Motor Authority - blog Category: Escalade

General Motors announced a new leasing program today with enhanced lease deals on select 2009 and 2010 Cadillac and Buick models as well as several GMC and Chevrolet models. The leases, offered by U.S. Bank, are part of a pilot program that includes select GM vehicles sold in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio. In addition, a lease on the all-new Cadillac SRX will be offered by U.S. Bank nationally. The pilot is currently planned to run through August 31, 2009.

GM exited the leasing market almost exactly one year ago on the back of falling profits and low demand for its vehicles, but demand has picked up in recent months.... General Motors announced a new leasing program today with enhanced lease deals on select 2009 and 2010 Cadillac and Buick models as well as several GMC and Chevrolet models. The leases, offered by U.S. Bank, are part of a pilot program that includes select GM vehicles sold in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio. In addition, a lease on the all-new Cadillac SRX will be offered by U.S. Bank nationally. The pilot is currently planned to run through August 31, 2009. GM exited the leasing market almost exactly one year ago on the back of falling profits and low demand for its vehicles, but demand has picked up in recent months. According to statistics from LeaseTrader.com, which tracks activity in the secondary lease market, demand for Cadillac Escalade leases has risen 22% over the past year, while demand for the Buick Enclave has risen 18%. "GM and our dealers have done an incredible job without a leasing program throughout this difficult economic period, but we always knew that we would get back into leasing as it is important to a certain group of our customers," said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales. "We have a number of products that offer a great opportunity for a lease option. Also, leases are an important part of the luxury market, so we decided that launching the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover with a national lease will add a lot of excitement." Initially, lease offers will be available on the 2009 Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu and Traverse. For 2010 models, leases will also be available on the Cadillac SRX, Buick LaCrosse and Enclave, the GMC Acadia and the Chevrolet Equinox. Monthly payments will vary according to the customer's down payment and the first month's payment due at signing, but are expected to be very competitive. No security deposit will be required. Read More

Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout - APEAL - is how J.D. Power measures the 'gratification' a car owner experiences with each new model on the market. For the fifth year running Porsche took top honors, but several trends in the market show a wide range of improvements.

First up: American carmakers have closed the gap on their import counterparts. In 2007, domestics fell 27 points short of imports, while in 2008 that shrunk to 15 points. This year there's just 5 points between domestics and imports, reflecting the huge improvement in design and build quality of American vehicles.

“Consumers have a great array of appealing... Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout - APEAL - is how J.D. Power measures the 'gratification' a car owner experiences with each new model on the market. For the fifth year running Porsche took top honors, but several trends in the market show a wide range of improvements. First up: American carmakers have closed the gap on their import counterparts. In 2007, domestics fell 27 points short of imports, while in 2008 that shrunk to 15 points. This year there's just 5 points between domestics and imports, reflecting the huge improvement in design and build quality of American vehicles. “Consumers have a great array of appealing vehicles to choose from by both domestic and import brands,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. Underscoring the improvement of the American brands is the overall industry improvement. The average score across all models in 2009 is up 9 points from 2008 to 779. A large part of that increase is attributed to a boost in owner satisfaction with fuel economy, according to Sargent. “Although lower fuel prices and the switch to smaller vehicles have undoubtedly helped, there are also many individual vehicles that have made strong improvements in fuel economy ratings,” said Sargent. “For example, the Ford F-150, Cadillac Escalade, Volkswagen Jetta and redesigned Dodge Ram have all made major strides in owner satisfaction with fuel economy through the introduction of more efficient powertrains.” The Germans also did well - as usual - in the APEAL rankings for 2009. Beyond Porsche's first-place finish, Volkswagen took home four category awards for the CC, GTI, Passat and Tiguan. Mercedes-Benz nabbed two of its own for the S-Class and SLK-Class. The APEAL results are built on owner evaluations of more than 90 vehicle attributes, with responses gathered between February and May 2009 from more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership. Read More

When it comes to maximizing fuel savings, a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade is probably one of the best platforms for a hybrid drivetrain. The SUV’s are big and heavy and are mostly found in and around city suburbs. This means mostly slow traveling speeds and plenty of stop-start acceleration and braking – the ideal situation for hybrid operation.

Not surprisingly, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is 50% more fuel-efficient than the regular V8 model, and with a fuel-economy of 20mpg (11.7L/100km) around town the big SUV is almost comparable with a midsize sedan. The vehicle is also available in both 2WD and 4WD configurations... When it comes to maximizing fuel savings, a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade is probably one of the best platforms for a hybrid drivetrain. The SUV’s are big and heavy and are mostly found in and around city suburbs. This means mostly slow traveling speeds and plenty of stop-start acceleration and braking – the ideal situation for hybrid operation. Not surprisingly, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is 50% more fuel-efficient than the regular V8 model, and with a fuel-economy of 20mpg (11.7L/100km) around town the big SUV is almost comparable with a midsize sedan. The vehicle is also available in both 2WD and 4WD configurations and delivers up to 5,800lb (2,631kg) towing capacity. Cadillac has now sweetened the Escalade Hybrid package by offering it with the upmarket ‘Platinum’ line of trim, characterized by upgraded interiors with hand-stitched leather and unique exterior styling. The Platinum edition also adds Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension technology, LED headlights and new 22in alloys. The instrument panel, center storage console and door trim are wrapped with Aniline leather and stitched by hand. Additional standard interior features include Platinum-specific door sills and floor mats, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled cup holders and a DVD entertainment system. The powertrain is left untouched, which means drive comes from a 6.0L V8 engine rated at 332hp (248kW) and 367lb-ft (498Nm) of torque. Advanced fuel-saving features include displacement on demand and engine stop-start technologies, electric only driving modes, and electronic power steering.2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum Read More

With president-elect Barack Obama soon to be sworn in as the nation’s leader, a new presidential limousine was in call for and once again General Motors was assigned the task of building it. Nicknamed ‘The Beast’, the limo is based on a number of GM platforms and shares components with several different vehicles.

“Cadillac is honored to again provide a new Presidential Limousine,” said Mark McNabb, North America vice president, Cadillac/Premium Channel. “This is a great American tradition that we’re delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac’s dramatic design and... With president-elect Barack Obama soon to be sworn in as the nation’s leader, a new presidential limousine was in call for and once again General Motors was assigned the task of building it. Nicknamed ‘The Beast’, the limo is based on a number of GM platforms and shares components with several different vehicles. “Cadillac is honored to again provide a new Presidential Limousine,” said Mark McNabb, North America vice president, Cadillac/Premium Channel. “This is a great American tradition that we’re delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac’s dramatic design and technology.” Its exterior is styled around the Cadillac STS and DTS but underneath the sheet-metal the vehicle is built on a medium-duty truck chassis. The limo has recently been seen testing in prototype form alongside several GMC Topkick pickups, and according to onlookers the wheels and tires on the limo are almost identical to those on the trucks – 19.5in Goodyear Regional RHS tires. The rest of the exterior includes parts from several Cadillac models, such as headlights from an Escalade, and the grille and taillights from an STS. The panels are comprised of dual-hardness steel, aluminum, titanium and ceramic material to help break up projectiles aimed at the car. Inside, the car features the same cut-and-sewn handmade leather upholstery found in the CTS. The rear passenger area includes an extensive executive compartment with ample seating space, outward visibility and useful mobile office features. An embroidered presidential seal is positioned in the center of the rear seat back panel, as well as on each rear door trim panel. Presidential seals are also affixed to the exterior rear doors. Other safety and high-tech features include 8in thick armor-plated doors (each weighing the same as a cabin door on a Boeing 757), an independent oxygen supply and advanced fire-fighting system located in the boot, pump-action shotguns, night-vision cameras and tear-gas cannons, Obama’s own personal storage of blood, Kevlar-reinforced tires that are puncture and shred-resistant, and special steel wheels that can drive without the tire attached. All of this comes at a heavy weight penalty, with top speed rated at 60mph (96km/h) and fuel-economy expected to be about 8mpg. Obama will first use the limo when he travels along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington after his inauguration.Barack Obama's Presidential Limousine by Cadillac Read More

The Cadillac Escalade SUV is undoubtedly popular with a wide range of people, but especially so with car thieves, who made the 2007 Escalade ESV their number one choice for stealing this year. Meanwhile, the Mercedes Benz E-Class saloon was the least popular with thieves and was 15 times less likely to be stolen when compared to the desirable Escalade.

The information comes from the Highway Loss Data Institute, which worked with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in compiling the data. The 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV led the charge for the most stolen luxury vehicles, and captained a number of other large, luxury SUVs as the... The Cadillac Escalade SUV is undoubtedly popular with a wide range of people, but especially so with car thieves, who made the 2007 Escalade ESV their number one choice for stealing this year. Meanwhile, the Mercedes Benz E-Class saloon was the least popular with thieves and was 15 times less likely to be stolen when compared to the desirable Escalade. The information comes from the Highway Loss Data Institute, which worked with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in compiling the data. The 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV led the charge for the most stolen luxury vehicles, and captained a number of other large, luxury SUVs as the most stolen vehicles in America. Following close behind the Escalade's position was the chunky Hummer H2, which was also in the top 10 list of most stolen cars. Ford's F350 truck, Dodge's Charger and Honda's S2000 convertible sports car were all also on the list, indicating that big luxury SUVs weren't the only targets of thieves, although they did find themselves far ahead of other vehicles, reports Forbes. A spokesman for the IIHS postulated that thieves chose large popular vehicles such as the Cadillac Escalade because of their mass appeal, and potential for reselling or parts-stripping. Location was also an important factor, with most family sedans and smaller cars located in garages or other secure locations. These cars also have less expensive parts than large luxury SUVs, and many SUV owners also customize their cars with high-end sound systems, expensive wheels, and bespoke interiors, making them even more attractive to thieves. The Cadillac Escalade is no stranger to lists such as these, appearing on last year's top ten most stolen luxury vehicles list as the leader, which it has done for the past four years now despite GM's best efforts to beef up its security with technology such as the OnStar system. Read More

Originally earmarked for arrival in 2011, the next-generation of full-size SUVs from General Motors may never arrive at all. Word of their cancellation has emerged, and now the future of the current models is in doubt as well.

Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman and head of product development, said that "it would have been very difficult in today's environment to spend a couple of billion dollars to do a replacement" to GM's full-size SUV lineup in the current automotive market, reports The New York Times.

The next-generation of SUVs hadn't been expected to get the axe so soon. However, plans to move the Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade and others over... Originally earmarked for arrival in 2011, the next-generation of full-size SUVs from General Motors may never arrive at all. Word of their cancellation has emerged, and now the future of the current models is in doubt as well. Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman and head of product development, said that "it would have been very difficult in today's environment to spend a couple of billion dollars to do a replacement" to GM's full-size SUV lineup in the current automotive market, reports The New York Times. The next-generation of SUVs hadn't been expected to get the axe so soon. However, plans to move the Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade and others over to the smaller and more car-like Lambda platform have been brewing for some time now, and this may merely be another interpretation of that plan: the Tahoe and Suburban may well live on, but as more moderate versions of their formerly excessive selves. What will happen to the current-generation large SUVs is likewise unknown. They could live out their tenure in decreasing production until the 2012 model-year replacements arrive, or they could begin a slow phase-out as their market relevance wanes. Already GM is beginning to idle or close the plants that build the trucks, meaning the existing stock is at levels GM doesn't want to exceed. Read More