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GM slashes prices in China as sales falter

Buying a vehicle from General Motors' stable of brands might be a lot cheaper in the near future – at least for customers in China. The effort comes as GM hopes to keep sales there growing, and the decision alludes to yet another sign that the Asian country no longer has the booming auto market of past years. GM and its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC are slashing prices by as much as the equivalent to $8,700 on 40 models from Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac, according to The Detroit News. Across all of automaker's nameplates, the overall sales dipped in China in April by 0.4 percent to 258,484 vehicles. Among the drops, Buick was down 8.5 percent, and Chevy shrunk 5.6 percent. Caddy's numbers increased 4.6 percent for the month, though. Buick remains a popular brand in the minds of Chinese consumers, but according to The Detroit News domestic automakers there are starting to eat into the dominance of foreign companies in the market. The country remains important for GM, though. Late last year, it outlined a future strategy that included China as a major pillar, including a $14 billion investment to build five new factories and boost sales. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Alexander F. Yuan / AP Photo Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM Car Buying Car Dealers saic

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #326 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #326 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
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Cadillac prices the 2020 XT6 crossover from $53,690

Cadillac has announced official pricing for its new XT6 crossover, built in Tennessee. The three-row XT6, Cadillac's first big crossover, starts from $53,690 when it goes on sale later this spring. For that, Cadillac offers the "Premium Luxury" trim level model with front-wheel drive; AWD is optional. Above the Premium Luxury is the XT6 Sport, which comes standard with AWD and starts from $58,090. Both prices include destination charges. The sole engine at this point is the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6, which produces 310 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque; the transmission is a nine-speed automatic. The Premium Luxury and Sport differ visually, with the former offering more chrome and wood, while the latter has blacked-out trim in place of chrome and carbon trim instead of cabin wood. The wheel design is different between the trim levels, and the Premium Luxury has red taillights while the Sport version has clear tails. The Sport model has continuously adjustable shock absorbers. Both models have seven airbags as standard, as well as an HD rear camera, forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking and front pedestrian braking, front and rear park assist, lane change and blind spot alert, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning and rear cross traffic alert. The lighting is LED front and rear; inside, a heated steering wheel is standard, as is a power folding third-row seat and a remotely folding second-row seat. Seven-passenger seating is standard, and a six-passenger setup is optional with captain's chairs for the second row. There are option packages such as the Enhanced Visibility and Technology Package, which adds an eight-inch gauge cluster display and an HUD, both in color, HD surround vision with recording, and automatic parking assist with braking. The Driver Assist package adds adaptive cruise and enhanced AEB, and one can also specify night vision. The XT6 charges phones wirelessly and is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible as standard. It also has a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot with 3GB or three months' worth of data thrown in, and phones are paired via NFC. Cadillac is taking orders for the XT6 starting in March.