Red Tintcoat 556hp Supercharged V8 Luxury Faster Than M3 Navigation Loaded on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

Cadillac CT4 and CT5 get meaningful updates for 2021

It's common for vehicles to get an update here or there in between full redesigns every five or six years, but the changes being made for the 2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5, each just introduced last year, represent more than just a little nip and tuck. For starters, Cadillac's excellent Super Cruise will show up on the options sheets for the two sedans early next year in Enhanced form with with Lane Change on Demand functionality. Super Cruise will be offered on Premium Luxury and V-Series trims only. As we already knew thanks to early order guides, a new 12-inch digital instrument cluster that features driver-selectable themes is also on the menu for 2021. A traditional Tour theme is probably what most drivers will default to, while a Sport theme will likely include red accents and performance-monitoring readouts and a Stealth theme will offer minimal information and what we'd guess are non-distracting colors. CT4-V and CT5-V models will get an exclusive Track theme. New for the CT5 Sport trim level is a V Performance package that adds upgraded suspension bits, Magnetic Ride Control and a mechanical limited-slip differential. V Performance front brake calipers from Brembo are also optional on Sport models. Additionally, a new Diamond Sky special edition package will be offered on Premium Luxury CT4 and CT5 models, adding interior and exterior styling upgrades along with all-season run-flat tires on unique wheels. The package also gets the aforementioned V Performance brakes. Additional updates include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM with 360L with more than 200 live SiriusXM channels and on-demand programming choices, and a console-mounted rotary infotainment knob that enables left and right clicks to more easily navigate the CUE infotainment system. Buckle to Drive will come enabled from the factory (it can be disabled after purchase) and won't allow the driver to shift into drive unless the seatbelt is buckled. A Teen Driver mode will encourage safe driving from — you guessed it — teens. Forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, automatic emergency braking and the patented haptic Safety Alert Seat are now standard equipment across the board for both sedans. Check out the image gallery above to see many of the updates, including Super Cruise, the digital instrument cluster and the Diamond Sky edition. Related Video:    

Facelifted Cadillac ATS spied completely uncovered

The Cadillac ATS makes for a pretty svelte little coupe, and General Motors appears to know it, because multiple, completely undisguised prototype sedans have been spotted testing wearing what look like many of the forthcoming coupe's body parts.
Not only does it wear at least the outline of the brand's new, broader crest, it has the same front air dam with continuous chrome strip found on the coupe. The only real difference is that it has the somewhat taller side view mirrors from the sedan, rather than the narrower, longer ones from the coupe. Around back, the changes are harder to spot because the test car is outfitted with an unpainted lower bumper. However, it seems to lack the chrome strip that offsets the lower portion of the coupe from the sedan.
The ATS sedan is already a looker, but it is good to see Cadillac is taking a second pass using what it learned on the coupe. There's no word yet on when this revised sedan is going to hit the streets - let alone what changes will take place beneath the skin - but we're thinking it looks about right for 2015.