2007 Cadillac Sts Pearl Metallic Paint, Navigation. on 2040-cars

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Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.

GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.

2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing First Drive Review | A magnificent sunset

Rising from the ashes of the ATS-V, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing represents the ultimate (in the purest sense of the word) in compact performance from GM’s luxury brand. The name Blackwing was originally applied to a stillborn, twin-turbocharged V8 destined for a new generation of luxury sedans, but has been repurposed as a symbol for CadillacÂ’s stubborn insistence on doing right by its performance heritage, right up to the end. Yes, the end. The last gasp. The grand finale. Swan song. Farewell tour. Whatever version of finality works best for you, apply it here, because Blackwing represents the gasoline-powered CadillacÂ’s final form. There are two key components to a sport sedan: a kick-ass powertrain and a chassis than can wrangle it. Check and check. A modern and powerful twin-turbo V6 resides under the CT4-V Blackwing's hood, and it rides on the latest and greatest revision of GMÂ’s global Alpha platform, which evolved from the same basic underpinnings of the ATS, CTS and Chevy Camaro. A stretched and widened version is the foundation for the CT5 (look for our review of that car's Blackwing next week). In transitioning from ATS to CT4, Cadillac decided to reposition and price its smallest sedan against EuropeÂ’s subcompacts. In the grand tradition of CadillacÂ’s sporty four-doors, this makes it a size mismatch. ItÂ’s almost as large on the outside as a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class, rather than the front-wheel-drive based 2 Series Gran Coupe and CLA-Class with which the CT4 nominally competes on price. This generational re-branding also resulted in a new, very different approach to high-performance models wearing the letter V. Before, they represented the pinnacle of their respective nameplates, but now, a -V represents the mid-grade offering. Upgraded certainly (limited-slip rear differential, more power, adaptive suspension) but positioned against AudiÂ’s S and BMWÂ’s M-Sport models. Cadillac even calls it "CT4 V Series" in certain places because the situation wasn't confusing enough. And although there's nothing ambiguous about the Blackwing's position atop the CT4 hierarchy, Cadillac's have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too approach to the CT4Â’s positioning still makes things a little hinky.