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2019 Cadillac XT4 First Drive Review | Fashionably late

SEATTLE, Wash. — The 2019 Cadillac XT4 compact crossover debuted in New York, Cadillac's recently-adopted home, several months ago. Since then, a lot's changed. Cadillac honcho Johan de Nysschen got the boot, the economy's continued to improve, and we've changed coasts to experience the XT4. The setting is Seattle and its environs, a place that embodies the moment – a town flush with tech money and outdoor lifestyle experiences. Oh, and traffic. Lots of that. What hasn't changed is that this is a vehicle that Cadillac desperately needs. Between and below the Escalade and XT5 are vast gulfs of white space that could swallow entire crossover-focused brands. The dealers, we imagine, howled. And de Nysschen was replaced, it turns out, by a career GM exec with a penchant for building bridges with dealers. Must be a coincidence. The XT4 should please everybody involved in that power struggle. It's cute, for one, which will make for happier dealer-customer interactions. It brings appreciable but unintimidating technological advances to a brand looking to flex some segment leadership muscles. And it doesn't strictly feel like a rebadged version of a lower-tier product, a bad habit that Cadillac keeps failing to kick. We'll discuss its competition within its segment, and how they compare to the XT4, in another piece to follow. If you're wondering where the XT4 comes from, the easiest way to think about it is as a cut-down version of the basic underpinnings of the XT5, wrapped in nicely-proportioned sheetmetal. To be blunt, there's more unadorned plastic on the lower fascia and rockers than we'd like at this price point, but the rest is handsome. Large, elegant lamps sit at both ends, set off with trendy creasing and little accent vents – Sport models have clear taillight elements, while others have red-tinted lenses. The XT5, itself a newer vehicle, looks outclassed and dated instantly when put up next to its sleeker, more modern little sibling. The interior, however, is more alike than different. The major shapes are similar, as are the placement of the switchgear. The 8.0-inch infotainment screen is, as in the XT5, embedded in a slabby wedge of dash. It's still a touchscreen, but a little dial now provides an alternate way to navigate. A Qi charging panel and easily accessible, but not too prominent, USB, charging, and aux inputs reside just above. The seats in our tester, a Premium Luxury trim, are covered in a soft, warm caramel-colored leather.

Cadillac Live virtual showroom is open for business in the U.S.

Cadillac launched the streaming showroom known as Cadillac Live in Canada earlier this year. The program places a Cadillac product specialist in an open studio laid out similar to a dealership. Equipped with an iPhone X on an Osmo Mobile gimbal and a Bluetooth headset, the specialist conducts one-way video chats with car buyers shopping for Cadillacs and owners who have questions about their cars. Now Cadillac Live has arrived in the United States. Described as "part personal shopper and part interactive digital showroom," it's aimed at converting luxury shoppers into Wreath and Crest buyers by making the research experience simpler. The automaker says it has data showing that "71% of customers report switching to a competitor’s product after finding their selection process easier." As well as being able to show and demonstrate 10 physical vehicles and their features, product specialists will be able to use a tablet app interface to run through color and accessory options. Shoppers and buyers with questions can reach a Cadillac Live agent from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET on Friday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Calls can be taken on demand or scheduled at the Cadillac Live site, call appointments can be made for times outside of the traditional opening hours, and multiple callers can participate. U.S. customers in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York who like what they discover can automatically be connected to a local dealer to move on to the next phase. And video calls are one-way, so work-from-home types need not worry about broadcasting their coffee-stained "Beast Mode" workwear. 

GM to accelerate its EV strategy — Cadillac could be all-electric by 2025

General Motors will roll out details of an expanded and accelerated electric vehicle strategy on Thursday in an effort to convince investors it can be a serious competitor to Tesla, people familiar with the plans said. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra, who is scheduled to speak at a conference hosted by Barclays, is expected to say the automaker is ready to spend more on electric models by 2025 than the $20 billion previously outlined, the sources said. Supplier sources said previous plans to make the Cadillac brand all-electric by 2030 are being sped up, possibly to 2025, and other sources said that acceleration will be repeated in other brands and in segments such as commercial vans. Asked about the Thursday appearance, a GM spokeswoman called talk of increased spending speculative and declined to give details. The Detroit automaker is also expected to discuss a new timeline for many of the EVs to follow those already identified, such as the GMC Hummer EV pickup and Cadillac Lyriq crossover, people familiar with the plans said. Lyriq (shown above) is slated to go into production in late 2022, but GM officials have been stung by criticism the automaker was bringing the vehicle to market too late, one source said. "The pull-ahead in programs is real and the organization is really doubling down on speeding up product development," the source said. Barra and other GM executives have been signaling the automaker's EV acceleration plans. She said earlier this month GM would boost capital spending over the next three years to speed EV development and was talking with other automakers about partnerships to develop more vehicles using GM's battery technology. Last week, a GM executive said the company had pulled forward the rollout of two "major" EV programs, and GM officials have touted the faster 18-month development time for the Hummer truck. Tesla's soaring market capitalization, and growing pressure from regulators to phase out carbon-emitting engines, has put pressure on established automakers to respond to investors who view their internal combustion lineups as outmoded and doomed in the long run. A critical part of GM's pitch to investors has been its new Ultium batteries, which it estimates will offer an electric driving range of 400 miles or more on a single charge. It is building a battery plant with Korean battery maker LG Chem in northeast Ohio.