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Book by Cadillac subscription service returns next year

Cadillac rolled out its subscription service Book by Cadillac at the beginning of 2017. On December 1, 2018, the automaker put the service on hiatus after having made a few revisions and learned a lot of lessons. Just a month later, brand president Steve Carlisle told GM Authority at this year's Detroit Auto Show that Book was definitely returning. A week after that, GM chief financial officer Deborah Wahl said Book 2.0 could be ready as soon as Q2 this year. It's taken a touch longer than expected to sort out the kinks, but Automotive News reports Wahl told an audience at the J.D. Power/NADA AutoConference L.A. that the real return happens in the first quarter of 2020.  When Book went on hiatus last year, the service charged $1,800 per month for insurance, maintenance, unlimited miles, the ability to swap into any Cadillac at will, and concierge-like vehicle delivery to your location with amenities like bottled water, umbrellas, and detailing. Good things came of it for the brand, such as the 70% of subscribers who'd never owned a Cadillac. Yet the drawbacks were too much. At one point, the carmaker said Book's halt was due to technical issues like "snags with the back-end technology used to support the service" that hampered customer service and increased costs. Cadillac managed the Book's fleet, as opposed to the dealers, and consumer choice — or a lack of it — played a role in the hiatus. In Carlisle's comments to GMA, he said that subscribers didn't swap out vehicles nearly as much as expected. Even though everything up to the full-fat V-Series models was in the catalogue, Carlisle said of the customers, "They wanted an XT5." The devotion to that one product changed the economics. "Are [subscribers] going to stay in that service if thatÂ’s what they realize they want?" he asked. "It is inherent in that model that we maintain more than one car per customer. And you got to think through the economic implications of that. Particularly if utilization is a lot lower than we thought because people are switching less than we thought." Wahl didn't offer any specifics on how Book 2.0 will differ from Book 1.0, only saying that there will be more "convenience, flexibility and value for potential subscribers." There will be less focus on swapping cars, and Cadillac will "base it off the dealer network." Since the brand's 900 U.S. dealers have the inventory, anyway, that should help both parties.

All-new 2019 Cadillac XT4 crossover debuts in New York

Cadillac spent years and years improving its mainline sedans, the CTS and ATS, turning them into awfully good impressions of BMWs from a few years before. The thing is, great sedans aren't selling, and crossovers sure are. Cadillac's XT5 is the only crossover in the lineup, something that's had American Cadillac dealers gnashing their teeth and wailing — although anyone they can upsell into an Escalade can staunch the bleeding. That brings us to the new XT4, which is smaller than the XT5 but even sharper than its bigger sibling. Let's take a closer look at this new two-row luxury crossover. For one, it's based on what Cadillac calls a unique platform. That may be true, technically, although it's likely related to the Equinox/Terrain on some level. Platforms are becoming quite flexible: Look at Volkswagen's MQB, under everything from Euro hatches smaller than our Golf to the three-row Atlas. Whatever else it is underneath the skin, all XT4s will share one powertrain: the corporate 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. View 14 Photos The engine puts out a healthy 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, putting it just a hair underneath its closest domestic rival, the Lincoln MKC with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost. Of course, the 2.3-liter MKC beats the XT4 handily, but that's another story. Power is produced with the help of a twin-scroll turbocharger. All-wheel drive is available, with a driver-selectable rear axle disconnect to save a small amount of rolling friction. Cadillac estimates it'll be good for 30 MPG on the freeway, but we haven't seen official results to confirm that. A few other changes that'll affect driving: electro-hydraulic brake assist, a first for Cadillac and mainly a fuel-saving measure; and Continuous Damping Control, which alters the damper's valve continuously based on a number of parameters. It's almost certainly used here because it's lighter and less expensive than air suspension or MagneRide, and it is optional on XT4. CDC or no, all XT4s utilize a front strut and five-link rear suspension. All XT4s also ride on 18-inch wheels in various designs. The trim strategy is mildly interesting. The base model is the Luxury, and then you can choose a Sport (black exterior trim, unique wheels) or a Premium Luxury (bright trim and satin-brushed accents). The interior options are suitably upscale and premium, and we'll have more to say about them a little later when we can see this car up close.

GM cancels CES date, possible Cadillac EV crossover unveiling

General Motors is bailing on CES 2020, the big annual consumer technology showcase in Las Vegas, after its plans to showcase an autonomous, electric vehicle were derailed by the 40-day UAW strike this fall. New evidence suggests that vehicle may have been Cadillac’s upcoming EV crossover. MotorTrend got GM to confirm that it was pulling out of CES, which takes place in January, though CEO Mary Barra in an interview said only that the vehicle they had planned to unveil was electric and featured autonomous technology — two key areas where the automaker plans to focus in the future. The automaker said the model simply wasnÂ’t ready. But MT said it then received an invitation from Cruise, GMÂ’s self-driving vehicle subsidiary, to an event later in January in San Francisco. That suggests the automaker could have been planning a different vehicle to show at CES than its self-driving Cruise AV “robotaxi,” which famously features no steering wheel or pedals. Cadillac showed off a digital rendering of a forthcoming unnamed electric crossover in Detroit in January, saying only that it would be available in both two- and all-wheel drive and sold globally. GM has said Cadillac will be its lead brand as GM delves into EV technology. The speculation is that the crossover will also feature CadillacÂ’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driving technology. Whatever the vehicle was, or is, Barra said itÂ’ll be ready for viewing in the first half of 2020. GM has been developing the Chevrolet Bolt-based Cruise AV, a fully autonomous car, alongside its Cruise self-driving technology subsidiary, and building them at Orion Assembly plant near Detroit. It had once planned to debut a fleet of ride-hailing Cruise AV robot axis by the end of this year but realized the timeline was not realistic. Testing of the robot axis continues in San Francisco, Phoenix and Michigan. As for timing on a new timeline for fleets of Cruise AVs to take over the streets, Barra wouldnÂ’t show her hand. “We see a line of sight but weÂ’re not going to put another date out there,” she told MT, adding it was more important to “gain customer trust and usage.” As for Cadillac, any new reveal would likely come after the all-new Escalade SUV in February and amid a product blitz that will see it introduce a new or redesigned model roughly every six months through 2021.