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2020 Cadillac CT5 loses the fake scoop

Well folks, the inevitable has happened. The 2020 Cadillac CT5 luxury sports sedan prototype has shed its hood scoop. Yes, we're as disappointed as you are that instead of being outrageous and brash, Cadillac is still going to try to be classy, understated and luxurious when it comes to its mainline models. And yes, we're being sarcastic here ... but there's a part of us that would kind of like to see the scoop survive. Anyway, the good news is that the scoop is only one of a few bits of fake bodywork and camouflage that the CT5 has shed. As such, we get our best look yet at the new Cadillac sedan, and it looks pretty good. The grille is very wide and not nearly as tall as the prominent prows of current Cadillacs. It actually doesn't even look as tall as the grille of the Escala concept that inspired the CT5's design. The profile of the CT5 isn't too radically different from existing Caddies, with a long hood and a short trunk. It is still a conventional sedan, though, and not a sedan-like hatchback like the Kia Stinger and Audi A5 Sportback and A7. This is evident by the open trunk lid our spy photographer caught. The taillights also continue to be slim and vertical, though we can't quite tell if they will have a horizontal elements at the bottom like on the XTS and XT4. The car also has very bold and thick angular exhaust tips. We expect the CT5 will go into production in 2019 as a 2020 model, and it will likely take the place of both the CTS and ATS, but not be much smaller than the CTS. It will likely use versions of existing Cadillac engines including the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6, and twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. We wouldn't rule out the 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 for a potential CT5-V in the future. Related Video:

Cadillac CT6 loses the entry-level 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder

General Motors continues its engine rationalization among product lines. A few days after Chevrolet dropped the old-generation LTG 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Traverse, Cadillac has jettisoned the new-gen LSY 2.0-liter turbo four from the CT6 range. Given a look at the dealer ordering system, Cadillac Society said the 2.0-liter option shows "built out" or "no longer available," and the online configurator at the Cadillac site confirms the omission. The retired engine can be had in the XT4 crossover, rated at the same 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This means a couple of things for the big sedan. The CT6 entry price was $50,495 before destination, but fitted with the now-base 3.6-liter six-cylinder, the entry price has gone up to $55,495. The other change is that rear-wheel drive is no longer available; the three remaining engine choices come with all-wheel drive. Those engines are the NA 3.6-liter V6 with 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 404 hp and 400 lb-ft, and coming in a few months, the detuned 4.2-liter Blackwing twin-turbo V8 with 500 hp and 574 lb-ft, down from 550 hp and 627 lb-ft. Cadillac Society thinks one of the possibilities for making the move could be that GM is having a hard time meeting demand for the 2.0-liter. That might be, but we think no matter the reason, the result puts more logical pricing between the midsize CTS/CT5 and the full-size luxury flagship. We don't know how Cadillac will price the coming CT5, but there's now an $8,005 difference between the CTS and the CT6, instead of the $4,000 gap when the 2.0-liter was a CT6 option. Mercedes-Benz, for instance, puts a $12,000 gap between the C-Class and the E-Class, a $38,000 gulf between the E-Class and the S-Class. There's a $19,000 difference between an Audi A4 and A6, a $25,000 difference between an A6 and an A8. It isn't clear if this will affect every other market where the CT6 is sold. The Canadian, Mexican, and French Cadillac site configurators don't list the 2.0-liter turbo, but the Chinese Cadillac site does.

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.