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de Nysschen pushes to separate Cadillac, GM

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen continues his push to separate his brand from General Motors. After controversially picking up shop and moving to New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood, de Nysschen has now gone on record as saying that within two years, the brand will enjoy "a far higher degree of autonomy and self sufficiency." That autonomy will include the brand reporting its own financial results, independent of GM. But what would such a move do for Cadillac? Well, as de Nysschen explained it to Automotive News, "Cadillac at this state makes a very sizeable contribution to the overall profit at General Motors." If that's truly the case, separating financial announcements serves to emphasize the prosperous character de Nysschen seems so keen on attaching to his brand. But that's only one phase of Cadillac's push to distance itself from GM. De Nysschen is eager to revamp the company's dealership model so that it stands out from other GM brands, calling it a "very profound focus." Those moves, according to AN, including a change to the current dealer incentive model with a particular emphasis on building the brand rather than nailing sales figures. "If you aren't strengthening the brand perception, you should have less reward," de Nysschen told AN. While his goals seem clear, de Nysschen's statements have left us wondering whether they're also somewhat counterintuitive. Emphasizing Caddy's prosperity to potential consumers while incentivizing dealers to move less metal seems more like a tactical move rather than a strategic one. And there's no telling how the new dealership model will impact de Nysschen's goal to hit 500,000 global sales by 2020. Related Video:

CES 2022 was huge for EVs | Autoblog Podcast #711

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. CES took place this week, and there were some nice electric surprises from automakers, especially General Motors. John has been driving the Ram 1500 Power Wagon, as well as what seems to be its polar opposite, the electric Mini Cooper SE. Greg talks about the differences between the Acura TLX A-Spec long-termer (which is back in the shop) and the Type S loaner that's filling in for it. John's also got some interesting thoughts on leather interiors. Finally, the editors reach into the mailbag and help a repeat customer decide on a suitable replacement for a 2008 Lexus GX 470 in this week's Spend My Money segment. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #711 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown CES 2022 2024 Chevy Silverado EV revealed: 664 hp — and Midgate's back 2024 Chevy Silverado EV vs. 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning | How do they compare? Chevy Equinox EV and Blazer EV confirmed for production in 2023 Chrysler Airflow concept previews the brand's all-electric future Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX shoots for 620-mile range Cadillac InnerSpace reimagines the personal luxury coupe What we're driving: 2022 Ram 1500 Power Wagon 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec and Type S long-termers 2022 Mini Cooper SE John's unpopular opinion: Let's do away with leather for good Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:

Cadillac Escalade Diesel Road Test Review | Winning us over

"Nope, I don't like it," I declared to my large son sitting in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade 600D's second-row captain's chairs. “Why?” he asked, staring in awe at the opulence around him and with his very own touchscreen staring back. “ItÂ’s too big. This thingÂ’s gonna suck to park,” I replied. And it did. Even with multiple camera angles, including a 360-degree view, the big Cadillac was a pain to navigate in parking lots. But, slowly, the big lug — the car, not my son — began to grow on me. Sometimes I had to remind myself that this was the diesel Escalade. I couldnÂ’t really hear the clunking of the motor up front or the exhaust running out the rear. I double-checked the tach for the telltale lower redline, and was reassured that I was driving the vehicle I was told would be delivered. Under the hood is GMÂ’s Duramax 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbodiesel engine providing a somewhat meager 277 horsepower – considerably less than the standard 6.2-liter V8Â’s 420 hp. But the Duramax boasts a robust 460 pound-feet of torque, the same torque figure as the V8. The advantage here is that peak torque is accessible from a low 1,500 rpm, while the V8Â’s full twist doesnÂ’t arrive until much higher in the rev range, at 4,100 rpm. The result is an SUV that feels eager to jump off the line and scoot about the neighborhood (if “scoot” is a word that can be applied to such a behemoth). That initial torque hit is almost instantaneous, but the dieselÂ’s staying power does have its limits. ItÂ’s on expressway on-ramps that the Duramax finally seems to labor under this EscaladeÂ’s 6,015-pound curb weight. The numbers on the speedometer just donÂ’t tick away with urgency once you approach highway speeds. That tends to happen with only 277 horsepower. While the sound deadening does a fabulous job of hiding the motor's sound when inside the Escalade, standing outside with the Duramax running leaves no doubt about the diesel mill powering this dressy brute. ItÂ’s not particularly loud or harsh, but the clatter is distinctive when youÂ’d normally expect to hear the humming of a V8 at idle. The 10-speed automatic transmission feels like a good fit for this powertrain. With a redline just over 5,000 rpm, the extra gears minimize time spent at the top of the rev range — a good thing in a vehicle for which low-end torque is king.