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Despite strong profits, GM still fighting flat market share

Looking at the progress General Motors has made since it entered bankruptcy, it's easy to forget that the company still has a long way to go before it's the juggernaut it once was. A recent report from Reuters points out that, while GM is making money, it isn't making any gains in terms of US market share. Quite the opposite, really. Consider this factoid: In 1963, nearly half of the cars sold in the United States were from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC or Pontiac. Now, the company's US market share is stagnant at 17.9 percent. That same number is half of just Chevy's 1963 market share. This is all despite GM going on a binge replacing or updating its models. "Market share increases are not instantaneous," Mark Reuss told Reuters at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. "We've got a lot of baggage. Don't underestimate what people though of us, or these brands, through these hardships and 30 years." The reasons for the stagnant market share are numerous. Reuters points out that retooling of factories and a focus on limiting incentives are both good things for profit, but not necessarily for market share. There's also the troubling turnover of the brand's marketing department. These issues don't change the fact that Chevrolet has lost 1.4 percent of its market share in two years, and that Cadillac - arguably GM's most improved brand overall - has lost 1.2 percent in the same period. Part of that can be blamed on GM's avoidance of fleet sales in favor of more profitable customer sales. "Our focus has really been on retail and that's where we've got the growth," said Alan Batey, GM's interim global marketing boss. "We want to grow GM and that means growing market share and profits, but it's not at all costs," Reuss said. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: paul bica - Flickr CC 2.0 Earnings/Financials Buick Cadillac GM GMC sales profits

Cadillac XT4-V on the way?

An anonymous photographer sent Cadillac Society two tightly cropped images of an XT4 crossover wearing two surprising badges. On the right, above the taillight, there's a 2.7 badge, In the lower right corner there's a V Series badge — the full-fat, multicolored V badge, not the monochrome V-Sport version. The images — assuming they're real — elicit more questions and no answers, the first being, is this the XT4 V-Sport that's been rumored since last October? Back then, GM Authority discovered front and rear images of such a vehicle hiding in plain sight, on a Cadillac site landing page. The backside of a thick-hipped XT4 is graced with the old V-Sport badge. We know the carmaker has split its V Series cars into two tiers, the lower intended to be less intimidating than before, the upper tier the continuation of the mongo V Series cars we've known and loved. The hints have been that the entry level will be called V Series, while the upper level takes the name "Blackwing," after the name of Cadillac's new 4.2-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine. With Mark Reuss himself having said, "We got rid of all the V-Sports," this supposed XT4-V offers more proof that V Series effectively represents a new V-Sport line. The only cosmetic giveaways to increased performance we can see are a carbon fiber trim in the license plate area, and an exhaust treatment similar to that on the recently introduced CT4-V. We're not certain what the 2.7 badge means for V branding on crossovers. The standard XT4 wears a 2.0 badge on the tailgate, representing its 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The XT5 gets a number, too, but the XT6 does not. GM's 2.7-liter four cylinder with 311 hp and 348 lb-ft first showed up in the Chevy Silverado, will get 320 hp and 369 lb-ft in the coming CT4-V, and has been predicted for the XT4-V. However, V cars — both Sport and Series — have never worn displacement badges. The new CT4-V and CT5-V go without numerical identifiers on their decklids. If there is an XT4-V on the way this year, we only have a few months before we see it and get some answers.

2021 Cadillac Escalade Review | What's new, features, photos, Super Cruise price

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is a heavyweight mammoth that is unapologetically bold and quintessentially Escalade. Its general shape and design still plummets from the same tree as a Chevy Tahoe or Suburban, but there’s no mistaking this SUVÂ’s new look for anything but a bejeweled, bold and brash Cadillac. That said, it does take advantage of all the lovely new engineering enhancements made throughout the GM SUV lineup, including the latest-generation magnetic dampers and a new air suspension system. Combined with the long-awaited independent rear suspension design, these pieces bring the EscaladeÂ’s ride up to par with the most comfortable and luxurious SUVs on sale today.  In addition to the ride improvement, CadillacÂ’s new interior is a tech and luxury fortress befitting its price. The new triple OLED screens scream luxury, and the design makes it competitive with LincolnÂ’s gorgeous Navigator once more (a far more comfortable and usable third-row seat helps in that regard, too). Under the hood, there's an interesting new powertrain option with this generation of Escalade: a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six that brings decent fuel efficiency (23 mpg combined at its best) to a class of vehicle that typically achieves horrendously low figures. In total, with more space, more efficiency and vast improvements in every other category, the 2021 Escalade is poised to stand toe-to-toe with other luxury behemoths.  WhatÂ’s new for 2021? The Escalade is all-new for 2021. ItÂ’s the modelÂ’s first big redesign since the 2015 model year. 2021 Cadillac Escalade Sport Platinum View 60 Photos What are the Escalade interior and in-car technology like? The Escalade doesn't quite achieve the same elevated sense of fashion as Lincoln does with the Navigator, but it nevertheless makes a statement with its tech-forward take on luxury. The 38 inches of curved OLED screens we covered in our Escalade infotainment review dominate the dash in a brazen display of opulence. Large swaths of wood trim stretch across the dash horizontally and also adorn a substantial part of the center console. Your color and design options are plentiful, but it all depends on trim. The purple Dark Auburn is fantastic, and the light-and-airy Whisper Beige is another great option (pictured below). Real wood trim in various colors and patterns can be had, and varying levels of leather and suede coverage are available.