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Cadillac Elmiraj Concept slinks in Leno's Garage

Jay Leno's Garage has moved to Pebble Beach for the week. This time around, the affable comedian is taking a look at the Cadillac Elmiraj Concept that debuted during the Monterey car week, and is talking to General Motors vice president of global design, Ed Welburn.
There's plenty of reminiscing about what concept cars were like when these two were kids, before a fairly deep dive into the striking Elmiraj Concept itself. Welburn shares a few anecdotes about the design process behind the two-door concept, including how his designers changed his mind on the grille design.
After bringing up the Cimarron, Leno makes a solid point that the Elmiraj would be a solid production car that could even spawn a four-door variant. We couldn't agree more. Take a look below for the full video from Jay Leno's Garage.

GM is training more first responders for EV emergencies in the U.S. and Canada

GM is training more first responders to be able to handle emergencies involving electric vehicles. The automaker is "significantly expanding" its EV First Responder Training program in the United States and Canada as electric vehicle sales continue to grow. Its initiative will primarily focus on training firefighters and equipping them with the necessary knowledge about full electric vehicle technologies. GM says it's hoping to dispel misconceptions when it comes to handling EVs in emergency situations. One of those misconceptions is that water is dangerous around EV batteries — turns out the recommended way to put out lithium-ion battery fires is by using copious amounts of water.  Andrew Klock, a senior manager of education and development at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), said: "The best way for the public and private vehicle fleet owners to rapidly adopt EVs is to train firefighters and emergency responders on how to handle incidents involving battery powered vehicles. The fire service has had more than 100 years to gain the knowledge needed to respond to internal combustion engine fires, and it is critical that they are now educated on EV safety." The NFPA held trainings of its own that had benefited 300,000 first responders, but it believes more than 800,000 members of the community still need further training.   GM previously piloted the program in southeast Michigan, but now it's conducting training events across Michigan and in Fort Worth, Texas, as well. Later this summer, it's bringing the program to metro New York City and Southern California. Participants will have to attend four-hour sessions, with up to two per day, held in various venues, such as fire houses and dealerships. Interested first and second responders can register through the program's dedicated website and earn a certificate from the Illinois Fire Service Institute if they score higher than 70 percent on the learning assessment by the end of their training.  The automaker already has a few EV models on the market, including the Chevy Bolts, the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq. It has huge electrification plans for the future, though, and training responders could help make potential customers more receptive to the idea of switching to electric vehicles. GM aims to launch 30 EV models by 2025 and to exclusively sell EVs ten years after that. Related video: Green Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Safety Electric

2020 Cadillac CT4 revealed in non-V form

We got our first look at the 2020 Cadillac CT4 when its V variant made its debut a few months ago. Now the company is officially showing off the regular CT4 luxury sport sedans. They actually don't look all that different from the V, though - especially the CT4 Sport trim. The Luxury and Premium Luxury trims are distinguished by less aggressive ground effects and a grille studded with chrome pieces shaped like the Cadillac logo. The interior is similar, too, complete with an 8-inch touchscreen. Super Cruise will be made available on the CT4 later in 2020, including on the V model. Really, the big news is the powertrain as V6 engines have been dropped entirely from Cadillac's compact sedan. The base CT4 engine available in Sport or Luxury trim cars is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Coupled to either rear- or all-wheel drive, it features cylinder deactivation and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Unlike in the old ATS, a manual transmission is not available. One notable mechanical difference between trims is the Sport trim gets standard Brembo brakes. Moving up from the 2.0-liter engine is the turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder introduced on the CT4-V. Available on the Premium Luxury trims, its output is downgraded to 309 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque from the CT4-V's output of 325 hp and 380 lb-ft. It too has cylinder deactivation and can be had with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The only transmission offered is a 10-speed automatic. The V model also gets Brembo brake upgrades, and with rear-wheel drive includes Cadillac's magnetically controlled adaptive suspension. Cadillac will start taking orders for the CT4 later this year, but pricing has not been announced yet.