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Cadillac to add small sedan, crossover as part of major product blitz

Cadillac will add a small sedan and a compact crossover to its lineup in the next several years as part of an ambitious product blitz that will remake its lineup. The sedan will slot below the ATS, which is currently Cadillac's smallest four-door car. It's scheduled to arrive in 2017, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen told Autoblog at the Detroit Auto Show. The sedan will be followed late that year or in early 2018 by a compact crossover, which will be positioned below the SRX. The crucial redesign of the SRX – Cadillac's top seller – arrives in 2016. It will switch to the brand's new naming system and change to an "XT" prefix followed by a number. The naming scheme debuts on the CT6, which launches in late 2015 and will be positioned above the CTS and XTS sedans. Cadillac also wants to add another crossover that sits between the SRX and its flagship SUV, the Escalade, at some point. Further out, Cadillac's long-awaited Mercedes-Benz S-Class fighter could arrive around 2020, and it would serve as the flagship or "showcase of the brand," de Nysschen said. Cadillac is also looking to expand its powertrain portfolio and is contemplating a wide range of options, including hybrids, plug-in electric vehicles and diesel engines. The new cars and crossovers are part of a $12-billion investment in Cadillac, which de Nysschen described as "an unheard level of capital" from General Motors. In total, the brand will receive eight new products through 2020. "Our product offensive will provide the substance for our ambitions," he said. De Nysschen has set high goals – and made major changes – at Cadillac since he took over the 113-year-old luxury brand in September. The brand moves to a separate headquarters in New York this year, away from GM's base in Detroit, and it has switched advertising agencies in a bid to elevate its image. Cadillac's sales declined 6.5 percent in the United States in 2014 to 170,750 units, and it has the smallest volume of GM's four brands. "Here in the US we continue to make progress, but we also face challenges," de Nysschen said. He added the brand's lineup "clearly limits our growth opportunities in the US market." Still, de Nysschen is taking the long view for Cadillac, noting it took years to turn around Audi, where he was president of its US operations for eight years. Cadillac's global sales have inched up five percent globally this year, spurred by a 47-percent surge in China.

Recharge Wrap-up: Lyft partners with Didi Kuaidi, Cadillac uses ultracapacitors

Lyft and Chinese on-demand transportation venture Didi Kuaidi have announced a partnership. Additionally, Didi Kuaidi is investing $100 million in Lyft. The two ridesharing companies will share technology and provide interoperability between platforms. For users, this means it will be easier to get around when traveling between the US and China. "In today's rideshare environment, where every region presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, partnering with the homegrown leader is the winning approach to Chinese expansion," says Lyft President and co-founder John Zimmer. Learn more in the video above, and in the press release below. Car2go has announced service in Miami Beach, FL. Beginning October 1, the one-way carsharing service will expand its boundaries beyond its current Miami service area to include neighboring Miami Beach. "We're thrilled to see car2go expand to Miami Beach," says Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. "Miami Beach residents and visitors are increasingly seeking new, environmentally conscious options to move around North, Middle, and South Beach, and carsharing is an important part of realizing that vision." Read more from Car2go. ClipperCreek has added the HCS-30 EVSE to its product line. The 24-amp, 240-volt Level 2 charging station is designed for residential and workplace duty. It allows for faster charging without the customer having to upgrade their electrical service panel. Delivering about 20 miles of range per hour of charging, the HCS-30 EVSE can charge most EVs in about four hours. Pricing begins at $565. Read more from ClipperCreek. Cadillac will use ultracapacitors in its stop-start systems for 2016. Rather than relying on battery power to run electrical systems while the engine is not running, the utracapacitors can provide a stable flow of energy without losing lifespan to repeated cycling. Supplied by Maxwell Technologies, the ultracapacitors are also lighter than batteries and, according to Cadillac, provide smoother restarts. The 2016 models to use the updated stop-start technology as standard will be the ATS and CTS, with the exception of the V performance variants. Read more at Green Car Reports. Lyft and Didi Kuaidi Announce Strategic Partnership, Building Toward a Collaborative Global Ridesharing Alliance - Didi Kuaidi Invests $100 million in Lyft - Companies Introduce Ridesharing Coverage Between the U.S.

de Nysschen pushes to separate Cadillac, GM

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen continues his push to separate his brand from General Motors. After controversially picking up shop and moving to New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood, de Nysschen has now gone on record as saying that within two years, the brand will enjoy "a far higher degree of autonomy and self sufficiency." That autonomy will include the brand reporting its own financial results, independent of GM. But what would such a move do for Cadillac? Well, as de Nysschen explained it to Automotive News, "Cadillac at this state makes a very sizeable contribution to the overall profit at General Motors." If that's truly the case, separating financial announcements serves to emphasize the prosperous character de Nysschen seems so keen on attaching to his brand. But that's only one phase of Cadillac's push to distance itself from GM. De Nysschen is eager to revamp the company's dealership model so that it stands out from other GM brands, calling it a "very profound focus." Those moves, according to AN, including a change to the current dealer incentive model with a particular emphasis on building the brand rather than nailing sales figures. "If you aren't strengthening the brand perception, you should have less reward," de Nysschen told AN. While his goals seem clear, de Nysschen's statements have left us wondering whether they're also somewhat counterintuitive. Emphasizing Caddy's prosperity to potential consumers while incentivizing dealers to move less metal seems more like a tactical move rather than a strategic one. And there's no telling how the new dealership model will impact de Nysschen's goal to hit 500,000 global sales by 2020. Related Video: