2014 Cadillac Ats Standard Rwd on 2040-cars

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Even if GM does close all 5 of those plants, it'll still have too many

DETROIT — General Motors' monumental announcement on Monday that it will close three car assembly plants and two powertrain plants in North America and slash its workforce will only partially close the gap between capacity and demand for the automaker's sedans, according to a Reuters analysis of industry production and capacity data. Sales of traditional passenger cars in North America have been declining for the past six years and are still withering. After GM ends production next year at factories in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, it will still have four U.S. passenger-car plants — all operating at less than 50 percent of rated capacity, according to figures supplied by LMC Automotive. In comparison, Detroit-based rivals Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will have one car plant each in North America after 2019. The Detroit Three are facing rapidly dwindling demand for traditional passenger cars from U.S. consumers, many of whom have shifted to crossovers and trucks. Passenger cars accounted for 48 percent of retail light-vehicle sales in the United States in 2014, according to market researchers at J.D. Power and Associates. This year, sedans will account for less than a third of light vehicle sales. That shift in turn has left most North American car plants operating far below their rated capacities, while many SUV and truck plants are running on overtime. The collapse in passenger-car demand is a challenge for nearly all automakers in the United States, including Japan's Toyota and Honda, which have the top-selling models in the compact and midsize car segments. Toyota executives said last month they are evaluating the company's U.S. model lineup. But Toyota also plans to build compact Corolla sedans at a new $1.6 billion factory it is building in Alabama with partner Mazda. The obstacles facing GM in its plans to close more auto factories became apparent on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block payment of government electric vehicle subsidies to GM. While it is not certain that Trump unilaterally has the power to do that, he made it clear he intends to use his office to pressure the company to keep open a small car plant in Ohio that GM says will stop building vehicles in March.

GM laying off 510 amidst slow Cadillac, small car sales

General Motors is laying off about 510 workers from two factories beginning in January, and it could be months before the automaker needs some of that latent capacity to come back on line. A combination of poor sales and high dealer inventories are prompting the cutbacks, according to Automotive News.
The largest changes come at GM's Lansing Grand River plant, where the Cadillac ATS and CTS are made. An entire shift of about 350 workers is being laid off, but the automaker hopes to find positions for some of them at other nearby factories. The decision leaves just a single shift building vehicles there. According to Automotive News, the move is partially spurred by Johan de Nysschen's plan to make Cadillac a more exclusive brand.
The lost shift will likely return for production of the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro at the plant, according to the report, but GM isn't saying when that will be. A previous announcement from the Canadian Auto Workers union indicated that the Oshawa, Ontario, factory would lose the coupe in late 2015 or early 2016.

2021 Cadillac Escalade makes its grand debut among the stars during Oscars week

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade has arrived in high style in Los Angeles during Oscars week. With no January Detroit Auto Show, there’s no better place for the next generation of CadillacÂ’s iconic luxury SUV to be revealed than star-studded L.A. We got to spend some time in and around the Escalade a couple weeks ago, and now we can finally tell you all about it. As expected, the 2021 Escalade is following in the footsteps of all the other full-size GM SUVs by going with an independent rear suspension setup. Just like the Tahoe and Yukon, Cadillac is also making the next-gen magnetic shocks and new air suspension optional equipment. Engineers told us that thereÂ’s hardly any difference underneath the Escalade versus its platform stablemates, and our early impressions of the ride suggest thatÂ’s perfectly fine. Powering the new Escalade is GMÂ’s trusty 6.2-liter V8 or the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six — both are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.   Related: 2021 Cadillac Escalade vs. 2020 Lincoln Navigator | How they compare on paper 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV will debut at the New York Auto Show   WeÂ’re not surprised to see the oil-burner being offered as an option with the Escalade after itÂ’s been tucked under the hood of the Tahoe and Yukon, but it is a significant addition to the Escalade lineup. GM has never fit a diesel engine to an Escalade before, but engineers tell us that this motor is refined enough for an Escalade buyer. We were surprised by its smoothness in the Silverado, and weÂ’ll wager itÂ’s even more discrete in the luxury SUV. The lovely 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 Blackwing engine was never mentioned in CadillacÂ’s presentation to us. We asked, but thereÂ’s no news to be had on the Blackwing front, as Cadillac shrugged us off. Arguably, the most important aspect of the new Escalade is its interior. When the redesigned Lincoln Navigator came out, it made the aging Escalade look like a boring dinosaur. Cadillac knew this interior had to be extraordinary to compete, and itÂ’s taken an interesting approach.  Do you recall the Cadillac Escala concept? If so, thatÂ’s exactly what Cadillac has done with the EscaladeÂ’s interior. The tri-screen layout of the EscalaÂ’s concept dash has been translated into a final production design, and it looks spectacular in person.