2002 Silver Cadillac Escalade Ext on 2040-cars

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GM announces $7 billion Michigan factory investment, most going to EVs

GM announced a $7 billion investment in Michigan manufacturing, much of which is earmarked for EV production. Four sites are included, but the key elements are a new battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM's existing Orion Township facility to expand production of the forthcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and its GMC Sierra sibling.  GM says it is the largest investment announcement in company history and that it will create 4,000 new jobs. It also says 1,000 jobs will be retained. "We are building on the positive consumer response and reservations for our recent EV launches and debuts, including the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Equinox EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV," said GM CEO Mary Barra.  GM says the Orion expansion and new battery plant will support an increase in full-size electric truck production capacity to 600,000 units. This is in addition to the Factory ZERO facility in Detroit that will also be constructing the electric Silverado and Sierra.  The Orion Township factory current builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV, and will continue to do so during the plant's conversion. GM did not indicate what will happen with the Bolts once that conversion is complete or whether all will continue to be built at Orion. They do not use the Ultium vehicle architecture. GM will build other EV models at three other factories that are under construction or being converted. They are located in Spring Hill, Tennessee, Ingersoll, Ontario, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. GM says that it will have the ability to produce 1 million electric vehicles by 2025. The Ultium Cells Lansing facility is a $2.6 billion joint investment by GM and LG Energy Solution. GM says it alone will create 1,700 jobs once fully operational by late 2024. It will join two other GM Ultium Cells battery factories currently under construction in the United States, one in Ohio and the other in Tennessee.  Not all of the $7 billion investment will be for EVs. It also announced $510 million of the total will go toward upgrading the Lansing Delta Township Assembly to produce the next-generation Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Money will also go to upgrading Lansing Grand River Assembly.

Cadillac considering more engines, Vsport model for Escalade

Want to roll in the latest Cadillac Escalade? You can get it with a 6.2-liter V8... or a 6.2-liter V8. Cadillac only offers the one engine option. But that may soon change.
According to the latest from Automotive News, Cadillac is contemplating a couple of new powertrain options for its blingin' big ute. The report suggests a twin-turbo V6 and a V6 turbodiesel could be offered, and that Cadillac could create a Vsport version of the Escalade like it offers on the new CTS sedan.
The more diverse engine offerings would help attract buyers from the new Lincoln Navigator, its prime competitor, which switched from a 5.4-liter V8 this year to a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. The turbo V6 engines (both gasoline and diesel) would also help Cadillac market the Escalade overseas - particularly in Europe, where higher fuel prices preclude the prospect of driving a big V8 SUV for many buyers. Escalade sales have dropped from 35-40k units in the mid-2000s to around 12,000 the past couple of years.

Cadillac puts on a big performance for the Oscars with 'Rise' campaign

Cadillac skipped the Super Bowl, saving its big play for the 91st Oscars telecast tonight. America's luxury brand has a presence planned for nearly every medium, from television to Twitter to stairstep stories tied into the new commercial campaign. Speaking of which, that campaign is called "Rise," and lauds the "now-complete SUV portfolio" as well as Cadillac's determination to get back to the top. Four new spots will debut: "Rise Above," celebrating the XT6 and the rest of the new range, "Take the Stage," focused on the Escalade, "Make Your Escape," all about the XT4, "Take Flight," for the XT5. The first commercial will be 60 seconds, while the other three are 30-second spots. Cadillac chose Childish Gambino's song "Me and Your Mama" for the campaign soundtrack — it works a lot better than you might guess based on the track name. Beyond that, the Cadillac logo will grace the red carpet, the first time any commercial logo has made a home on the walk of honor. The stairs will be decorated with blue horizontals, inspired by the stair-like pattern of blue in the Cadillac crest. The blue in the carmaker's logo is said to represent "knightly valor" — which, yes, is totally made up, but Cadillac made it up a long time ago, not for this campaign. The real point is that two celebrities in attendance will stand on the steps and present their own stories of rising up. You can check out all the commercials here, watch them unveiled in real time during the Oscars telecast, keep up with what your eleventy hundred Twitter friends think by checking out the hashtag #KeepRising, and finish it off with some time on the Keep Rising microsite.