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2021 Cadillac XT6 adds 2.0-liter turbo and new base trim in second year

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 has been announced, and the three-row crossover is going through a few notable changes in its second model year. There’s a new base trim and base engine, and Cadillac has added tech features to improve the experience. Starting with the new engine: ItÂ’s the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that was initially introduced in the XT4 as the base motor. Power output is the same as the compact crossover at 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. ItÂ’s paired with the nine-speed automatic transmission and comes with front-wheel drive as standard — all-wheel drive is a $2,000 option. That engine only comes with the new base trim level: Luxury. Every other trim receives the 3.6-liter V6. The new Luxury trim (pictured above) is being added to the lineup as a base model to compliment the Sport and Premium Luxury trims. This will be the cheapest and most basic of the XT6s, but you can still option all-wheel drive. Features include 18-inch wheels, the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, black leatherette seats (heated and powered in front), brushed aluminum trim, tri-zone climate control and a number of other smaller extras along with a suite of driver assistance technologies. Cadillac is also adding wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto to the lineup as standard equipment — they were standard previously but required the traditional wired connection. ThereÂ’s also a new 20-inch wheel for the Sport model, and three new color options: Dark Moon Blue Metallic, Wilder and Infrared Tintcoat. The XT6 LuxuryÂ’s base price is $48,990, including the destination charge. ThatÂ’s a fair cut below the 2021 Premium Luxury ($53,790) and the Sport ($58,190) trims, but you are losing out on the additional equipment and luxury those trims offer. Cadillac says the updated 2021 XT6 will land in dealerships this fall. Related video:

Tesla leads and Infiniti bleeds in Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey

According to Consumer Reports, Tesla owners are more likely to rave about their vehicles than any other brand. And we're not surprised — Tesla has performed very well in past customer satisfaction surveys, despite the fact that the electric cars themselves tend to have more problems than most other automobiles. Second place went to Lincoln, which interestingly had a higher cumulative score than Tesla in individual category measurements like comfort and storage space. Ram, a truck-only brand, rounded out the top three. The consumer-focused magazine bases its owner satisfaction score on responses to a very simple question: Would you buy this exact car again? The higher percentage of owners who answer "definitely yes" to that question, the higher the satisfaction score. Further breakdowns are scored for other parts of the ownership experience, which is why brands that rank poorly in Consumer Reports' own reliability charts — like Tesla and Lincoln, for example — can still earn top marks for satisfaction. The lowest-ranked brands for satisfaction are Cadillac, Nissan and Infiniti. Interestingly, Cadillac performed better than average in Driving and Comfort and middle-of-the-road in the In-Car Electronics and Cabin Storage, but like most other brands, scored poorly in Value. In fact, only Subaru, Mazda and Volkswagen scored better than average in Value. Nissan and especially Infiniti earned comparatively low marks across the board to go along with the bottom-of-the-barrel satisfaction score. Here's the full list of automakers from Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey, ranked in order from best to worst: Tesla Lincoln Ram Chrysler Subaru Hyundai Porsche Dodge Mazda Toyota Kia Mini BMW Ford Audi Honda Volvo Volkswagen Lexus Jeep GMC Chevrolet Mercedes-Benz Buick Cadillac Nissan Infiniti It's worth diving into the individual category scores in addition to the official finishing order for a full look at the results. For instance, despite the fact that automakers like Lincoln and Ford use similar infotainment systems, their In-Car Electronics scores don't quite match up. Also, some automakers have full lineups with multiple cars, trucks and SUVs while others offer just a couple of nameplates. Head on over to Consumer Reports for all the details. Looking for a reliable car, truck or SUV? Check out the top 10 vehicles that owners keep the longest.

Cadillac CT6 production ceases January 2020 as part of D-Ham layoffs

General Motors filed paperwork under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act with Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity this week, detailing events to come at the automaker's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant. Starting February 28, 814 salaried and hourly workers at D-Ham, as its called, will be laid off. The 753 workers represented by the UAW will begin receiving offers in January to relocate to facilities in Michigan and Ohio, or buyout offers. As the 4-million-square-foot plant winds down through April 3 to a skeleton crew, the Cadillac CT6 ceases production in January 2020, and the last Chevrolet Impala comes off the line on February 28. The loss of the CT6 represents the end of Cadillac's latest brief, and highly regarded, adventure into flagship sedans. It might also mean the end of the 4.2-liter Blackwing twin-turbo V8 engine, at least for the moment. Both casualties are calamities. The death of the Impala closes the door on a nameplate in production for 52 years since 1957, having started off as a top-tier trim for the 1958 Bel Air known as the Bel Air Impala, once advertised with the line, "Lets you know you're the boss." As part of the new four-year labor agreement with the UAW, GM is keeping D-Ham open to build a new line of battery-electric vehicles, ultimately investing $3 billion and tripling employment to 2,225 workers when fully operational. The agreement described the coming EV as a "van" that would commence production in late 2021, but various reports say what's actually coming is a range of premium EVs in pickup and SUV bodystyles under the program codename BT1. The easy predictions put an electric GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade among the EV fold, but not until 2023, according to auto industry forecaster LMC Automotive. Before that, LMC claims an electric van will debut in late 2021, along with a battery-powered rebirth of the Hummer brand in pickup and SUV forms, also in late 2021.