2014 Cadillac Cts Base on 2040-cars

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GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

Alonso's Cadillac team wins 2019 24 Hours of Daytona

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso won the rain-shortened 24 Hours of Daytona, overhauling Felipe Nasr two laps from the eventual finish on Sunday. The Spaniard became only the third Formula One champion to win the race, joining Phil Hill (1964) and Mario Andretti (1972). "It's amazing," Alonso told NBCSN. "Just an amazing experience with this team, from the test and now the race –- a perfect execution of the race. "Very different conditions and we've been competitive in everything –- dry, wet, night and day. Really happy for the team and all the guys." Alonso, who retired from Formula One racing after the 2018 season, said the victory would rank very high among all his accomplishments. "To win this kind of endurance racing at iconic places like Daytona means a lot," he said. "With zero experience and background in endurance before (last year) it's quite a big thing." Already the winner of last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 37-year-old Alonso will attempt to complete the Triple Crown of motorsports by capturing the Indy 500 in May. Driving the Wayne Taylor Cadillac DPI, Alonso took command of the race for keeps when Brazilian Nasr failed to navigate turn one and drove into deep water, losing a 1.5-second advantage. By the time Nasr had things under control, Alonso was 12 seconds ahead. Kamui Kobayashi, Jordan Taylor and Renger vanDer Zande teamed up with Alonso for the victory in his second try in the 24-hour race which was twice red-flagged because of rain and water on the track and was halted 10 minutes early. "With all the rain, I've never seen a race like this," Team Penske boss Roger Penske told NBCSN. Alexander Rossi was the only other driver to finish in the lead lap. He took third. Italian Alex Zanardi's return to endurance racing 17 years after he lost both legs in a horrific race wreck got off to a bad start 90 minutes into the race, At the beginning of his first stint driving, Zanardi encountered a problem with his steering wheel. The 52-year-old was using a special wheel with hand controls for the car, and the connecting pins were damaged when he attempted to connect it as the car was dropped from the jack. His No. 24 BMW Team RLL team finished 32nd overall and ninth in class. Full results. Related Video: Featured Gallery 24 Hours of Daytona 2019 View 20 Photos Motorsports Cadillac daytona

2020 Cadillac CT5 revealed, will replace the CTS

Between the end of most of Cadillac's sedan offerings and the launch of the underwhelming XT6 crossover, things were looking dreary at the American luxury brand. But now we get an exciting surprise in the reveal of the 2020 Cadillac CT5 sedan. It's a clean, and arguably conservative-looking sedan, but there are a number of things that have us intrigued. The sedan is clearly the CTS replacement, since the name falls just below the flagship CT6 sedan. Under the hood are two familiar Cadillac engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 and a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. Power numbers haven't been announced, but expect each to make similar power to the current CTS: 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque for the four-cylinder and 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque for the V6. Rear drive and all-wheel drive are available, and both engines get a 10-speed automatic transmission. The car also adopts the trim level scheme introduced by the XT4 and XT6 crossovers, which means there are just two choices, Sport and Luxury. The Sport model, pictured in gray, has a more aggressive front fascia and dark taillights, while the Luxury model, shown in burgundy, has a more demure appearance and classic red taillights. We only get a glimpse of the interior, and it shows the latest electronic gear shifter shared with Cadillac's recent crossovers, along with a physical knob for interacting with the infotainment system. Cadillac announced that the car will make its public debut at the New York Auto Show, and it will be built at the Grand River factory in Lansing, Mich. We expect to get more details and images of the car when it's revealed at the show.