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Here's how Cadillac made its Magnetic Ride Control suspension quicker and smarter

Bugatti makes the world's fastest car, but Cadillac claims it has developed the world's fastest suspension. Its fourth-generation Magnetic Ride Control technology receives hardware and software tweaks to deliver a more comfortable ride and sharper handling. It's offered on some variants of the CT4, CT5 and the Escalade. Introduced in 2002 on the Seville STS, this self-adjusting suspension is not as complicated as it might sound. It relies primarily on electromagnets that emit a magnetic field, and a magnetorheological fluid whose viscosity changes depending on the strength of the magnetic force. Sensors scan the road up to 1,000 times per second and send the information they gather to the electromagnets, which then alter their magnetic field as needed to modify the fluid's viscosity. The fluid is in the shocks, so making it thicker returns a firmer ride, and vice versa. In simpler terms, Magnetic Ride Control leverages chemistry and physics to make the ride sporty, comfortable, or somewhere in between -- all in the blink of an eye. By reacting to the changing magnetic field, the fluid-filled shocks filter out road imperfections and maximize tire contact with the road to deliver more precise handling. Cadillac began developing the fourth-generation system by improving the hardware. The in-wheel accelerometers are more accurate than before, the inertial measurement unit is more precise, and the damper fluid formula was changed for quicker response times and a smoother ride. Engineers then turned their attention to the system's software. They notably gave the sensors the ability to process a wider selection of input and output signals, which translates to a wider spread between comfort and sport. And, they made the response time up to 45-percent quicker. All told, the fourth-generation Magnetic Ride Control technology performs better under heavy braking and hard cornering, it delivers more consistent performance, and it reads the road more accurately. Cadillac proudly notes these are the most comprehensive updates it has made to the system in nearly two decades. Magnetic Ride Control comes standard on the 2021 CT4-V and the 2021 CT5-V, and it's bundled into the CT5's V Performance package, which also includes a mechanical limited-slip differential. It's also standard on the Sport and Platinum variants of the 2021 Escalade, and it's part of the Premium Luxury trim's Performance package.

Cadillac launching crossover-heavy product offensive

Utilizing information provided by Cadillac suppliers, Reuters says that Cadillac is preparing two more crossovers that will bow after its current product initiative is complete. According to the report, a year after the next SRX arrives in 2016, a pair of CUVs will be unveiled that will bracket it in size, and they'll be headed for the US and Chinese markets.
That is years away, though. For now, the company's attentions are on the nearly here CTS and ELR range-extended coupe, the next Escalade SUV (shown above), an ATS coupe, and the range-topper that will sit above the XTS. That, and possibly an even more impressive range-topper that promises to be the mean and majestic super-luxe unicorn Cadillac we've been dreaming about for more than a decade now.
In response to the issue of how German crossovers might be having an impact on Cadillac's future plans, a company source said - rightly, we think - "we don't need to duplicate the Germans." That doesn't mean, however, that it can't wade deeper into a market segment that the Germans are making a ton of money in. In fact, and since everyone is doing it, we'd be surprised if Cadillac didn't, even if it won't happen for another four years.

Cadillac president de Nysschen says electrification coming 'across the spectrum'

We like to pick on new Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen for his insistence, many years ago, when he was president of Audi of America, that plug-in vehicles are for idiots. Listening to him give the keynote address at the Washington Auto Show today, you wouldn't know he ever said anything negative about an electric vehicle. Instead, he sounds something like a EV-angelist. De Nysschen said that Cadillac will be able to benefit from GM's considerable expertise in plug-in technology, which he said would be "applied across the spectrum of our portfolio." GM's electric committment will help in "making electrification commonplace." With the plug-in ELR already on the road, de Nysschen said that the company's next step in advancing powertrains will be the introduction of stop/start technology – which de Nysschen called an "important system to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions" – into a Cadillac for the first time later this year. Without giving any specific details, de Nysschen said that Cadillac will introduce eight new models (not necessarily plug-ins) by the end of this decade, including five that "will take Cadillac into market segments where the brand is not even present today." These new vehicles will likely be much lighter than today's vehicles, de Nysschen said, because "weight reduction today is critical to automotive design, it helps to improve fuel efficiency and contributes to desireable vehicle dynamics." The key is to reduce weight without compromising safety or comfort and to use the right material – steel, aluminum, carbon fiber – in the right place at the right time. It was a not-so-subtle jab at Ford and its new aluminum F-150. "In the pursuit of weight reduction, some manufacturers have also opted for abandoning steel and have gone for an all-aluminum approach," he said. "At Cadillac, we believe that different materials each present particular advantages in specific applications. There is no single material that represents the optimum balance of the conflicting objectives of every single application." Related video: