Clean 2005 Cadillac Escalade Ext Chameleon Paint/chrome Rims on 2040-cars

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Cadillac Escala Concept shows off a softer side of American luxury

When Cadillac announced that it would be appearing at Monterey Car Week with a stunning, new concept, the news sent a rush of blood to the head. Would it be a CT6 Coupe? A new V-series model? A follow-up to the show-stopping Elmiraj? Tonight, at the beginning of a weekend of festivities to tantalize automotive enthusiasts and aficionados, Cadillac instead showed off a glimpse of reality: the Escala four-door coupe concept. It wasn't behind a flat-white background, but at a futuristic yet modern home nestled in the hills that Cadillac president Johan De Nysschen introduced the Escala as a "point of inflection" for the brand. Keen observers will note that "Escala" is nearly "Escalade," but any similarity between the two vehicles ends there. De Nysschen noted that the four-door is meant to "relentlessly drive this brand back to its place at the pinnacle of premium." "Nothing less will do," de Nysschen said. The Escala is neither as bold as some recent Cadillacs to take the stage, nor as brash. From a distance, it has a wide, muscular stance wrapped in a tailored suit. Up close, it almost resembles a four-door Camaro — perhaps a nod to the work of former Holden design chief and incoming General Motors director of design, Michael Simcoe. De Nysschen described the Escala project as an "opportunity for designers to flex their creative muscle." The Escala seems to have a footprint mirroring that of a Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, but it feels wider and smaller at the same time. Is the shape derivative? Perhaps, but the Escala's design is less a reflection of a future, incognito Cadillac, and more of a chance for the brand to show off the details that might soon become icons. The Escala's shape may not be earth-shatteringly different, but the truth is in its details. The mirrors are as thin as designer spectacles. The C-pillar offers an opportunity to show off Cadillac's latest take on the Hoffmeister kink. A glass roof adds visual airiness. And a simple "GM DESIGN" badge sits below the side doors, in deference to the stylists who labored to make the Escala different. The most defining element of the concept is the way it utilizes light. There isn't anything blinding about its lighting, but that means you can focus on the shape and appreciate the ambience. The depth of the LED tail lights adds visual length to the Escala and shows where Cadillac's designers placed the most importance. It's contrast and beauty at once.

OnStar RemoteLink mobile app coming standard on all new GM vehicles

As an evolution and improvement of its OnStar technology, General Motors has announced that it will be expanding the RemoteLink Mobile App on most 2014 model year Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles. The new, aptly named RemoteLink Key Fob Services will allow users to remotely operate all of the same systems as the car's key fob, including locking and unlocking the doors and remote starting (on vehicles equipped with a factory remote starter) using a smartphone.
These Key Fob Services will be free for five years - starting from the vehicle's delivery date - but the full suite of RemoteLink features will continue to be offered only with a subscription (trial or paid). These premium features include contacting a live adviser, getting turn-by-turn directions and remotely monitoring the vehicle's diagnostic systems.
Scroll down below for the complete press release with all the details.

Why Cadillac needs a real truck in its lineup

Premium brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Cadillac sell vehicles that cover the spectrum from car to crossover to SUV. But trucks? They remain the last frontier when it comes to luxury brands. These days Chevy, GMC, Ford, and Ram sell cheap, bare-bones work trucks alongside loaded models that top $75,000. There is a reverse elitism that comes with this sales tactic. A brand gets to reflect a rugged working class lifestyle with the emblem up front, while what's behind it costs as much as a small house in middle America. But Americans who spend big money on cars and SUVs have always gradually tailed towards luxury nameplates over time. Everyone knows what an Escalade is, and thanks in large part to that image the Escalade is now the best-selling fullsize luxury SUV in the USA. Cadillac's flagship model, along with its midsize luxury crossover, the SRX, routinely outsell the competition from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW, not to mention Ford's Lincoln brand and most of the Japanese rivals. With trucks already dominating overall sales and headed into the pricing stratosphere, I believe it's time for Cadillac to consider a fullsize truck. And no, not a lipstick version that merely takes a Chevrolet Silverado pickup and throws in a few leather seats and some slight interior touches. That experiment already failed both for Cadillac (the Escalade EXT) and for Ford's Lincoln brand (Blackwood, Mark LT). Cadillac is an American brand that currently focuses a ridiculous amount of energy and resources trying to compete with European car offerings. The brand needs to create the Cadillac of trucks. Head honcho Johan de Nysschen has been blunt in his desire to "restore Cadillac to the pinnacle of global premium brands, not in sales but in aspirational brand character." This sounds well and wonderful. But the present problem in achieving this goal is that, on a global basis, Cadillac is a failed brand. Look at Europe, where Cadillac has sold so poorly in recent years that former Soviet manufacturer Lada managed more new registrations in 2014 by a factor of more than four to one. Cadillac is an American brand that currently focuses a ridiculous amount of energy and resources trying to compete with European car offerings. After more than 20 years of Cadillac models selling themselves as import killers, the only one with sustained success has been the CTS, and even that has been a marketplace loser for the last several years. The CTS-V?