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Weekly Recap: Automakers rethink the definition of luxury

Variety is the spice of life, but it's becoming a prerequisite for luxury carmakers in the ultra-competitive US market. The Detroit Auto Show was strong evidence of this reality. It's not enough to offer attractive and well-appointed cars and SUVs anymore. Luxury brands that want to be competitive need to invest in everything from high-powered supercars to clever hybrids. To be relevant, you need to be green and mean – and everything in between. As General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said after the reveal of the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V: "We are not leaving anything on the table." He was speaking for Cadillac, but he might as well have been speaking for the luxury car market. The CTS-V debuted in Detroit about an hour after Lexus surprised showgoers with the reveal of the RC F GT3 race car and then announced ambitious plans to return to competitive racing. That almost overshadowed the fact Lexus had just revealed another potent addition to its growing F line, the 467-hp GS F. View 20 Photos But for luxury brands, it's not just about maximum horsepower for well-heeled enthusiasts or decadent amenities for the Grey Poupon set. Strong competition from all corners has forced automakers to refine and expand their lineups in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. Case in point: Mercedes-Benz finally has an answer to the BMW X6, rolling out the GLE coupe in Detroit. The X6, which blends coupe-like styling cues with some of the functionality of an SUV, debuted in 2008. Back then it was a punchline, but seven years and more than 260,000 sales later, the X6's success has compelled Benz to respond. Mercedes – one of the strongest proponents of diesel technology – also debuted the C350 plug-in hybrid sedan, which promises a range of 20 miles on electricity, though fuel economy figures were not announced. The car pairs Mercedes' well-received 208-hp turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor for total output of 275 hp and 443 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, Infiniti will add the Q30 hatchback to its lineup by the end of the year, new president Roland Kruger reiterated in Detroit. It's expected to be joined by a crossover variant, and the additions will help strengthen Infiniti in the United States and abroad. "While we're expanding our product line, we're also expanding our market reach," he said. That's something echoed by Jaguar executives, who are preparing to launch the brand's first crossover, the F-Pace, in 2016.

Cadillac is bringing a new concept to Pebble Beach

Cadillac will debut a new concept Thursday in Monterey. The company also released teaser video, but it only shows us a few glimpses of interior parts and a concept drawing that seems to show a very minimalistic dashboard. The big draw appears to be the large screen filling in for instruments and infotainment. According to Cadillac, the screens are curved OLED panels co-developed with LG, and the technology behind them will appear in a future Cadillac. Bringing a new concept to the famous Monterey Car Week is a return to form for Cadillac. In past years the company brought beautiful concepts like the full-size, four-door Ciel convertible, and the taught, athletic Elmiraj coupe. The latter of these showcased designed cues that trickled into production Cadillacs. No word (or pictures) on the exterior yet. We'll be sure to have complete coverage of the concept later this week. Related Video: Image Credit: Cadillac Cadillac Concept Cars Videos Pebble Beach

2021 Cadillac Escalade Interior Review | Tech-forward fortress

Of all the interiors that are vital to Cadillac’s success, the new 2021 EscaladeÂ’s is arguably the most important. ItÂ’s supposed to be the best GM can muster, and the previous generation was a distant second to the classically elegant Lincoln Navigator. Cadillac didnÂ’t try to copy LincolnÂ’s success with its redesigned full-sizer, instead opting to follow a more generic theme of tech-forward luxury. When we say tech-forward, though, we mean it. The 38 inches of curved OLED screens we covered in our Escalade infotainment review absolutely dominate the dash in a brazen display of opulence. There isnÂ’t much room for anything else to take center stage, but whatÂ’s there is extremely nice. Large swaths of wood trim stretch across the dash and also adorn a substantial part of the center console. ItÂ’s harder to find something that doesnÂ’t feel like soft-touch leather, wood or metal trim than it is to find cost-cutting materials. There are certainly some areas with the usual black plastic for buttons, but every car company that isnÂ’t Rolls-Royce resorts to plastic at some level. The seating position and ergonomics of the Escalade are a big step up from past models. There was a feeling of claustrophobia in previous Escalades with the whole interior being built up around the driver in an unfriendly manner. This Escalade tones that down with lower and flatter surfaces, along with just being bigger in general. That feeling of expansiveness is great for decompressing and relaxing in the available heated, cooled and massaging seats. Riding in the back is almost as lovely. Switching to an independent rear suspension and making the vehicle longer means more passenger and cargo space (10.3 cu-ft more than before with the third row up). The majority of this is realized in the third row (10.4 inches more than before), where even large adults can sit comfortably with a laid-back seating position. Before, if your knees weren't in your face, it's probably because you gave up and hitched a ride with someone else. A BMW X7 or Mercedes-Benz GLS will still outclass it for materials and third-row features, but the Escalade wins on sheer bigness. Getting back there is a breeze with a huge walkway, though putting the seat back into place is borderline annoying, requiring much more physical effort than a powered second row would. As big as the third row is, sitting in the second row is even better thanks to the massive dual screens mounted to the front headrests.