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GM may kill 6 car models as it works with UAW to tackle sales slump

The president of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday the union is talking with General Motors about the potential threat to plants and jobs from slumping U.S. car sales. GM's response will be more trucks and SUVs, and sources say at least six slow-selling car models may be killed off. "We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have" at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio, and whether they might be replaced with newer, more popular vehicles such as crossovers, Dennis Williams told reporters. "We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it," Williams added. GM has cut shifts at several U.S. plants this year as inventories of unsold cars have ballooned. Industry analysts said more jobs could be at risk as the automaker wrestles with permanently shrinking production of small and midsized sedans. GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model, Reuters has learned from people familiar with the plans. Other GM cars at risk include the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, sources said. Some analysts have singled out GM's Hamtramck plant in Detroit as one of the most vulnerable because of plummeting car sales. The plant, which opened in 1985, builds four slow-selling models: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. In the first half, it built fewer than 35,000 cars, down 32 percent from the same period in 2016, according to suppliers familiar with GM's U.S. production schedule. The typical GM assembly plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year.COMING ATTRACTIONS: TRUCKS AND SUVS GM must "create some innovative new products" to replace slow-selling sedans "or start closing plants," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. The auto maker already has begun to shift future production plans from cars to trucks, according to Morgan Stanley auto analyst John Murphy. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the new vehicle models that GM will introduce over the next four years will be passenger cars, with the rest divided among trucks, SUVs and crossovers. GM plans to add production of the new Cadillac XT4 crossover next year to its Malibu sedan plant in Fairfax, Kansas.

Cadillac CT6 refresh has hints of Escala

Almost a year after Cadillac showed its stunning Escala concept at Pebble Beach, we're finally seeing some of that car's influence on production cars. These spy shots reveal that the CT6 will undergo a mild refresh, and despite the camouflage, we can make out details that show it will have looks more in line with the concept. One of the defining characteristics of the Escala were narrow, horizontal headlights, while the current CT6 has long, vertical lamps that go up the tops of the fenders. This prototype seems to split the difference. The bases of the lights terminate higher up on the fascia, emulating the Escala, but still travel up the fenders. It also appears that the LED accent lights remain, but it's possible they've been separated from the main lamps to become more like the concept. The grille has also been revised. It's hard to make out the exact shape, but the insert is the same type of mesh as the Escala's, with little highlights that look like miniature Cadillac crests. The full-size, full-color crest also appears to sit higher in the grille, which is another nod toward the concept. The lower grille in the front bumper also looks larger and more angular. That doesn't really lean toward either model, but should give the car an edgier look. The rest of the car looks generally the same as the current model. Even the tail shows little indication of changes. It's possible that the rear taillights could have an Escala-like horizontal section at the top of the trunk lid, but there's nothing visible on this prototype that would confirm that change either way. Since this is a relatively mild refresh, we would expect to see it fully revealed early next year. Related Video:

Cadillac CT6 loses the entry-level 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder

General Motors continues its engine rationalization among product lines. A few days after Chevrolet dropped the old-generation LTG 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Traverse, Cadillac has jettisoned the new-gen LSY 2.0-liter turbo four from the CT6 range. Given a look at the dealer ordering system, Cadillac Society said the 2.0-liter option shows "built out" or "no longer available," and the online configurator at the Cadillac site confirms the omission. The retired engine can be had in the XT4 crossover, rated at the same 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This means a couple of things for the big sedan. The CT6 entry price was $50,495 before destination, but fitted with the now-base 3.6-liter six-cylinder, the entry price has gone up to $55,495. The other change is that rear-wheel drive is no longer available; the three remaining engine choices come with all-wheel drive. Those engines are the NA 3.6-liter V6 with 335 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 404 hp and 400 lb-ft, and coming in a few months, the detuned 4.2-liter Blackwing twin-turbo V8 with 500 hp and 574 lb-ft, down from 550 hp and 627 lb-ft. Cadillac Society thinks one of the possibilities for making the move could be that GM is having a hard time meeting demand for the 2.0-liter. That might be, but we think no matter the reason, the result puts more logical pricing between the midsize CTS/CT5 and the full-size luxury flagship. We don't know how Cadillac will price the coming CT5, but there's now an $8,005 difference between the CTS and the CT6, instead of the $4,000 gap when the 2.0-liter was a CT6 option. Mercedes-Benz, for instance, puts a $12,000 gap between the C-Class and the E-Class, a $38,000 gulf between the E-Class and the S-Class. There's a $19,000 difference between an Audi A4 and A6, a $25,000 difference between an A6 and an A8. It isn't clear if this will affect every other market where the CT6 is sold. The Canadian, Mexican, and French Cadillac site configurators don't list the 2.0-liter turbo, but the Chinese Cadillac site does.