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2015 Cadillac Escalade configurator lets you bling it your way

It's Friday, so there must be a new configurator to play with. While last week we showed you how to build your own McLaren 650S, today's ride is a bit more common. It's the 2015 Cadillac Escalade, a vehicle that you've been able to colorize since the end of last year, and which is sure to be an increasingly common sight on US roads in the coming months.
For those that have played with the build-your-Caddy tool, there's not much new here, aside from the vehicle being configured. The Escalade is available in three trims and two wheelbases, with prices spanning from the SWB, two-wheel-drive Standard, which starts at $72,690, on to the all-wheel-drive, long-wheelbase ESV Premium, which kicks off at $86,790. The options list, meanwhile, isn't hugely extensive. A rear-seat entertainment system and power-retractable side-steps (only available on the Premium trim) are the two notable options, while customers will have their choice of six exterior paints and two to three interior schemes, depending on the trim level.
Hop on over to Cadillac's consumer page and take a look.

GM to cut production at 5 plants in North America, kill several models

DETROIT/WASHINGTON — General Motors Co said on Monday it will cut production of slow-selling models and slash its North American workforce in the face of a stagnant market for traditional gas-powered sedans, shifting more investment to electric and autonomous vehicles. The announcement is the biggest restructuring in North America for the U.S. No. 1 carmaker since its bankruptcy a decade ago. GM said it will take pre-tax charges of $3 billion to $3.8 billion to pay for the cutbacks, but expects the actions to improve annual free cash flow by $6 billion by the end of 2020. GM plans to halt production next year at three assembly plants: Lordstown, Ohio, Hamtramck, Michigan, and Oshawa, Ontario. The company also plans to stop building several models now assembled at those plants, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Cadillac CT6 and the Buick LaCrosse, the sources said. Sources said the Chevrolet Volt, Impala and Cadillac XTS would also be discontinued. Signs of the demise of six passenger-car models have been swirling since July. Plants in Baltimore, Maryland, and Warren, Michigan, that assemble powertrain components have no products assigned to them after 2019 and thus are at risk of closure, the company said. It will also close two factories outside North America, but did not identify those plants. The AP reported that 14,700 jobs would be affected. Some 8,100 of those would be white-collar jobs reduced through buyouts or layoffs. The No. 1 U.S. automaker signaled the latest belt-tightening in late October when it offered buyouts to 50,000 salaried employees in North America. The company also said it will cut executive ranks by 25 per cent to "streamline decision making." Some 6,000 factory workers could lose their jobs or be transferred to other plants. Its shares were last up 6.2 percent at $38.16. Tariff 'headwinds' and cost-cutting GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra told reporters on Monday the company can reduce annual capital spending by $1.5 billion and increase investment in electric and autonomous vehicles and connected vehicle technology because it has largely completed investing in new generations of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some 75 percent of its global sales will come from just five vehicle architectures by early in the 2020s. It plans to reduce annual capital spending to $7 billion by 2020 from an average of $8.5 billion a year during the 2017-2019 period.

2020 Cadillac CT5 revealed, will replace the CTS

Between the end of most of Cadillac's sedan offerings and the launch of the underwhelming XT6 crossover, things were looking dreary at the American luxury brand. But now we get an exciting surprise in the reveal of the 2020 Cadillac CT5 sedan. It's a clean, and arguably conservative-looking sedan, but there are a number of things that have us intrigued. The sedan is clearly the CTS replacement, since the name falls just below the flagship CT6 sedan. Under the hood are two familiar Cadillac engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 and a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. Power numbers haven't been announced, but expect each to make similar power to the current CTS: 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque for the four-cylinder and 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque for the V6. Rear drive and all-wheel drive are available, and both engines get a 10-speed automatic transmission. The car also adopts the trim level scheme introduced by the XT4 and XT6 crossovers, which means there are just two choices, Sport and Luxury. The Sport model, pictured in gray, has a more aggressive front fascia and dark taillights, while the Luxury model, shown in burgundy, has a more demure appearance and classic red taillights. We only get a glimpse of the interior, and it shows the latest electronic gear shifter shared with Cadillac's recent crossovers, along with a physical knob for interacting with the infotainment system. Cadillac announced that the car will make its public debut at the New York Auto Show, and it will be built at the Grand River factory in Lansing, Mich. We expect to get more details and images of the car when it's revealed at the show.