2014 Cadillac Cts Luxury on 2040-cars

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GM CEO Akerson calls out Tesla, says Cadillac will compete on EVs

Cadillac will be taking on Tesla Motors, the underdog EV manufacturer that's seen heaps of critical acclaim and stock market buzz with its most recent sedan, the Model S. "If you want to compete head-to-head with Tesla, and we ultimately will, you want to do it with a Cadillac," Dan Akerson, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, told media in Washington, according to The Detroit News.
Akerson continued, telling The News, "We'll sell more Volts and lose less money on the Volts than they'll lose on the Model S." He also took time to point out that Tesla getting vehicles out to customers isn't a guarantee of success or permanence, using Fisker as an example, saying "Does anybody even remember Fisker? I mean, there were a number of them; they are all gone."
This strong talk from Akerson comes after Doug Parks, another GM exec, let slip that the Detroit-based manufacturer has an EV in the works that will cover 200 miles per charge and only cost about $30,000, a massive upgrade over similarly priced EVs that struggle to top 100 miles per charge. Until that vehicle arrives, though, GM is preparing the Cadillac ELR, a small coupe that, like the Volt with which it shares technology, uses a gas engine as a mobile generator to recharge the batteries. Akerson took aim at Tesla again, saying, "But I do think when the ELR comes out late this year, early next - it's certainly the same postal code as Tesla, but now we're going to move up. It's not going to be a mass-produced car."

Hear the new Cadillac CTS-V torture some tires

The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V seems like the type of wonderful gift that Santa might cook up in his workshop for one extraordinarily good boy or girl. However, the first chance for most people to actually see the super sedan and its carbon fiber pieces in real life is at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January. As a stocking stuffer until then, Caddy has released this video highlighting the latest V-Series roasting its tires better than any dinner for the holidays. With the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 nestled into the CTS-V's engine bay, the Cadillac certainly has quite a bark coming from its exhaust. The mill might be detuned slightly from the 'Vette to 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque, but that's still plenty for this smoky application. Enjoy this tease of the future V-Series, ahead of the Detroit show. Related Gallery 2016 Cadillac CTS-V View 15 Photos News Source: Cadillac via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images copyright Cadillac Cadillac GM Luxury Performance Videos Sedan

Cadillac's 560 remaining dealers ready to take on Tesla

DETROIT — General Motors' Cadillac brand is gearing up to challenge Tesla and other rivals in the luxury electric vehicle market with a new electric utility vehicle and nearly 40% fewer U.S. dealers than it had in 2018, the brand's global chief told Reuters. Cadillac has largely completed a restructuring of its U.S. dealer network and expects to have 560 dealers by the end of this year, compared with about 920 three years ago, said Rory Harvey, head of the global Cadillac brand. GM has booked a total of $274 million in costs during 2020 and 2021 related to the effort to buy out Cadillac dealers who were not prepared to invest $200,000 to $500,000 per store in the equipment and training to support the brand's shift to an all-electric vehicle lineup, planned by 2030. Cadillac will still have more U.S. dealers than other established luxury brands, and has opened new showrooms in New York City, Beverly Hills, San Francisco and Atlanta. The marque's largest market is China, and there it has not had to restructure retail operations, Harvey said. Cadillac's sales in China were up 20% for the first nine months of the year to nearly 181,000 vehicles. In the United States, Cadillac has sold nearly 96,000 vehicles for the year through Sept. 30, up 11%. Electric vehicle leader Tesla has no franchised dealers and sells cars directly to customers. Other EV startups such as Lucid and Rivian are selling vehicles online. Cadillac has a virtual showroom called Cadillac Live, and Harvey said inquiries through the online showroom are rising. But Cadillac will continue to sell and service vehicles through dealers. Next summer, Cadillac plans to launch the first of a wave of electric vehicles, starting with a compact utility vehicle called the Lyriq. Harvey said Cadillac has received expressions of interest in the Lyriq from 216,000 people. "It far exceeded our expectations," he said. How many of those "handraisers" will turn into buyers will be key for Cadillac. Harvey said about 10% to 15% of people who show interest in an internal combustion vehicle ultimately buy one. Related video: