2014 Cadillac Xts on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hot Wheels partners with Gucci for a diecast 1982 Cadillac Seville. Wait, what?

Hot Wheels is partnering with Italian fashion brand Gucci for a limited-edition toy car. And not just any toy car, but a 1982 Cadillac Seville. Wait, what? At first this trio of names may seem completely incongruous, but the collaboration is actually brilliant on so many levels. Out of the three, the one readers are probably most familiar with is Hot Wheels. The purveyor of $1 diecast cars has been around since 1968 and started out making 1:64 scale versions of muscle cars, hot rods and sports cars. In the 1980s, though, perhaps reflecting the 1:1 scale American automotive landscape, some of their castings choices began to get weird. Among cars like the Dodge Aires Wagon and Chevy Citation was the US of A's Mercedes-fighter, the bustle-butt '82 Cadillac Seville.  Fast-forward to present day, and Hot Wheels are hot collectibles. The little metal cars aren't just coveted by kids and adult car enthusiasts, but hypebeasts whose entire raison d'etre is to acquire limited edition stuff. Add to that an explosion of quasi-ironic interest in '80s cultural signifiers and you have the perfect market conditions for a $120 toy car printed with the mirrored G logo. But while totally uncool jokers quickly bought out the Hot Wheels and Supreme collab featuring the hypebeast car du jour, the E30 BMW M3, the Gucci Caddy is actually far more clever. That's because there is real-world precedent, when in 1978, a Miami-area dealer partnered with Aldo Gucci to create the "Cadillac Seville designed by Gucci". The car featured the luxury brand's signature green-red-green stripes throughout, a quarter-roof padded vinyl carriage top with the trademark "GG" print, and several real 24K gold emblems that were were quickly stolen. Oh, and it came with a five-piece set of Gucci luggage. However, there was also a lesser-known Gucci Seville in 1984 based on the front-wheel-drive second-generation (the one the Hot Wheels car is based upon). There is far less information on them than on the first-generation, but they seem to have followed a similar formula. Very few seem to have survived in tact, but one did make it overseas and resides today at the Museo Gucci showroom in Florence, Italy. It's pictured above. In any case, Hot Wheels never made a 1976-79 Seville, but the '82 was one of the most memorable castings of the era.

Cadillac could 'flourish' in Australia, says marketing chief

Cadillac might have its best product mix in recent history, and GM's luxury brand is looking to expand. In fact, it might even be making a trip Down Under, at least according to the company's global marketing chief.
Uwe Ellinghaus spoke with Australian site Car Advice at the Geneva Motor Show and said the brand could be quite successful there. "[The] goodwill that the Cadillac brand has is such a good starting base that once we get proper volume commitment and a dealer network behind it we can easily flourish," he said, though he warned that the plans are still in their earliest stages and years away. First, Cadillac will expand in markets with the highest possible sales, like China and Russia.
Ellinghaus said that the most likely models for Oz would be the SRX, Escalade and CTS; the latter would probably act as a replacement for the Holden Commodore. GM's Australian arm is ending local production in 2017, and there have been many rumors about what is happening to the big sedan. However, Ellinghaus admits exporting cars from the US to Australia is going to mean higher prices. In addition to the expense, Cadillac doesn't currently build any right-hand-drive models. It would likely take until the end of the decade before the Aussie models could be ready.

2021 Cadillac CT5 adorned with Diamond Sky Special Edition Package

Among the changes due to appear on the 2021 Cadillac CT5 will be an exclusive Diamond Sky Special Edition Package. We don't have photos of the design theme yet, but Cadillac Society reports that the heaven-hued composition will only be available on the Premium Luxury trim. It starts with Diamond Sky Metallic paint that could provide perfect contrast for the Dark Sky Metallic offered on the GMC Sierra 1500. The CT5 goes all-in with the exterior color, dressing the rocker moldings and rear diffuser in Diamond Sky Metallic, and sitting on 19-inch wheels with a Diamond Cut/Midnight Silver finish. Tucked behind the wheels, buyers will find blue Brembo V Performance brake calipers. And having decided that standard taillamps will detract from the effect, for the first time on a non-V and non-V Sport Cadillac, the special edition CT5 will get clear taillights with a gray-tinted outer lens. The interior fabric comes in Sky Cool Gray with a Diamond Fall seat perforation pattern, offset with Jet Black accents, Galaxy Wood trim, and alloy pedals.  In typical Cadillac fashion, getting the Diamond Sky Special Edition Package will necessitate ordering another package when ordering opens next year. The required Climate Package bundles heated and ventilated driver and front passenger seats and an automatic heated steering wheel, and costs $1,090 in 2020. Elsewhere for the CT5 and the CT4, the next model year delivers a 12-inch customizable digital gauge cluster, plus the option of Super Cruise. Some of the changes already outlined for the 2021 CT5-V are likely headed to the CT5, so in the case of Super Cruise, for instance, checking that option could get real pricey, requiring the $1,300 Driver Awareness Plus Package as well as either the $8,330 Platinum Package or $1,950 Driver Assist Package.  Related Video: