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GM to idle car production at five factories as Americans continue CUV love affair

In case you needed another reminder that Americans have fallen out of love with sedans, General Motors today announced plans to idle five factories in January in a bid to cut its inventory to 70 days. Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly ( Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Volt and Impala) and Fairfax Assembly in Kansas ( Chevy Malibu) will stop production for three weeks. Lansing Grand River ( Cadillac ATS and CTS, and Chevy Camaro) is going down for two weeks, while Lordstown, OH ( Chevy Cruze) and Bowling Green, KY ( Chevy Corvette) will go idle for a week each, Automotive News reports. GM's shutdown reflects a broader problem with the company's supply – at 847,000 vehicles, the company's supply increased unsteadily from a low of 629,000 units in January of 2016. That's more than a 25 percent increase in the past year. Citing information from Autodata, The Detroit News reports that at the end of November, GM had a 168-day supply of LaCrosses, 177 days' worth of Camaro, 170 days of Corvette, 121 days for Cruze, 119 days for ATS, 132 days for CTS, and 110 days of CT6. Meanwhile, inventory of the company's more popular vehicles is actually below the professionally accepted 60- to 70-day supply, The News reports. The Trax, Colorado pickup, and GM's full-size SUVs are sitting below 50 days and experiencing year-over-year sales increases. GM needs a rethink of its inventory levels, which is something that's apparently coming. "We're going to be responsible in managing our inventory levels," GM spokesman Jim Cain told The News. Another unnamed spokesman told Automotive News the company's day-to-day supplies would "fluctuate before moderating at year-end." But at least one analyst thinks this won't be the last time Detroit needs to stop production to level things out. "Incentives are elevated, residuals are declining, and rates are rising," Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays, told The News. "And while GM in particular may benefit in the months ahead from new product launches, it's important to recognize that GM's inventory is elevated at the moment, and it wouldn't surprise us if they need to announce another production cut – which could pressure the stock." Related Video: News Source: The Detroit News, Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Plants/Manufacturing Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Crossover SUV Sedan bowling green cadillac xt6 fairfax

2021 Cadillac Escalade First Drive | Opulence at a cost

The Cadillac Escalade is one of the most recognizable cars in America, both on the road and in the minds of consumers. It is equal parts profit machine and pop culture icon, and it sits atop GM’s heavy-hitting hierarchy of body-on-frame SUVs. Sure, Cadillac may hold most of the cards in the luxury SUV marketing game, but itÂ’s not the only player. For starters, the Lincoln Navigator is quite good, and it takes a very similar approach to truck-based luxury. Both are flashy, cushy and high-tech, and their tuning acknowledges that driving dynamics will never be the strong suit of vehicles this large – though ride comfort certainly can be. To make matters worse, the Europeans are getting serious about their three-row SUV game, and while they may not offer the same body-on-frame capability you get from the Americans, they more than make up for it with brand prestige and state-of-the-art engineering. With such solid competition, Cadillac was not in a position to just phone in the EscaladeÂ’s redesign. The highlight of that effort is a new platform, shared with the new Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, that finally features an independent rear suspension. There's also the gorgeous and tech-rich interior featuring a 38-inch curved OLED dash screen, a new diesel engine option and – stop us if youÂ’ve heard this one before – Super Cruise. While the Escalade does share its fundamentals with the Tahoe and Yukon, the Cadillac-branded variant of GMÂ’s big truck platform always gets special treatment. Only the very base model is available without a leather interior, for example, and the aforementioned in-cabin tech is exclusive to the Escalade. YouÂ’re also limited to just two engine options: the standard 420-horsepower V8 that's the range-topping option on GM's other SUVs, and the new 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six that's good for 277 hp and a V8-matching 460 pound-feet of torque. Both are paired with GMÂ’s 10-speed automatic transmission, and thereÂ’s no price difference, regardless of trim.   Like CadillacÂ’s other offerings, the 2021 Escalade has a split trim hierarchy. Above the base model, you can choose one of two paths: Premium or Sport. The Premium Luxury and Premium Luxury Platinum are your more traditional, flashier options, with lots of chrome and a rich, warm interior. The Sport and Sport Platinum are for those who prefer a more modern, subtle aesthetic, with blackout exterior trim and more subdued interior finishes.

2021 Cadillac Escalade teases us with sliver of a design preview

We know the 2021 Cadillac Escalade will be breaking cover on February 4 to join its full-size GM truck compatriots. And now we know Spike Lee will have the honors of introducing the Cadillac at the Oscars through a short film he directed called “Anthem.” Cadillac also took the opportunity to tease the new Escalade's front end with this nugget of a preview. We get to see the grille, headlight and DRL design of the 2021 Escalade, staring daggers through Spike LeeÂ’s back in a studio. The grille is a traditional Escalade look, eschewing the grille design seen on more recent Cadillac SUVs like the XT6 and XT4. It uses larger silver bars that scythe across the front end as opposed to the mesh and speckled black/chrome seen on the Cadillac crossovers. Similar to the XT6, however, it does go with a horizontal main headlight and a vertical DRL. This marks a departure from the vertically-oriented headlights weÂ’re used to seeing on the biggest Cadillac. WeÂ’ll note that the bumper-width lower grille appears to be done in black, but thereÂ’s no shortage of chrome on this EscaladeÂ’s front end. Our best look at the interior is through a grainy video Cadillac teased to us about a month ago. ItÂ’s going to have 38 inches of curved screen, using OLED technology. ThatÂ’s going to be lovely to look at. The front end teased in this photo is plenty fine, too, but weÂ’re not seeing anything thatÂ’ll upset the apple cart from an exterior design perspective yet.