1959 Cadillac Fleetwood on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

First Cadillac ELR rolls off the line

Gearing up for the Belle Isle Grand Prix this weekend, General Motors invited some of the Chevrolet and Cadillac racecar drivers out to its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. While there, the racers - including IndyCar Driver and Chevrolet Volt owner, Simona De Silvestro - witnessed the very first 2014 Cadillac ELR to roll off the assembly line.
These vehicles are not destined for customers, however, but instead pre-production units will be used by engineers for testing purposes. Actual production of ELR consumer models is expected to commence closer to the end of this year. As a refresher, this range-extended electric Cadillac shares much of its powertrain with the Volt but will have a sportier coupe design inspired by the Converj Concept. De Silvestro manged to snap a few images of here own, which you can see in the gallery below.

Diesel engine will be a no-cost option on 2021 Cadillac Escalade

Pricing for the redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade was revealed yesterday, with the various trim levels ranging from $77,490 to $101,290 including $1,295 destination. And while we also learned that all-wheel drive will be a $3,000 option, what's surprising is that the optional 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine will cost $0, this according to official pricing info released by Cadillac. The diesel is one of two engine choices for the new 2021 Escalade, the other being a 6.2-liter V8. The engine also is coming to the 2021 Chevrolet and GMC full-size SUVs, but it's not yet known what the upcharge will be there, if any. Already, the 3.0-liter I6 diesel is offered in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, where it is currently a $2,500 option over the 6.2-liter V8. The Duramax inline-six turbodiesel is an aluminum-block design with dual overhead camshafts and a single, variable-geometry turbocharger. Cadillac quotes preliminary outputs of 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter V8, meanwhile, musters 420 horses and the same torque output. The primary draw for the diesel is expected to be fuel economy. EPA estimates for the diesel engine in the Escalade (and in the GMC and Chevrolet full-size utes) have not yet been released. But in the pickup trucks, the engine returns 23 city/33 highway miles per gallon with rear-wheel drive and 23/29 mpg with four-wheel drive. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade had been scheduled to reach dealerships this summer, but it's not known whether that date might slip due to the current shutdown at GM's assembly plants. Related Video: