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Here is the Cadillac XT6 three-row SUV's interior

The Cadillac XT6 has once again been spotted by one of our spy photographers. Though the outside is still as buttoned-up as ever, our photographer managed to get close enough to see the completely uncovered interior. On the surface it looks more like the interior of the CT6 than the latest Cadillac model, the XT4, which is rather surprising. Specifically, the dashboard layout is nearly identical to the CT6's. It's a wide, sweeping dash, and the mid-section is dominated by a broad piece of trim that appears to be carbon fiber in this model. It likely can be replaced by wood, leather or a variety of other trims. The top part of the center stack is dominated by a large touchscreen with touch buttons surrounding it for driver's aids. Directly underneath are subdued air vents followed by the climate controls. These controls appear to have been lifted straight from the CT6 and feature touch buttons and a trio of toggle switches. The few places the dashboard deviates from the CT6 include how the XT6's fancy trim spans the full width of the dash, rather than giving way to some plain leather on the driver's side. This gives the whole dash a more upscale look. The dash also doesn't try to smash too many different materials and textures into one design. Overall, it all looks attractive enough, though we're a little disappointed to see a lack of physical buttons as we saw in the XT4. That being said, there are XT4-inspired elements in the XT6's interior. Most prominent is the scroll wheel down in the center console. We suspect the infotainment system will be effectively identical, so the wheel will similarly serve as a redundant means of controlling the infotainment system along with the touchscreen, voice commands and wheel controls. The shifter also seems to be the same as the XT4's. The XT6 exterior doesn't really reveal anything new. It still looks angular, and it still looks long enough to have a third row of seats. The introduction of this model will certainly give Cadillac a much more rounded lineup of crossovers from small to large, something the brand sorely needs. Related Video:

About 150 Cadillac dealers would rather leave the brand than sell EVs

Dealerships might hamper GM’s plans to electrify its cars. Wall Street Journal tipsters claim that roughly 150 GM dealerships in the United States have decided to drop the Cadillac brand and accept a buyout (ranging from $300,000 to over $1 million) rather than spend about $200,000 to upgrade the dealerships with charging stations, repair hardware and other equipment needed to sell EVs. Many of these dealerships only sell a few Cadillacs per month versus more for Buick, Chevrolet and GMC, but itÂ’s still a significant blow when GM has 880 Cadillac dealers in the country. Cadillac brand leader Rory Harvey confirmed to the WSJ that GM was offering buyouts, but didnÂ’t say how many dealers took them or how much they were worth. The exodus underscores the challenges for conventional car brands as well as the potential advantages for alternatives like Tesla. As brands like GM are heavily dependent on dealerships, they have to please owners to have a chance of strong sales — and thatÂ’s difficult when theyÂ’re not certain about demand, even without the pandemic. Tesla and other direct-to-customer EV makers arenÂ’t bound by physical stores and already have the infrastructure in place for service centers. Dealers might not have much choice in the future. California is banning sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035, and that will likely force automakers to electrify no matter how dealership owners feel. The buyouts now arenÂ’t necessarily temporary, but we wouldnÂ’t rule out some shops having a change of heart as the effective EV deadline approaches. Related video:

2021 Cadillac Escalade's EPA highway fuel economy is worse than before

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2021 Cadillac Escalade are out, and the news is mostly not good. The redesigned SUV sees slim to no improvement in the Feds' city ratings, and its highway numbers are considerably worse than before. These are estimates for the standard 6.2-liter V8. Figures for the no-cost-optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel six have not been released yet. Specifically, the rear-wheel-drive 2021 Escalade has estimates of 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined. Compared to the outgoing 2020 version, powered by the same 6.2L V8, those numbers represent a 1 mpg improvement in city (the lone piece of good news) but are 3 mpg worse on the highway. With all-wheel drive, the 2021 Escalade can't even get out of the teens, with EPA ratings of 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined. That's the same city rating as before and a 2 mpg decline versus the 2020 model's highway rating. For further comparison, cross-town rival Lincoln's Navigator with its 3.5-liter turbo V6 manages 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway (RWD) and 16/21 with AWD. No one expects an ultra-large, body-on-frame, three-row SUV to achieve Prius-like levels of fuel efficiency, but it's pretty rare these days to see such backsliding with a fresh redesign. Here's hoping the diesel variant will have a happier story to tell. Related Video: