2011 Cadillac Srx Luxury Collection on 2040-cars

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Driving the C8 Corvette, and previewing GM's electric future | Autoblog Podcast #617

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. First they dive right in to the experience of driving the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette, followed by their review of the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. Then they talk about the week's news, beginning with the whole slew of electric vehicles General Motors surprised us with at its EV Day. Next, they discuss the possibility of Porsche building a hybrid 911, as well as news about Ford's electric Transit van making its way to the U.S.. Last, but not least, they take to the mailbag to help a listener pick his next car in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #617 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Driving the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Driving the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 GM EV Day: Cadillac Celestiq and Lyriq, GMC Hummers and more A hybrid Porsche 911? Ford Transit electric commercial vans coming to U.S. Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Cadillac sells out Lyriq Debut Edition reservations in 10 minutes

Cadillac opened reservations for the 2023 Lyriq Debut Edition electric crossover at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon. Anyone could put down a refundable $100 to reserve a buying slot for Cadillac's limited-run first salvo at the brand's all-EV future. At 4:19 p.m., the automaker tweeted that "every Debut Edition has been reserved." According to GM Vice President Rory Harvey, the process took "just over" 10 minutes. First, we'll say "Congratulations!" to Cadillac. Then we'll say: We have no idea what the news means. See, Cadillac has declined to say how many reservations it made available and how many Debut Editions it's building.  We don't know why the crest and wreath brand is being so coy, but we can imagine at least one reason. GM and Cadillac can attract such wild reactions that unless the Lyriq booked an absurdly large number of reservations in an absurdly short time, both brands were going to get flayed by comparisons to other EV makers. Still, since Cadillac's playing the long game with this entire transition to EVs, we wish it had placed its neck gracefully in the guillotine anyway.  The Lyriq Debut Edition that no one can buy anymore unless reservation holders bow out comes with a 100.4-kWh battery pack, a single e-motor on the rear axle putting out 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque for a range claimed to be "more than 300 miles," a glass roof, 19-speaker AKG audio, heated steering wheel, and 20-inch wheels standard, 22-inchers optional. The only two colors available are Satin Steel Metallic and Stellar Black Metallic. Tech features include adaptive cruise control, HD Surround and Vision recorder, rear camera mirror, and, of course, the 33-inch curved display across the instrument panel. First deliveries for the rakish $59,990 CUV are expected in early 2022. The next order slots will open for standard Lyriq trims in summer 2022. Based on Cadillac's Twitter feed, quite a few internet users wanted to reserve Debut Edition cars but were prevented from doing so. If first reports from the early deliveries are positive, Cadillac might hold onto last weekend's demand until next summer. And not only will the brand have a widely available new vehicle then, it will have a new consumer look. Last year, Cadillac told its dealers what they would need to do with their stores to prepare for the EV era, including spending around $200,000 on EV infrastructure and tools.

GM veteran Bryan Nesbitt tapped to head Buick design

General Motors styling veteran Bryan Nesbitt (pictured above) took over a new role on Monday as executive director of global Buick design and global architectures. Andrew Smith, who previously did that job and also coordinated the look for Cadillac, has remained in charge of the pen at Caddy with this shift. Nesbitt rose to prominence when he designed the Chrysler PT Cruiser, according to Automotive News. He joined GM in 2001 and has been there ever since in multiple high-level roles. In 2007, he was appointed vice president of design for North America and was later briefly general manager of Cadillac in 2009-2010. Nesbitt took over as the vice president of GM's international operations design in China in 2011. This shuffle also moves Ken Parkinson, currently styling boss for Chevrolet trucks, to China as design vice president there. In addition, John Cafaro becomes the person in charge of the look for Chevy globally, rather than previously splitting that role between cars and trucks with Parkinson. GM Global Design Leadership Changes – effective June 1, 2015. Bryan Nesbitt, Design Vice President, GM China will repatriate to North America and assume the position of Executive Director, Global Buick and Global Architectures. He will be located in Warren, MI. Bryan will be the design Champion for Buick in the US and China. Ken Parkinson, Executive Director, Global Chevrolet Trucks and Global Architecture will assume the position of Design Vice President, GM China. He will be based in Shanghai, China. Andrew Smith, Executive Director, Global Cadillac and Buick Design will assume the position of Executive Director, Global Cadillac. He will continue to be the design Champion for the Cadillac brand. In addition, he will continue to lead the Global Color & Trim team. He will be based in Warren, Michigan. John Cafaro, Executive Director, Global Chevrolet Cars will assume the position of Executive Director, Global Chevrolet. He will be the design Champion for Chevrolet. In addition, John will lead the exterior components and accessories team. He will continue to be based in Warren, MI. The roles and responsibilities of Helen Emsley, Mark Adams, Carlos Barba, Clay Dean, Michael Simcoe, and Teckla Rhoades remain the same. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.