2014 Cadillac Srx Performance Sport Utility 4-door 3.6l on 2040-cars

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Why Cadillac is willing to lose 43 percent of its dealers

Cadillac is offering about 400 dealers in the United States a lump sum of money to close down. That represents over 40 percent of Cadillac dealers in America. Offers start at $100,000 and top out at $180,000. The average offering is around $120,000. According to Automotive News, Cadillac chief Johan De Nysschen estimates it will cost the automaker around $50 million to close these dealers. Any dealer that chooses to remain open will have to submit to Cadillac's ambitious Project Pinnacle, which will divide dealers into incentive categories based on how many units they sell. "Every single Cadillac dealer will have the potential to earn significantly higher profits than they do today," says De Nysschen. Dealers have until November 21 to decide if they want to take the cash or submit to Project Pinnacle. A logical question: Why is Cadillac willing to spend $50 million to close down 43 percent of its dealers? First, GM's luxury brand has way more dealerships than it needs. Second, the 400 dealers with offers to shutter each sold 50 or fewer vehicles in 2015, representing just 9 percent of its sales volume in America. So, while closing these smaller dealerships may have a small initial impact on sales, it's not going to be a major hit to Cadillac. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Gary Cameron / Reuters Cadillac Car Dealers Luxury Performance

Cadillac Celestiq previewed as a flagship luxury electric car

Last year, our Autoblog Green editor, John Beltz Snyder, got a sneak peik of GM's upcoming electric car roll out. No photos were given, but he described them in great detail. Now we finally get our own peek at one of those cars, the Cadillac Celestiq flagship sedan. Sadly, we don't get a particularly clear look, since Cadillac is only teasing the car at this point, but it's better than nothing, and better than most teasers. We get a top-down shot that reveals the car will share some key cues with the Lyriq crossover EV. Most obvious is the rear with the boomerang taillights and fastback roof, which is a glass unit separated into four pieces. Each piece can be individually adjusted for transparency, and it appears they can be illuminated as well. The front also appears similar to the Lyriq with a geometric grille covered in a transparent panel. The grille looks significantly larger, though. It also features illumination like the crossover. We also get a look at the interior, which prominently features a full-width screen for instruments and infotainment. There appears to be a screen in the center console/stack that can control functions including the roof panel illumination. According to Snyder, the interior also has extensive wood and metal trim intermingling with nifty ambient lighting. Cadillac didn't say much about the mechanical aspects except the basics. It will use GM's Ultium battery technology that will be shared with other products such as the aforementioned Lyriq and the GMC Hummer EV. It will also feature four-wheel steering as well as all-wheel-drive, undoubtedly courtesy of dual motors, one front and one rear. Cadillac previously confirmed that the Celestiq is headed for production. We also suspect that some of the fancy features such as the screens and multi-panel glass roof could make it to production. This is because it's meant to be a halo product showing off the ultimate in luxury and technology from the brand, and it could have a price tag larger than $200,000. We're expecting Cadillac to fully reveal the Celestiq in a few months, but it could be a while before the production version hits the road. The Lyriq isn't going on sale until late next year, and we would bet the Celestiq wouldn't come ahead of it. Related Video:

Diesel engine will be a no-cost option on 2021 Cadillac Escalade

Pricing for the redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade was revealed yesterday, with the various trim levels ranging from $77,490 to $101,290 including $1,295 destination. And while we also learned that all-wheel drive will be a $3,000 option, what's surprising is that the optional 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine will cost $0, this according to official pricing info released by Cadillac. The diesel is one of two engine choices for the new 2021 Escalade, the other being a 6.2-liter V8. The engine also is coming to the 2021 Chevrolet and GMC full-size SUVs, but it's not yet known what the upcharge will be there, if any. Already, the 3.0-liter I6 diesel is offered in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, where it is currently a $2,500 option over the 6.2-liter V8. The Duramax inline-six turbodiesel is an aluminum-block design with dual overhead camshafts and a single, variable-geometry turbocharger. Cadillac quotes preliminary outputs of 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter V8, meanwhile, musters 420 horses and the same torque output. The primary draw for the diesel is expected to be fuel economy. EPA estimates for the diesel engine in the Escalade (and in the GMC and Chevrolet full-size utes) have not yet been released. But in the pickup trucks, the engine returns 23 city/33 highway miles per gallon with rear-wheel drive and 23/29 mpg with four-wheel drive. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade had been scheduled to reach dealerships this summer, but it's not known whether that date might slip due to the current shutdown at GM's assembly plants. Related Video: