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Cadillac teases CT4 and CT5 V-Series Blackwing steering wheel

There's quite a bit that we know about the upcoming Cadillac V-Series Blackwing models. Thanks to spy shooters and prototypes, we've seen the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing out and about testing on public roads, which means we've seen the bronze wheels in staggered sizes. We've been told they will offer proper manual transmissions, and we know they will lap a race track quicker than the ATS-V and CTS-V they replace. And now we know what their steering wheels will look like. It's not much to base an entire teaser on, but there are a few interesting tidbits we can glean from Caddy's first official Blackwing tease. First, the wheel itself. It's leather wrapped (not Alcantra, at least on this example), it looks to have meaty bulges where you'll want to grip it, it has a red strip at the top to help locate straight ahead while driving aggressively, and it has a carbon fiber V-shaped spoke at the bottom. Finally, we see a prominent silver button labeled "V" on the left side that will allow drivers to quickly access V-Mode. To the right will be buttons for the Performance Traction Management system. Judging by the fuzzy background behind the wheel that shows some sort of digital gauge cluster, it seems that Cadillac may be aiming for a 200-mile-per-hour top speed for the CT5-V. That's not a stretch, as the last-generation CTS-V could hit that speed, too. Cadillac smartly took this shot in a way that blurs the center console, which means there's plenty more time to speculate on the transmission choices. Cadillac says the V-Series Blackwing models will be ready in time for the summer of 2021. Stay tuned. Related Video:  

2023 Cadillac Lyriq production model revealed with range, power, price

We got our first look at the Cadillac Lyriq's design last August, and now the company is revealing the official production version of the electric crossover. The good news is that it looks almost identical to the preproduction version no matter where you look, inside or outside the car. It has the same long hood, low roof, creased body work, illuminated grille and groovy taillights. The interior retains the 33-inch instrument and infotainment screen and wood and metal trim. Only detail changes to things like the camera in the grille and the reworked control knob in the center console distinguish it from the concept. So if it basically looks the same, what's new here? Well, we finally have specifics on all the stuff that powers the concept-car body. At launch, the Lyriq will only be offered with a single motor and rear-wheel drive. The motor makes 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque funneled through a single-speed transmission. Supplying the motor with juice is a 100-kWh battery, though Cadillac didn't specify if that's the usable capacity or gross capacity. Cadillac estimates that the battery will provide more than 300 miles of range on a single charge. The initial models will be equipped with on-board charging equipment that can handle 19.2-kW Level 2 charging and 190-kW DC fast charging. The former can add 52 miles of range in an hour, and the latter can add 76 miles of range in 10 minutes and 195 miles in half an hour. Cadillac has made no mention of an 800-volt extra-fast DC charging system like in the GMC Hummer EV. There's a chance a system like that could be offered later, just like the forthcoming all-wheel-drive Lyriq variant. The Lyriq rides on multi-link independent suspension at all four corners, using "passive-plus" shocks, so it won't be adaptive or use GM's fancy magnetic suspension, at least at launch. Braking is provided by large 17-inch rotors at the front and 18-inch units at the back, welcome additions for the 5,610-pound crossover. Cadillac also gave us some basics on what equipment will be offered with the first run of Lyriqs. Only two colors, a silver and a black, will be available to begin with, and another silver will come a tad later. We imagine more colors will be offered on later Lyriq models. The interior comes in gray or black. Twenty-inch wheels are standard with 22-inch examples available as an option.

GM might lose 90-year U.S. sales crown over chip shortage

Automotive News editor Nick Bunkley tweeted on October 1 that according to AutoNews data, General Motors "has been the largest seller of vehicles in the U.S. every year since passing Ford in 1931." With automakers having turned in light car and truck sales data for the first three quarters of 2021, GM's 90-year-run might not reach 91. According to AN figures, Toyota was 80,401 vehicles ahead when the October workday started. Worse, GM is so far behind its historic pace that it might only sell enough light vehicles in the U.S. to match its numbers from 1958.  Meanwhile, the New York Times put a few more salient numbers to the pain GM and Toyota are enduring alongside the the rest of the industry. GM sold 33% fewer cars in Q3 2021 than it did in Q3 2019 during the dark days of the pandemic, 446,997 units this year as opposed to 665,192 last year. GM's Q3 2020 was only down 13% on Q3 2019. Over at Toyota, the bottom line showed a 1% gain in Q3 2021 compared to 2020, with 566,005 units moved off dealer lots. The finer numbers show two steps forward and one step back, though; Toyota's September sales were down 22% compared to last year.  GM remains optimistic about what's ahead, GM's president of North American operations telling the NYT, "We look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall." We'd like to see that happen, but we don't know how it happens. The chip shortage said to have been the inciting incident for the current woes isn't over, and not only can no one agree when it will be over, the automakers, chip producers, and U.S. government still can't get on the same page about who needs what and when. Looking away from that for a second shows articles about "No End In Sight" for supply chain disruptions in early September, before China had to start working through power supply constraints, global supply chain workers started warning of a "system collapse," and roughly 500,000 containers sat waiting to be unloaded at Southern California ports — a record number seemingly broken every week. And back to chips, we're told just a few days ago the chip shortage is "worse than we thought."   For now, the NYT wrote that GM dealer inventory is down 40% from June to roughly 129,000 vehicles, and down 84% from the days when dealers would cumulatively keep about 800,000 light vehicles in stock. However, GM just announced it would have almost all of its U.S. facilities back online next week, although some would run at partial capacity.