1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz on 2040-cars

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2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will get carbon fiber seat backs

Cadillac is putting the finishing touches on the 2022 CT5-V Blackwing, the high-performance sedan that will pick up where the CTS-V left off. It announced the model will be available with carbon fiber front seat backs. Presumably found on the list of extra-cost options, the weight-saving carbon fiber seat backs will stand out with a book-matched design and a laser-etched V-Series logo that will remind the passengers sitting in the back that they're not riding in a regular CT5-V. Interestingly, Cadillac noted the seats will also boast "other customer-centric innovations and features" that will be detailed closer to the sedan's on-sale date. Chairs are hardly on the front lines of automotive innovation, so we're looking forward to learning more about what Cadillac has in store. Drivers will have carbon fiber in front of them, too, because the multi-function steering wheel's bottom spokes will be made with the composite material. Cadillac hinted the sedan's top speed will lie in the vicinity of 200 mph. 2021 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing spied View 15 Photos Nearly everything else we know about the CT5-V Blackwing comes from a diverse selection of rumors, industry murmurings, and spy shots. We learned earlier in 2020 that it might receive an updated version of the 6.2-liter V8 that powered its predecessor, not the 4.2-liter Blackwing engine it's named after, and leaked images strongly suggest a manual transmission will be available, though we assume Cadillac will also offer an automatic. It might be a six-speed stick, or Cadillac could use a version of the Chevrolet Corvette's seven-speed manual. Our questions will be answered when the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing finally makes its debut. It's scheduled to go on sale in the summer of 2021, so its unveiling is likely a couple of weeks away, and Cadillac warned availability will be limited. The smaller CT4 which replaced the ATS, is also in line to get the Blackwing treatment.

Luxury car brands scrambling to avoid a blue Christmas

DETROIT — When financial markets surge to new records, sales of luxury cars usually rise, too. Instead, October U.S. auto sales reports on Wednesday showed that a collapse in sales of luxury sedans is accelerating. Consumers have gradually shifted over to luxury sport utility vehicles from sedans in the past decade, but the trend — which has occurred in both the non-luxury and luxury sedan segments of the auto market — was particularly pronounced in October. Sales of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz S-Class, long a global benchmark for large, premium sedans, plunged 49 percent in October, and are down 24.8 percent for the year to date. General Motors' Cadillac brand said it sold just 779 of its CTS sedans in October. Demand for that car, designed to compete with German luxury sedans, is down nearly 33 percent for the year. "There's still a significant portion of the market that wants a car, but I'm sure there were people who preferred a horse to a car at one point." Cadillac's best-selling model this year is the XT5 compact SUV, which has more than doubled sales from a year ago. The shift within the luxury vehicle market away from sedans toward SUVs of all sizes is forcing some of the most prestigious brands to scramble to add SUV models to their lineups or boost SUV production to meet demand. "In the short term, there will be pressure to add (consumer) incentives, cut production or both," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. "And we just don't see an end in sight to this trend." The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trading at all-time highs, usually a good sign for luxury sedans, but as major automakers reported new U.S. vehicle sales for October on Wednesday, sales for passenger cars continued their slide while luxury SUV and crossover sales rose again. According to Kelley Blue Book data, in 2007 luxury sedans made up 7.6 percent of U.S. new vehicle sales, while luxury SUVs made up 4.2 percent. Through September this year, luxury SUVs made up just over 7 percent of the market, compared with 4.9 percent for luxury sedans. In the short term, luxury brands could use holiday season sales promotions to clear slow-selling sedans off dealer lots, analysts said. Toyota's Lexus brand said on Wednesday it will launch its "December to Remember" year-end sales promotion for the 18th straight year.

GM’s Charlie Wilson was right: Stronger regulations can help U.S. automakers

Charlie Wilson had been the president and CEO of General Motors before being nominated to become secretary of defense by Dwight Eisenhower. During his Senate confirmation hearings, he controversially said, "For years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa." And he was right. While car companies aren't necessarily the most progressive when it comes to things that might have the slightest possibility of political blowback, General Motors should be credited for doing something absolutely forthright in this regard with its announcement that it wants the federal U.S. government not to squash the California Air Resources Board's emissions requirements but to actually create a 50-state "National Zero Emissions Vehicle" program that, in the words of Mark Reuss, executive vice president and president, Global Product Group and Cadillac, "will drive the scale and infrastructure investments needed to allow the U.S. to lead the way to a zero emission future." Filing comments to the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks is one thing. But a graphic the company developed for this announcement — shown above — is something else entirely, something that is absolutely credible, creative and clever. There is a photo of a Chevrolet Bolt EV driving along a highway, which seems to be in Marin County (based on the blurred San Francisco skyline in the background). Text on the photo states: "It's Time for American Leadership in Zero Emissions Vehicles." It seems to say, in effect, "If we want to make America great again, then we're going to do it by leading in technology, not by retreating behind weakened regulations." General Motors understands that the auto market is globally competitive, and if U.S.-based companies are going to be in the game, then they'd better be able to out-innovate the companies based elsewhere, where emissions and economy standards are not being weakened. What's good for our country ... Related Video: