Test Review | V is for Deja Vu

We now know that the 2021 Cadillac CT4-V is not the performance pinnacle of the line – that would be the 472-horsepower Blackwing. As it is, all the outrage spewed in the direction of Cadillac when it announced the once-great CT4-V was being downgraded to more pedestrian levels was ultimately much ado about nothing. Still, there's a kernel of truth to the notion that the new CT4-V (or CT4 V-Series as it's also known) just doesn't go far enough – or more accurately, the gap between it and the supposedly lesser CT4 Premium Luxury trim is surprisingly small. After driving the CT4 Premium Luxury with the optional 2.7-liter "450T" engine, I wrote here on Autoblog, "It's legitimately fun. You can feel the immense strength of the chassis, as well as the impeccable suspension tuning when hustling the car along. You also just feel things. There seems to be less cushion and fewer 1's and 0's between you and the car compared to other sport sedans like the BMW 3 Series and new Acura TLX. The steering has a lot to do with it: consistently weighted, regardless of drive mode, without too much speed-based adjustment, and genuine feedback filtered through the steering wheel. At the same time, the CT4 seems far more grown up and sophisticated in its engineering than the various front-drivers it competes with on price." After driving the CT4-V five months later, I wrote some notes on my computer. I later discovered they were virtually identical in overall impression to what is pasted above. It was like I had driven the same car twice. The resulting conclusion: I'd really need to exuberantly drive them back to back to notice a difference, especially as both cars had all-wheel drive. Even then, maybe not. It's perfectly plausible that many won't even notice a difference at all.  The all-wheel-drive point is key, however, because it means this CT4-V did not have the rear-drive version's Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 that always does wonders for a car's ride and handling. Maybe it would do so again here, but it's not like the CT4's ride or handling, regardless of flavor, needs much help. Much like the Premium Luxury 450T, the AWD CT4-V's fixed "performance" suspension provides a terrific balance of achieving a fast-attack pace in the mountains while not beating you up everywhere else. It absorbs bumps well and is neither crashy nor harsh. In other words, I didn't miss Magnetic Ride Control.

2022 Cadillac Escalade makes small changes across lineup

Cadillac recently opened up about the changes it's made to the 2022 car and crossover lineup for next year, but has been mum on what's planned for the 2022 Escalade. GM Authority says it has the goods, rounding up a number of trim alterations being made to the big SUV. The fifth-gen 'Slade comes in five trims, from bottom to top: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, Luxury Platinum, and Sport Platinum. Starting with the updates coming across the lineup, two exterior colors retire, Dark Mocha Metallic and Shadow Metallic. They're replaced by three colors, Galactic Gray Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, and Wilder Metallic. The Escalade only offers one free color, Black Raven; all of the Metallics cost $625, and we expect these new ones will, too. Safety is the word for next year's model, with more features going in more vehicles. The entire lineup will get GM's Buckle to Drive feature that's part of the Teen Driver safety suite. Trying to make sure teens get the buckle in the clasp before taking off, if Buckle to Drive is activated, it won't let the vehicle be shifted into drive until the seatbelt is fastened. It starts with a beep and a message in the driver information center once the vehicle is started, and times out after 20 seconds. The last near-term whole-lineup changes are Near Field Communication going away, the tech having been superseded by modern smartphone capability. Finally, Super Cruise will eventually join the Escalade options sheet.  After that, the middle Premium Luxury and Sport trims are the big beneficiaries. In 2021, those two offered adaptive cruise control, automatic seatbelt tightening, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and reverse automatic braking as options. These features will come standard in 2022. Piling in more features necessitated a change to the optional $3,650 Driver Assist Tech Package that's currently offered, because the package includes three of the features that will come standard. Hence, the option's been renamed the Touring Package, and it will include air ride adaptive suspension, front and rear soft-close doors, and illuminated tread plates. Pricing is a mystery right now. The base Luxury trim gets a little attention, making lane keep assist and lane departure warning standard next year. That kit can't be had for any price on the 2021 Escalade.  And in 2023, GM Authority says we should get the hotter and more supercharged Escalade-V.