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GM puts e-commerce shopping in car dashboards

DETROIT — General Motors on Tuesday said it will equip newer cars with in-dash e-commerce technology, betting it can profit as drivers order food, find fuel or reserve hotel rooms by tapping icons on the dashboard screen, instead of using smartphones while driving. GM's Marketplace technology, developed with IBM, will be uploaded automatically to about 1.9 million model-year 2017 and later vehicles starting immediately, with about 4 million vehicles across the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands equipped with the capability in the United States by the end of 2018, GM said. GM will get an undisclosed amount of revenue from merchants featured on its in-dash Marketplace, Santiago Chamorro, GM vice president for global connected customer experience, said during a briefing for reporters. Customers will not be charged for using the service or the data transmitted to and from the car while making transactions, he said. "This platform is financed by the merchants," Chamorro said. GM will get paid for placing a merchant's application on its screens, and "there's some level of revenue sharing" based on each transaction, he said. It is too soon to say how much revenue GM could realize from the Marketplace system, he said. The GM Marketplace will compete for customer clicks and revenue with hand-held smartphones, which offer a far richer array of applications than the GM system will at the outset. Amazon.com is partnering with other automakers, including Ford, to offer in-car e-commerce capability through Amazon's Alexa personal assistant system. For example, GM will launch Marketplace with just Shell and Exxon Mobil icons in the fuel category. The only restaurant available for in-car table reservations at launch is the chain TGI Fridays, GM said. In addition, there will be apps for parking, and ordering ahead at coffee shops and restaurants such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Applebee's. "We will be adding more vendors," with some coming in the first quarter of 2018, Chamorro said. In addition, he said GM plans to expand integration into its vehicles of music, news and other information services. GM also hopes to use its in-car Marketplace connections to expand purchases of products and services, such as additional access to in-car wifi, from its own replacement parts business and dealer network. Customers can "expect to see more service promotions coming through the platform," Chamorro said. Reporting by Joe WhiteRelated Video:

Cadillac's striking Escala concept is reportedly headed for production

Cadillac is reportedly planning a new flagship four-door, and it won't be based on its alphanumeric naming system a la the CT6. It'll be the Escala, the stunning concept fastback it revealed in 2016 in Pebble Beach. The news comes via Autoline, which cites AutoForecast Solutions. The Escala is said to be planned for production starting in December 2021 at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which currently builds the CT6, Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Volt and Impala. That suggests the Escala, which was branded as a four-door coupe, will likely keep that layout. It'll also be built on the CT6 platform. Cadillac has been talking about fitting a flagship sedan above the CT6 for years, and the Escala's design language has been influencing bits of other Cadillac models, from the refresh of the CT6 to the broad grille shape on the new XT4 crossover, which debuts at the New York Auto Show next week. The concept Escala featured a wide, muscular stance and a minimalist, white mid-century modern interior aesthetic, with tail lamps that evoke waterfowl in flight. Interestingly, it came equipped with a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 with cylinder deactivation, which Cadillac President Johan De Nysschen said at the time was "absolutely worthy of a car of this caliber." But with such a long horizon before production, there's obviously lots of time to develop a more pragmatic production model and cue ravenous speculation. Or, for that matter, to decide to rename it something like the CT8. Related Video: Featured Gallery Cadillac Escala Concept View 33 Photos Image Credit: Jeff Jablansky Design/Style Cadillac Coupe Concept Cars Luxury Sedan cadillac ct6 cadillac xt4 cadillac escala

Cadillac president reveals XTS sedan refresh, flagship vehicle plans

Update: The second paragraphed has been changed from the original text to make it clear that de Nysschen, not Autoblog , claimed the report by The Detroit Bureau is inaccurate. Cadillac has been on a tear ever since the automaker poached Johan de Nysschen from Infiniti, becoming a more profitable automaker while delving deeper into the luxury market. While some reports indicate that Cadillac may be limiting its lineup, de Nysschen just put everything out in the open. In the comment section of an article by The Detroit Bureau that claimed Cadillac would cut its lineup down, de Nysschen stated the report was inaccurate and outlined the automaker's future. The Cadillac CEO wrote "Some of what you report is correct, some incorrect, most is conjecture." A Cadillac spokesperson confirmed that de Nysschen did write the comment, but did not comment on any of the details. The Detroit Bureau's Paul Eisenstein told Autoblog that he stands behind the information in the report. In any case the most interesting tidbit in de Nysschen's comment is the major refresh for the Cadillac XTS. The news directly contradicts previous reports that indicated the XTS would be killed off by 2019. In Cadillac's pursuit to add some space between it and GM, the XTS was expected to get the axe in favor of more profitable vehicles. The sedan, which was introduced in 2012, shares its underpinnings with the latest generation of the Chevrolet Impala. To the contrary, Nysschen stated that "We ARE planning a major refresh for XTS." What the major refresh will bring the aging sedan is still a mystery, but the vehicle isn't dying. The move to keep the XTS in its lineup is a bit of a surprise as Cadillac has filled its lineup with track-oriented sports cars, rear-wheel-drive sedans, and extravagant crossovers. The boat-like XTS with its front-wheel-drive layout and available all-wheel-drive system sticks out like a sore thumb, even if it were to receive a major overhaul. The only real explanation is that Cadillac hopes the vehicle will still appeal to its old-school customers that are unwilling to compromise interior space and ride quality. In our most recent review of the XTS, we thought the luxurious sedan was a great long-distance cruiser, but not a talented sports car – no surprises there. It's unlikely that Cadillac will focus on driving pleasure with the refreshed XTS, focusing instead on pure comfort and luxury.