1989 Cadillac Eldorado Base Coupe 2-door 4.5l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac's Johan de Nysschen clarifies a few points on the brand's future

Last week, Motor Trend ran coverage on a journo roundtable with Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen. During the roundtable, de Nysschen cited a few reasons for the decline in sedan sales, including gas prices, "young consumers" — read, millennials — less interested in driving dynamics than lifestyle accessories, and the state of U.S. infrastructure. Jalopnik homed in on the last two reasons, and those became the story, including here in our post on the roundtable. So de Nysschen called Jalopnik to add more context. The original reaction pieces painted de Nysschen's rationales as an excuse for sporty sedans not selling well, when the issue is Cadillac's sporty sedans not selling well. His main clarification: "I wasn't advocating the idea that the world is black and white, that if you're a young buyer a millennial or a teenager that you don't enjoy driving." On that note, it would be ridiculous to deny millennial and sedan-segment bugbears; de Nysschen has market research and the industry-wide, rabbit-like crossover breeding program to back him up. Yet even as he touted the success of the XT5, noting that it's "the third-best-selling luxury nameplate in the U.S. after the Lexus RX, and the Mercedes C-Class," he could add, "But the irony is not lost on me that the C-Class is a sedan." The circumstances laid out in the follow-up piece inject more likely color into the situation: the brand's onetime, singleminded focus on the U.S., followed by a singleminded focus on China that left the U.S. market wanting for attention. We could add to that: years of lackluster products and awful attempts at volume and brand engineering under the old GM at the same time that downsized premium luxury products, crossovers, and SUVs began their rocketship trajectories; trying to live off the Escalade success; and the carmaker's desire not to offend its older, traditional buyers while concurrently wooing "coastal influencers." De Nysschen also acknowledged that Cadillac interiors aren't where they need to be, saying, "We recognize that's where we want to improve." The result, as de Nysschen put it, "We're playing with the hand that we've been dealt.

2020 Cadillac CT6 losing the 3.0-liter TT V6?

In April we learned Cadillac would no longer offer the 2.0-liter four-cylinder on the CT6. The same day we heard the news, the CT6 configurator showed that engine option gone, leaving three engines on the menu. That menu could lose another option come 2020, according to a report in AutoVerdict. The site says it got an order guide for the 2020 CT6, and the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 won't make it to the new year. That engine was once the top-tier choice, since eclipsed by the detuned 4.2-liter twin-turbo Blackwing V8 imminently available on the Platinum trim. AutoVerdict also read in the order guide that the horsepower figures haven't been finalized for next year's model. As it stands, the entry-level 3.6-liter six-cylinder makes 335 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 produces 404 hp and 400 lb-ft, and the 4.2-liter V8 ginning up 500 hp and 574 lb-ft when it arrives. Retiring the middle option ostensibly puts a big ol' gap in output and pricing between the two models left. Right now $24,200 separates the entry-level Premium Luxury from the Platinum. However, since the present Platinum uses the 3.0-liter, it's safe to guess that the 4.2-liter V8 will cost more, creating a larger gap. The Sport model in between uses the 3.0-liter, too. Perhaps that goes away, or maybe it stays and gets further cosmetic upgrades to give it more edge and a higher price. Another change coming to the 2020 CT6 is its induction into Cadillac's metric-unit torque-based badging system. This, remember, converts pound-foot torque into Newton-meters, then rounds up to the nearest 50. That means the 3.0-liter V6 will wear a 400 badge, the 4.2-liter V8 gets an 800T badge - the T standing for turbo. The year's been full of engine rationalizations at General Motors. Theories about the CT6 dropping the 2.0-liter figured it might have been about making space above the CT5, or guaranteeing supply for other GM models that use the engine, like the Cadillac XT4. The folks at AutoVerdict suspect the 3.0-liter TTV6 could be making the move to the CT5, and to the hot-headed CT4-V we'll be getting a look at come the end of this month. Related Video:

Cadillac to fight Audi A3, Mercedes CLA with small rear-drive sedan?

Compact luxury sedans are fast becoming the trend among upscale automakers. Mercedes has the new CLA (and its many platform-mates), BMW has the 1 Series and 2 Series, Audi has the A3 and, though Lexus apparently isn't interested in anything smaller than its CT 200h, Infiniti is getting in on the action with a compact model of its own. It would only follow logically, then, that Cadillac should launch a competitor, and according to the latest reports, that's just what it has in store.
Speaking with Car and Driver, Cadillac marketing chief Uwe Ellinghaus confirmed that such a project is in the works. But unlike its rivals, Cadillac aims to go with a rear-wheel-drive layout. This despite research that apparently indicates that a surprising 80 percent of owners think that their BMW 1 Series is front-drive. It's the driving dynamics and styling proportions that motivate Ellinghaus and his colleagues to stick with rear-drive, however.
The new model would in all likelihood be based on the same GM Alpha architecture that underpins the ATS and CTS - a platform that has helped Cadillac keep the weight down on both models and which is expected to underpin the next-generation Chevy Camaro, as well. The sub-ATS could be positioned as a four-door 2+2, however, as the ATS grows a little larger in its next iteration in order to make room for its new baby brother.