We often get asked, “So why don’t the domestic brands build better vehicles?” and the answer usually comes down to simple economics. It’s not that the domestics don’t know how to engineer and produce amazing, well-built vehicles. It is a matter of fixed costs, variable expenditures, unions, dealers and what we like to call ‘bean counters’. Bean counters are those guy’s who help cost reduce a vehicle within an inch of its life in an effort to compete in the automotive marketplace. The imports typically have a leg up on the domestics due to their younger work force (read: health care costs and retirement costs), their efficiency and the American publics perceptions about their quality.

Well, either someone gave the bean counter working on the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS an extended vacation or he was taken out back and shot. The '08 CTS is a nice car and it's produced by a domestic auto manufacturer. I know… at first I didn’t believe it either. Most of us had to keep looking down at the Cadillac badge on the steering wheel every few minutes just to confirm the fact that we really were driving a Cadillac. For a minute it didn't compute. It was a surreal experience.

Continue reading "2008 Cadillac CTS – So Who Shot the ‘Bean Counter’?" »

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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With the North American International Auto Show still days away, information is leaking through sieve-like embargoes. Cadillac Provoq is a fuel-cell powered concept Crossover SUV that telegraphs cues for Cadillac's future Crossovers like the next SRX. Of course, the first question is why Cadillac used a name for this concept rather than an alphanumeric like "TRX" or "URX" or "VRX".

VehicleVoice will have more from the show floor next week when we can shoot the Provoq in the flesh.

Cues from Future Generation Cadillac Crossover SUVs

Provoq has contemporary body surfacing with a bold contour swage on the bodyside initiating from the inevitable gill in the front fender. The grille texture is very similar to the new CTS and closely follows Cadillac's present design language. So from a design standpoint, Provoq is more evolutionary than revolutionary. Nice looking in the way the new CTS is nice looking.

The Provoq rides on a 110-inch wheelbase and has an overall length of 190-inches. So, it's about a half-size smaller than the SRX (116-inch wheelbase and 195-inch overall length). Based on GM's new compact crossover architecture, the Provoq has more to do with the Saturn Vue than the SRX.

Aerodynamics a Key to Improved Efficiency

The Provoq is optimized for low aerodynamic drag, with the front fascia featuring a computer-controlled grille that opens as cooling is needed. There is a wind-tunnel designed belly pan to smooth airflow beneath the Provoq. The functional rear spoiler helps reduce drag by smoothing airflow over the roof. In addition, the roof contains a solar panel for charging vehicle accessories.

Powertrain - Hydrogen Fuel-Cell

The powertrain is the fifth generation version of General Motor's hydrogen fuel-cell stack. (The fourth generation is presently powering a fleet of 100 hydrogen Chevrolet Equinox SUVs that GM has put into a testing rotation with people in California, New York, and Washington.)

This fifth-gen version is one-third smaller than what's on the road now, and its hydrogen fuel cell can provide a continuous output of 88 kilowatts. Three electric motors are expected to deliver 0-60 mph times of about 8.5 seconds with a governed top speed of 100 mph. The hydrogen is stored in two 10,000-psi tanks that hold 6 kilograms each, and the quick-fill feature works similarly to the Equinox test fleet. Range is expected to be 300 miles. The Provoq is also a plug-in hybrid incorporating a plug-in feature to pre-charge the lithium-ion batteries from your home electrical system. The ports for the plug-in hybrid are conveniently located on both sides of the vehicle. Both the brakes and transmission incorporate drive-by-wire technology.

While Provoq is a technology concept, think of it more as a styling and package concept for future Cadillac Crossover SUVs. When we see this styling on the road, it will be petroleum powered - either gas or diesel or maybe a gas-electric hybrid... but not a production hydrogen fuel-cell.

Posted by George Peterson at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The Motorist Choice Award is in its second year and is a collaboration between AutoPacific and IntelliChoice.com. AutoPacific, widely known for its industry expertise and research, and IntelliChoice, known for its comprehensive cost of ownership information, designed the Motorist Choice Award to help consumers identify the most satisfying cars and trucks that are also the least expensive to own.

Using data from AutoPacific's national Vehicle Satisfaction research and the IntelliChoice Best Overall Value information, AutoPacific and IntelliChoice have developed a unique tool that can be used by consumers to help them sort through the myriad of choices in today's automotive marketplace.

Here are the 2007 Winners of the 25 individual segment awards:

SEGMENT - Winner

Aspirational Luxury Car - Lexus IS
Compact Car - Mazda3
Compact Crossover SUV - Chevrolet HHR
Compact Pickup - Toyota Tacoma
Compact Sport Utility/ORV - Toyota Tacoma
Economy Car - Honda Fit
Image Compact Car - Volkswagen GTi
Large Car - Toyota Avalon
Large Heavy Duty Pickup - Chevrolet Silverado HD
Large Light Duty Pickup - Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Large Luxury Car - Cadillac DTS
Large Sport Utility - GMC Yukon XL
Luxury Crossover SUV - Acura MDX
Luxury Mid-Size Car - Nissan Maxima
Luxury Sport Utility - Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Mid-Size Car - Volkswagen Jetta
Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Honda CR-V
Mid-Size Sport Utility - Toyota 4Runner
Minivan - Honda Odyssey
Premium Luxury Car - Lexus LS
Premium Mid-Size Car - Nissan Altima
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Nissan Murano
Premium Sports Car - Lexus SC
Sports Car - Porsche Boxster
Sporty Car - Scion tC

The press release can be found below the fold.

Continue reading "2007 Motorist Choice Awards Announced" »

Posted by George Peterson at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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AutoPacific Take on Cadillac DTS Win – The Cadillac DTS wins the 2007 Motorist Choice Award® in the Large Luxury Car class. Owners rate the ride, reputation and reliability of the DTS as class leading.

IntelliChoice take on Cadillac DTS win - The Cadillac DTS wins the 2007 Motorist Choice Award, because it has best in class maintenance costs and low insurance costs.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Cadillac DTS Wins AutoPacific 2007 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Large Luxury Car – Also Top-Ranked Vehicle:

"It takes an especially satisfying vehicle to win the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards outright - top car and rated higher than the top truck. The Cadillac DTS - Cadillac's Large Luxury Car - achieved that honor for the 2007 model year," said AutoPacific president George Peterson. "Owners particularly liked the Cadillac DTS for its package (Size, Roominess, Ease of Entry/Exit, Visibility), Exterior and Interior Style, Ride, Power/Acceleration, Innovative Technology and Warranty Coverage. This is part of the Cadillac renaissance”.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Flagship Sedan Gets an Updated Look and New Technology

Among General Motors' many New York auto show introductions this month was a facelift for the top Cadillac sedan, the STS, due on sale midsummer 2007. A new face, a new engine, and new technologies highlight the Cadillac's changes.

In 2003, Cadillac showed a stunning large sedan concept called the Sixteen, so named for its V16 engine, and since then there has been talk of bringing the ultrasedan to market. While never-ending rumors have not yet been enough to make it into a real product, Sixteen is claimed as inspiration for Cadillac's latest grilles, including the 2008 STS and 2007 Escalade.

The STS face gets new stacked headlights, a new lower front fascia, and narrower side marker lamps. Cadillac was not able to resist the urge to add vents to the sides of the front fenders on the STS, this time called "side air extractors." Changes at the sides and rear of the STS were minimal, included are chrome-plated door handles and new lower rocker moldings along the side and a body-color rear fascia and new polished, aluminum exhaust tips.

The STS's interior was already quite a nice place to be, so interior changes for 2008MY are minor. There is a new steering wheel with Sapele Pomelle wood trim, an available heated steering wheel, and a new wood trim with metallic surrounds for the center stack.

Appropriately, Cadillac adds new technology on its flagship sedan, though they could have introduced these systems with the all-new 2008 CTS revealed in January. The revised STS can be ordered with a lane-departure warning system as well as a blind-spot alert system. The lane-departure system uses a camera in the rearview mirror to read the lines in the road, while the blind-spot alert is a radar-based system. StabiliTrak has been updated to include active front steering (helps turn front wheels into the skid when rear wheels lose traction). A new steering motor assembly works with the computer-driven electronic controls to measure wheel slip at each wheel independently during acceleration, braking, and on low-traction road surfaces. There's also a new performance handling package for some models, with eighteen-inch wheels and summer-only tires.

The base STS gets more power for 2008, with GM applying direct-injection to the 3.6L DOHC 24v V6 and mating it to a six-speed automatic transmission. The change means an increase in output to 298HP. Even at 255HP, the V6 offered enough power to make the base STS a comfortable drive, so the extra power will make the base STS that much more desirable, especially as looking to direct injection and the six-speed autobox also means there will not be a fuel economy penalty for the extra power. The available options list has grown for the V6 models as well, and you will now be able to order it with IntelliBeam headlights and the head-up display.

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Ah, this is more like it. The 469-horsepower supercharged Cadillac STS-V is what a high performance interstate cruiser is all about. Large, substantial, spacious, fully featured, blindingly fast, the STS-V, in most cases, more than fills the bill for affluent drivers who covet luxury as well as performance.

Now, I know my colleagues who like more nimble cars pooh pooh the STS-V, but this car certainly has its place. In fact, when the STS-V rolled out of our lot an Audi S4 with its 340-horsepower V8 and a six-speed manual transmission rolled in. The younger, sportier folks gravitated to the Imola yellow S4 and shed nary a tear for the STS-V. Me, I'd take the STS-V in a heartbeat.

Continue reading "Cadillac STS-V - America's Most Powerful Sedan" »

Posted by George Peterson at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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You could tell from the smiles on the faces of the suits from Cadillac that they had just come from something special. The Cadillac Escalade had just won the Playboy 2007 Car of the Year Award. Jim Taylor, Cadillac General Manager was lugging around a golden trophy with a totally blinged-out Playboy bunny glued to it and a discreet plaque proclaiming Escalade's win.

Playboy Magazine has just named their 2007 Cars of the Year. Included in this year's list were:

Playboy 2007 Car of the Year - BMW Z4 M

Best SUV - Cadillac Escalade
Best Sports Coupe - Porsche 911 Carrera
Best Bang for the Buck - Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
The Al Gore Special - Lexus GS450h
Best Two-Way Player - Volkswagen Eos
Best Pickup - Toyota Tundra
Best Cross Dresser - Mazda CX-7
Best Roadster - Saturn Sky Red Line

Oh yeah, about the presentations. Apparently, a hostess Playmate gave the executives a tour around the Playboy Mansion. A former Playmate, the young lady was extremely well spoken, knew her stuff and presented Playboy in a very favorable light. What I'm saying is that she wasn't the airhead blonde bimbette that may have been expected at Playboy.

Posted by George Peterson at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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There are few things more fun than walking through a major auto show along side AutoPacific Analyst and former General Motors brainiac, Jim Hall. You have to be patient. He knows everybody and everybody knows him, so the going is often slow. But the one liners you get to overhear as he comes upon the latest in concept cars are worth the wait. So we decided to follow him around the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but this time,we brought the video camera.

Jim checked out the new Cadillac CTS, due to hit showroom floors this October. If you haven't seen this performance sedan yet, you're going to be blown away whether you're a Cadillac fan or not. Cadillac must have had BMW's 5 series and the Audi A6 in the crosshairs when they dreamed up this beauty. Even Jim was impressed.

He also reviewed a crop of new concepts -
Lexus IS-F
Lexus LF-A
Volvo XC60
Mercedes S-Class Convertible Ocean Drive
Chevrolet Volt

Jim went to design school, so watching him chat about stamped steel is actually interesting. And you can't beat descriptions like "swoop du jour" and "Ingmar Bergman on acid."

Thanks for the stroll, Jim. It was fun.

Posted by Cameron at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The first generation CTS was a true breakthrough for Cadillac. Love it or hate it, the polarizing design proved that Cadillac had guts. Furthermore, it proved again that “middle of the road” is no place Cadillac wanted to be. CTS sales were brisk, and Cadillac was once again talked about in positive terms.

Continue reading "2007 Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Cadillac CTS" »

Posted by Dan Hall at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Which cars and trucks are planted to the dealer's floor? In other words, which vehicles take the longest to sell? Who cars? Why does it matter, anyway?

Well, while it may not seem that important to you, it's critically important to the industry s a whole... from the manufacturese, component suppliers, dealers and quite a few financial institutions. First, if you know the time it takes to sell a vehicle, you know how much it is dragging on the dealer's floorplanning costs. Floorplanning is the term for the amount it costs the dealer to finance the a vehicle in inventory waiting to be sold. If a vehicle has been hanging around for weeks, he'll be more likely to deal aggressively to get rid of it. Also, vehicles that have high days supply may be less popular. From that perspective, they may be the ones you want to stay away from.

Continue reading "Stuck to the Dealer's Floor - Inventory Numbers Tell the Story" »

Posted by George Peterson at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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2007 Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra HD Pickups

GM rolled out the 2500HD and 3500HD versions of the new Silverado and Sierra at the Texas State Fair. Good looking trucks, and improved in every way; body, chassis and powertrain. Some observations:
- Extended cab versions have rear hinged doors, but they open a full 170 degrees, and they have power windows that go fully down. A power sliding rear window is also available.
- No manual transmission available on any models. GM says the demand just isn't there anymore, and the up-down shift capability of their new 6-speed automatics makes a manual unnecessary
- The 8.1L Vortec V8 has also dropped.
- The Duramax now has 365 HP and 660 lb.-ft. of torque. price increment over a V8 gas not yet announced, but get ready, diesel costs are clearly up significantly.
- Tlectronic navigation and integrated trailer brake control are both available.

2008 Ford Super Duty

If the GMT 900 trucks are classified as all-new, the Super Duty might be called a major change. Some highlights include:
- The F-450 is now availabile from the factory as a pickup, not just as a chassis cab. BIG payload and trailer tow capability.

- The new 6.4L Powerstroke Diesel has 350 HP and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, just shy of the Duramax numbers. While the automatic that goes with it is a 5-speed, unlike the 6-speed Allison behind the Duramax.
- Manual transmissions continue to be available. My favorite. I know, I'm in the minority, but I still prefer to shift for myself.
. Ford's big gas engine (the 6.8L V10) is still available. Might be important, depending on the price increase for 2007 CY Diesels and their engine emissions requirements.
- Extended Cab rear doors are still rear hinged, still open only 90 degrees, and still do not have power window availability. Even my dog objects. A worst-in-class feature.
- The tailgate has a cool easy-in/easy-out feature. Wish my pickups had this feature! Must be seen (tried) to be believed.

2007 Dodge Ram

- Essentially carryover, except for the revised 6.7L Cummins I6 Turbo Diesel. 350 HP; 650 lb.-ft. Both 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic available.
- Dodge claims a life-to-major overhaul interval of 350,000 miles, "providing more than a 100,000 mile advantage over the competition". Annecdotal evidence seems to support their claim. This is one tough engine! And a factory installed optional exhaust brake is now available.

2007 Toyota Tundra

Toyota showed the regular cab and extended cab versions of their Light Duty ("half ton") 2007 Tundra. It looks great.
- The regular cab has the right amount of room behind the seats for a brief case, duffle bag or tackle box - just what consumers say they want, and more than Ford, GM or Dodge offer. The extended cab has the preferred front-hinged doors, complete with power windows. Again, just what the market wants. These guys do their homework - and appear unconstrained by expenditures or engineering workload!
- No manual transmissions available, but three engines (4.0L V6, 4.7L V8 and 5.7L V8), three cab types (regular, extended and crew), and sereral bed lengths.
- Feature availability looks fully competitive (leather, nav system, independant climate control, 10,000 trailer tow capacity etc).

Continue reading "It's Trucks, Trucks, and more Trucks at Texas State Fair" »

Posted by Jim Hossack at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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AutoPacific Take on the Win by the Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 4x4 – The transformer of pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Avalanche, scoops up a Motorist’s Choice award in the 3/4 Ton 4X4 segment. Owners rate the tough truck at the top of its class. Its Vortec® engines and versatility keep this full size pickup at the front of the pack.

IntelliChoice Analysis – IntelliChoice rates the Avalanche 2500 4X4 Cost of Ownership at just $48,906 over 5 years. Owners of the four-wheel-drive multi-tool keep factoring in the benefits, which more than outweigh the costs.

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Cadillac is hoping the 2007 Escalade is act two in the sales success the first Escalade enjoyed. We had a chance to take a brand-spanking-new GM Bling-Box up the coast and back down again to see how close to hitting the mark they might be.

At first glance, the new Escalade is indeed an improvement upon the previous iteration. The interior is gorgeous and the exterior stance is powerful, masculine, and very street-hip. There is no way to avoid noticing this SUV, on the road, in a parking space, wherever. It is a moving personality statement - and whereas the H2 is about brawn, the Cadillac seems to add “class” to the equation.

Continue reading "2007 Escalade Romps Along the Coast" »

Posted by dbarrett at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Had to visit the Costco in Derby just to see if it was different from the Costco stores in the USA. NO! While the merchandise is slightly different (not as much Kirkland private label merchandise), the layout is very much the same. Much larger liquor department with an emphasis on champagne and cases of wine. Still at a substantial value.

Years ago, I read an interview with a Costco exec working on the planning for Costco stores in the UK. He was rubbing his hands with glee thinking about how their strategy of merchandising could transform British retailing. The uniquely American approach to the mass market is something dramatically different than traditional British retailing.

The parking lot was the surprise. Arriving at 10:45 AM (store opened at 10AM) the parking lot was only about a third full and many of the vehicles in the lot were saloon cars (sedans with trunks) rather than the Chelsea tractors (SUVs) that are found in the USA... at least in Orange County.

Note the parking spaces are relatively generous. Not the sub-compact spaces found in most other car parks in England.

Still, felt like a touch of home.

Posted by George Peterson at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The Cadillac CTS continues to perform flawlessly through Derbyshire (pronounced "Darby-shir") in the East Midlands of England. A couple of Motorway blasts followed by lumping around on B-Roads shows that the CTS is very flexible in the English driving environment. Still getting a fair amount of lookieloos in the city centres. Even saw a Stratsmore dealership that carries Cadillac and several other high end brands in Derby (prounced "Darby").

Cadillac CTS at Kedleston Hall

Cadillac CTS at Hardwick Hall

Posted by George Peterson at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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OK, from a product planner's perspective, VehicleVocie can figure out how this happened with the Cadillac CTS speedo in Britain, but it's hard to believe for a car that has a claimed top speed of 145MPH from its 3.6L 257HP V6.

Didn't feel like the V6 would go 260 MPH!

What are your thoughts?

Posted by George Peterson at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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