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Cadillac sales chief fired over policy violation

Amidst a good year for Cadillac, which is experiencing higher sales gains than any other US brand this year, the US sales chief has been fired over a policy violation, Automotive News reports.
The sales chief, Chase Hawkins, "has left effective immediately," GM spokesman David Caldwell told Automotive News. Caldwell went on to say that Hawkins' replacement would be chosen soon.
Hawkins became the US sales chief in June 2012, and before that was the regional sales director for Cadillac in the Northeast US, overseeing 168 dealerships.

Cadillac will build a Tesla fighter, sources say, as GM's leading EV brand

WASHINGTON — Cadillac is expected to become General Motors' lead electric vehicle brand as the largest U.S. automaker gears up to introduce a new model under that luxury marquee to challenge Tesla, two people briefed on the matter said Thursday. GM is set to announce Friday as part of an investor update that a Cadillac will be the first vehicle based on its forthcoming "BEV3" platform, the people said. The vehicle platform is the basis for vehicle underpinnings, including the battery system and other structural and mechanical parts. GM is not expected to disclose on Friday additional details, including precisely when the Cadillac EV will be built, whether it will be a crossover or sedan, or where it will be assembled, the sources said. A GM spokesman declined to comment. GM had previously focused on making electric vehicles under its mass market Chevrolet brand, including its plug-in Chevrolet Volt and battery electric Bolt. GM announced last year it was ending production of the plug-in Volt as well as a low-selling plug-in Cadillac CT6, even as it moved to boost EV spending. GM said in November as part of its restructuring efforts it was doubling resources for electric and autonomous vehicle programs over the next two years. Last month, two Ohio senators asked GM to commit to building all future electric vehicles for U.S. buyers within the country. GM said in 2017 it planned by 2021 to introduce a new dedicated flexible electric vehicle architecture and an advanced battery system to support the development of at least 20 new models in the United States and China. GM said in 2017 that a new electric vehicle platform in 2021 will serve as a base for at least nine derivatives, ranging from a compact crossover to a large seven-passenger luxury sports utility vehicle and a large commercial van. Johan de Nysschen, who was then Cadillac's president, told Reuters at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2018 the luxury brand will play a "central role" in GM's electrification strategy, including China. He added that Cadillac would be "at the forefront" of rolling out new electric vehicles in the United States and China. He left GM in April. This week, GM said Cadillac sales in China rose 17.2 percent in 2018, surpassing 200,000 units for the first time. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra has said that GM aims to sell 1 million electric vehicles a year by 2026, many of them in China, which has set strict production quotas on such vehicles.

2020 Cadillac XT5 leaks onto web, adopts elements from smaller XT4

Cadillac just showed the new XT6 at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, but today's news covers its smaller brother the XT5. A couple of leaked images on GM Authority along with information about the cars squirmed its way onto the web for the 2020 mid-cycle refresh, and we have the details for you. In looking at the shots here, not much has changed. The mesh grille is the most obvious update, adopting the same look as the compact XT4 crossover. Its lower grille has ever-so-slightly grown in size, and the headlights and taillights get new internal LED designs. Yawn. Better news comes out of the powertrain side. Information from the leak suggests GM's updated 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder will be tapped for duty. As of now, the 2.0-liter offered in international markets has not been an option in the U.S. That could very well change this time around, since it's already being used in one Cadillac — see our first drive of the XT4 with this engine for the full breakdown on its improved refinement and efficiency. The 3.6-liter V6 will undoubtedly carry over, but it'll be getting the GM nine-speed automatic also paired to the new four-cylinder. This should be a marked improvement over the Aisin-based eight-speed torque converter it makes do with now. We weren't exactly blown away by the Cadillac XT6's interior, but expect styling elements from the slightly newer Caddy SUV to make its way to the XT5, too. A reveal for this updated crossover should be on its way soon, as GM will most likely be selling the updated 2020 XT5 before the year is done. We asked GM if it could confirm or deny any of the information in this report, and will update when we hear back. Related video: