2004 Cadillac Srx Base Sport Utility 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac dropping trims, powertrains for 2020 CT6

First reported by CarsDirect and later confirmed with Cadillac, the CT6 order book will see some changes for 2020. The luxurious American sedan is losing trims and losing engines but gaining standard equipment. For the 2020 model year, Cadillac is distilling the CT6's seven different trims down to three: Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum, all three of which have new standard features. The Luxury trim gets the Driver Awareness and Convenience Package. Premium Luxury benefits the most with Super Cruise, the Rear Seat Package, the Comfort and Tech Package, and the 34-speaker Bose Panaray Sound System. The Platinum gets new unique 20-inch wheels, and the V-Series (considered a different model) gets the Driver Assist Package. As we've previously reported, Cadillac will also be reducing the number of available engine options. The 2.0-liter turbo engine has already been dropped, and the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is next. For 2020, the CT6 will only offer the choice of the 3.6-liter V6 on Luxury and Premium Luxury trims and the 4.2-liter, twin-turbocharged "Blackwing" V8. All models and trims come standard with all-wheel drive. Cadillac has also confirmed pricing to Autoblog. Including destination charges, the Luxury model would start at $59,990, the Premium Luxury would start at $75,490, the Platinum will start at $97,490, and the V-Series will start at $95,890. Overall, prices go up due to the removal of the 2.0-liter model and more standard equipment, though the cheapest model on the configurator right now is $63,590. On the high end, the 2019 CT6 Platinum with the twin-turbocharged engine starts at $87,790. We'll update when this all goes official. News Source: CarsDirect Auto News Cadillac Luxury Sedan cadillac ct6

Bosch builds an infotainment system that just might not suck

As far as we've come with in-car infotainment and interfaces over the past decade or so, we still have a long way to go — as most current systems show. Whether it's high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz with its kludgy COMAND system, which we hope will be replaced with the MBUX platform revealed at CES, or more mainstream vehicles like Hondas (with their frustrating, knobless Display Audio interface), getting the kind of content and ease of use in the car that we're used to having on other connected devices is far too complex and sometimes costly. While Apple and Google have tried to ride to the rescue with CarPlay and Android Auto, respectively, they're limited solutions. No automaker or tech supplier has been able to deliver an easy, economical, flexible and non-distracting infotainment solution. But Bosch could be closing in on this elusive goal, given the digital cockpit concept demo I recently received at CES. Displayed in a Cadillac Escalade, the concept featured five interconnected color screens: one in the instrument cluster, two in the center console, and two more in the front-seat headrest for second-row passengers. The digital cockpit concept demo had cool features such as haptic-feedback touch-screen controls that created an edge-like feeling similar to a physical button, facial recognition to confirm driver credentials, and the intelligence to know the location of a phone in the car to lock it out to keep the driver from texting. The most significant aspect of the Bosch digital cockpit concept wasn't visible — but shows the company's vision for a future of seamless, convenient, cost-effective and safe in-car infotainment. It's powered by a single electronic control unit (ECU) that can simultaneously run multiple operating systems and also separates vehicle and infotainment controls for critical safety and cybersecurity reasons. Most modern cars can have as many as 100 separate ECUs, Philip Ventimiglia, product manager for Bosch Car Multimedia North America, explained at CES, and several just for infotainment functions. "The goal is to reduce that to about 10 so that we can save cost throughout the vehicle and enable new technologies," he added. "OEMs want to put more technology into cars, but it costs money," Ventimiglia said.

Cadillac Live virtual showroom is open for business in the U.S.

Cadillac launched the streaming showroom known as Cadillac Live in Canada earlier this year. The program places a Cadillac product specialist in an open studio laid out similar to a dealership. Equipped with an iPhone X on an Osmo Mobile gimbal and a Bluetooth headset, the specialist conducts one-way video chats with car buyers shopping for Cadillacs and owners who have questions about their cars. Now Cadillac Live has arrived in the United States. Described as "part personal shopper and part interactive digital showroom," it's aimed at converting luxury shoppers into Wreath and Crest buyers by making the research experience simpler. The automaker says it has data showing that "71% of customers report switching to a competitor’s product after finding their selection process easier." As well as being able to show and demonstrate 10 physical vehicles and their features, product specialists will be able to use a tablet app interface to run through color and accessory options. Shoppers and buyers with questions can reach a Cadillac Live agent from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET on Friday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Calls can be taken on demand or scheduled at the Cadillac Live site, call appointments can be made for times outside of the traditional opening hours, and multiple callers can participate. U.S. customers in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York who like what they discover can automatically be connected to a local dealer to move on to the next phase. And video calls are one-way, so work-from-home types need not worry about broadcasting their coffee-stained "Beast Mode" workwear.