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2021 Cadillac Escalade getting a star-studded introduction

Now that Chevrolet's Tahoe and Suburban are out of the bag, it's Cadillac's turn to introduce its new body-on-frame SUV. The next-generation Escalade will make its public debut on Feb. 4, 2020. The Escalade could have been one of the stars of the 2020 Detroit Auto Show had the event not moved to June. That's far too late for Cadillac, so the company will introduce the model during a special event held in Beverly Hills, Calif. The date wasn't chosen at random; it's less than a week before the 2020 edition of the Academy Awards, an event Cadillac has partnered with for the past six years. It's reasonable to assume the Escalade will play a key role in the ritzy event. The Escalade won't look anything like its Chevrolet-badged siblings, as leaked images show a tall, upright rendition of Cadillac's shield-shaped grille, but we expect many similarities beneath the sheetmetal. It will be bigger and correspondingly more spacious than the outgoing model, and an independent rear suspension will make it more comfortable. Inside, the digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system's screen will blend into a single unit angled toward the driver. Powertrain specifications remain under wraps, though we expect a naturally-aspirated V8 will come standard. An earlier report claims the twin-turbocharged Blackwing engine available in the CT6 will not make its way to the Escalade, and we doubt Cadillac will follow Chevrolet's lead by making a 3.0-liter straight-six turbodiesel available at an extra cost. An electric model is in the works, however. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade will go on sale about halfway through next year with a base price in the vicinity of $80,000. It will again be available with a short or a long wheelbase. Once it's unveiled, the coast will be clear for GMC to round out General Motors' portfolio of full-size SUVs with new variants of the Yukon and the Yukon XL. They'll likely break cover during the first half of 2020.

Johan de Nysschen tells his side of the story

Automobile snagged time with ex-Cadillac, Infiniti, and Volkswagen of America boss Johan de Nysschen. General Motors decided to part ways with de Nysschen on April 18, 2018, after the German spent four years in charge of America's luxury brand. The longtime auto exec is a polarizing figure for enthusiasts, who seem to take a mostly negative view of his work at Infiniti and Cadillac. However, there's no denying de Nysschen is frank, and in the Automobile interview he puts an insider's perspective on a big bag of issues we can only speculate on. One of the biggest bombshells in the interview was that it wasn't de Nysschen's idea to move Cadillac to New York: "When I was recruited, I was informed that the company would relocate to New York," he said. Previous GM CEO Dan Ackerson had made the decision before hiring de Nysschen, then Ackerson let his new hire make the announcement. The big change came only two years after de Nysschen had taken over Infiniti after insisting Nissan's luxury brand move to Hong Kong. De Nysschen explained Cadillac's NYC move with the same rationale as Infiniti's Hong Kong move, so everyone assumed the new guy was doing his usual. He explains in the interview that after the move, "Folks who rooted for Detroit felt betrayed. Cadillac had an enemy." And that became a problem. He has nothing bad to say about GM or Cadillac, believing on the contrary that "GM is in a good position going forward." But he brought clarity to some of Cadillac's struggles. Among the issues was GM's "very vigorous" post-bankruptcy test for green-lighting a project. Another was the lack of specialization for the luxury arm. "Engines were generically developed with the Chevy brand in mind," he said, "and, then, 'Okay, well, yeah, it's good enough for Cadillac.'" That carried over into haphazard technology rollouts. "GM didn't have a specific technology roadmap aligned to particular brands," he said. "The process was, as they were developing new technologies, they would look at what product's launch date would be aligned with the maturation date and market readiness of a technology and go with it, whether Buick, Chevy, or what have you." De Nysschen worked to end such generalized approaches, which is how we get Cadillac taking the GM lead on technology and electrification.

2021 Cadillac Escalade Super Cruise Review | Road trip royalty

There is no better road trip vehicle on sale today than a Super Cruise–equipped 2021 Cadillac Escalade. So long as you have the money to put fuel in it, the Escalade will reward you with the most relaxing and comfortable experience in the business. ItÂ’s simple, really. Sitting back and not having to even worry about touching the steering wheel or pedals for hundreds of miles at a time does the trick. Every other driving-assistance system out there requires some degree of steering wheel interaction — even TeslaÂ’s Autopilot — but CadillacÂ’s ingenious driver-monitoring system solves the problem. You might be wondering why IÂ’m writing a full review dedicated solely to Super Cruise. To answer your question, itÂ’s because GM just rolled out its biggest update to the system ever. I also was planning to drive from Michigan to Buffalo, N.Y., which would put it through a lengthy highway test over a route that is almost entirely Super Cruise compatible — remember, Super Cruise only works on highways that GM has mapped with LiDAR technology.  Super Cruise launched in the Cadillac CT6, a model that is no longer in the Cadillac lineup. This updated, next-gen Super Cruise is rolling out in multiple new Cadillacs, as well as Chevys and soon GMC products, too. Its first home, though, is in the recently redesigned Cadillac Escalade, a perfect product to showcase the systemÂ’s impressive abilities. So, whatÂ’s new? The big feature update is something called “Lane Change on Demand.” Just tap a turn signal stalk with the system activated, and the Escalade will change lanes all on its own. A little graphic pops up in the instrument cluster that says the car is “looking to make sure itÂ’s safe.” It then begins to move over. Once itÂ’s done, another graphic informs you that the lane change was successfully completed.  Moving over one lane takes about twice as long as a human driver would, but exercising caution with automation seems like a wise move. Changing lanes mid-curve works just fine on gentle turns. The Escalade will attempt to change lanes on tighter-radius curves, but it took more than 10 seconds to complete the change on a couple occasions, which just doesnÂ’t feel safe or inspire confidence. I did encounter one big issue with the auto lane-change system, but it was unrelated to the systemÂ’s performance. A “check right rear turn lamp” warning popped up about 100 miles into the trip.