2013 Cadillac Escalade Lux Sunroof Nav Dvd 22's 27k Mi Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cadillac ATS was almost front-wheel drive

"We were going to do a front-wheel drive Cadillac compact off of Delta because it was going to be less expensive," Doug Parks, General Motors' vice president of global product programs, told the Automotive News during the Detroit Auto Show in January of this year. That sentence, referring to early ATS discussions more than five years ago - a period when the automaker, and the industry, was struggling - reveals that Cadillac's highly acclaimed rear-wheel drive compact sedan almost never happened.
Parks revealed that that automaker actually built a 2.0-liter test mule, on GM's Delta platform (shared with the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano) and tested it in Europe. While the prototype was "pretty darn good," according to Parks, the team realized that in order to compete against Mercedes-Benz and BMW it would have to invest in a new rear-wheel drive platform.
The resulting all-new Alpha platform would eventually underpin the Cadillac ATS, and many would argue that its balanced rear-wheel drive chassis is its single most important attribute. Thankfully, the Alpha's goodness won't stop with the ATS. The upcoming 2014 Cadillac CTS and the future Camaro will also share its architecture, meaning the Cimarron will remain a distant memory.

Weekly Recap: Ford GT inspires guitar, foosball table, sailboat

Ford design vice president Moray Callum had just wrapped up a briefing on the interior of the Ford GT last month, but something seemed out of place. He grinned and pointed behind him, "You might be wondering why I have a boat behind me," he said mischievously. It was there because Ford set its designers on a mission to stretch and showcase their talents: design non-automotive objects inspired by the interior of the GT supercar. Callum received quite a response, too. His team produced a guitar, a foosball table (yeah bro!), a racing sailboat, a Wi-Fi speaker and some furniture. As the veteran design chief explained, "It's a really great exercise both to highlight our designers' talents, but also to really see how our design philosophy can work and how you can use it and get a common response back from a worldwide design team." Guitar View 25 Photos The objects have been on display this week at the Salone del Mobile furniture and fashion design fair in Milan, Italy, where Ford has had a presence for three years. There's also a light exhibition that apparently was inspired by the GT, as well. While this might seem a little far-fetched for the automaker, Ford said exhibitions like the Salone del Mobile give its designers another way to be creative and ultimately produce striking interior style. Ford wants this to be a differentiator, as research shows consumers are placing emphasis on the layout and features inside when they're making a decision about buying a new car. It's a little light hearted – but it's also potentially big business. Other News & Notes Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for Buick General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said the Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for a large Buick, though "not yet," Automotive News reported. The underpinnings can accommodate rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and would give Buick the large flagship it lacks. The report jibes with comments Reuss made at a roundtable with Autoblog and other reporters at the New York Auto Show. When asked if Buick had space for a large car on the CT6 chassis, he replied, "Yeah, I think it does. Yeah, I think we do." Buick has revamped its lineup in recent years with attractive crossovers and small and midsize sedans, but hasn't added the proverbial flagship that's yearned for by enthusiasts. Buick surprised industry observers with the stylish Avenir concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year that raised the possibility of a halo sedan.

Cadillac CT5 Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The Cadillac CT5 is a midsize luxury sedan. At least by today's standards. By the standards of Cadillac's past, it's practically a compact. At 193.8 inches long, the CT5 is 3 inches shorter than its STS predecessor of 15 years ago and 11 inches shorter than the Seville of 25 years ago. This is significant since virtually every other car brand's offerings have grown from generation-to-generation. See the BMW 5 Series as just one example. You'd have to go back to the 1980s to find a CT5 ancestor that's smaller, though that stubby thing was an aberration.   Honestly, I'm just sharing that because I think it's interesting. This post is about trunk space, and exterior size doesn't necessarily equate to how much junk you can fit in the trunk. In fact, the CT5 is pretty good example of that. Although smaller than its predecessors, the CT5 is still an awfully big car that's comparable to other midsize luxury sedans, including the 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The trunk, however, is notably smaller than what you'd get in those with a rather rinky-dink 11.9 cubic feet. That's coupe territory and less than what you'd get in some subcompact sedans. The A6 and E-Class are in the 13-cube range, while the 5 Series apparently has 14.5 cubic feet.  So, how small is 11.9 cubic feet? Although plenty wide at the rear, which should be handy for golf clubs, the CT5's trunk isn't very long compared to all those competitors. The A6's is narrower but also practically a tunnel by comparison. Also, note the ramp-like structures along the outer edges. Besides making loading a hassle, they effectively make the trunk even smaller than the 11.4 cubic-feet that's technically there since it's so difficult to load items right up to the wheel wells. You can see a closer look at those "ramps" above left along with the smallish pass through that oddly looks like a previous-generation Hyundai Sonata's grille.  Above right you can see the underfloor storage. There is no spare tire.  Besides those "ramps" impeding luggage loading from below, these giant speakers hanging down from the parcel shelf sure don't help, either. Watch your hands while loading, as well as anything that might be easily scratched (or that might damage the speakers) OK, let's get to the bags.