The first Cadillac CTS V-Sport has been donated for auction to support the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) STEM programs. These programs consist of science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational programs. The GM Foundation has been a long time supporter of SAE in terms of donations, grants and 1,500 mentors and volunteers that are hard at work helping students study.

Mary Barra, General Motors senior vice president, Global Product Development was honored this past Wednesday with an Industry Leadership Award through the SAE. She is the first woman to ever win this prestigious award.

Barra commented, “The SAE Foundation’s STEM educational programs are vital to ensuring we ignite the passion for math and science in young students who will be the future leaders of the automobile industry. At a recent SAE a World in Motion third-grade skimmer project I was especially gratified to see students having so much fun applying key principles of math and science. So it is fitting to support SAE’s programs by donating a vehicle that embodies what is possible when ingenuity meets engineering excellence.”

John Calabrese, GM vice president, Global Vehicle Engineering, was also on hand. He added, “We need to ensure that the next generation of professionals has the skills and education necessary to compete on a global basis. SAE’s programs integrate physical science basics with team-based learning – and show young people that math and science is a viable career choice. By investing in programs like SAE’s a World in Motion, we help get students engaged at an early age and keep them interested.”

The Cadillac CTS V-Sport will be auctioned off later this year by Barrett-Jackson. The winning bid will also get a performance driving school package to help them enjoy their new Caddy to the highest potential. From the sounds of it, if you have the extra cash, you just might want to see about placing some bids.

Source General Motors

General Motors is about as excited as kids with free access to Disney World about their new 2014 Cadillac XTS. This is the most technologically advanced Cadillac in the history of the brand and everyone is expecting it to fly out the dealership showroom floors faster than hotcakes for Sunday brunch. The hardest part of that will be deciding what kinds of options you want on it, because the choices seem endless.

For starters, the standard engine in the 2014 Cadillac XTS is the all ready favorite 3.6 liter V6 that gives 304 horsepower and 264 pound feet of torque and that is nothing to sneeze at. There is also a twin turbocharged 3.6 liter V6 that ups the horses to 410 along with 369 pound feet of torque. This is just 10 horsepower slower than the CTS, but who’s counting? This premier engine will be set apart by adding a specific grille treatment and badge on the decklid.

As far as the other features? Hang onto your hat. Here is some of the what the press release has announced that you can expect for the 2014 Cadillac XTS:

XTS design and exterior features

• Unique “Twin-Turbo” grille and deck lid identification on models equipped with the 3.6L twin-turbo engine
• Premium chrome/satin-chrome grille finish on Platinum Collection
• Intellibeam automatic headlamp control is standard on Luxury, Premium and Platinum Collections
• Illuminating door handles are standard on all Luxury, Premium and Platinum Collections
• Capless fuel-filling system is standard on all models
• High-intensity discharge headlamps with Twilight Sentinel are standard on all models
• Adaptive Forward Lighting is standard on Premium and Platinum collections
• LED center high-mounted rear stop lamp is standard on all models
• Heated outside mirrors with auto-dimming feature, turn-signal indicators and puddle lamps are standard on all models
• Rainsense automatic windshield wipers are standard on Luxury, Premium and Platinum collections
• Nineteen-inch polished aluminum wheels are standard on Luxury and Premium Collections
• Twenty-inch aluminum wheels with polished finish and chrome inserts are standard on the Platinum Collection
• Eight exterior color choices: Radiant Silver Metallic, Black Raven, Crystal Red Tintcoat, White Diamond Tricoat, Graphite Metallic, Black Diamond Tricoat, Silver Coast Metallic and Sapphire Blue Metallic.

XTS interior features:

• Adaptive remote start is standard on all models
• Audio system with Bose premium eight-speaker sound is standard on the base model and Luxury Collection
• Bose Studio Surround Sound with 14-speaker system with energy-efficient amplifier is standard on Premium and Platinum Collections
• Rear-seat entertainment system is available on Premium and Platinum Collections
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio (with free trial period) and HD radio are standard on all models
• Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard on Premium and Platinum Collections Dual-zone automatic climate control is standard on the base model and Luxury Collection
• Leather-wrapped IP and door trim top pad, along with the center console, is standard on the Platinum Collection
• Color, reconfigurable 12.3-inch gauge cluster with driver information center is standard on Premium and Platinum Collections
• Head-Up Display with color readouts is standard on the Premium and Platinum Collections
• Illuminated entry and courtesy lighting is standard on all models
• Accent lighting, including LED spotlights with light pipes, is standard on Luxury, Premium and Platinum Collections
• Soleil Keisel leather seating surfaces with mini-perforated inserts are standard on the Standard model, Luxury and Premium Collections
• Opus full-leather seats with mini-perforated inserts are standard on the Platinum Collection
• Heated driver/front passenger and outboard rear passenger seats and vented driver/front passenger seats are standard on Luxury, Premium and Platinum Collections
• Leather-accented steering wheel with wood accents and tap up/tap down transmission controls is standard
• Heated steering wheel is standard on Luxury, Premium and Platinum Collections
• Power rear window shade and manual rear side window shades are available on the Premium Collection and standard on the Platinum Collection
• Real wood trim is incorporated on all models
• Six interior color/trim combinations: Jet Black, Shale with Cocoa accents, Medium Titanium with Jet Black accents, Caramel with Jet Black accents, Jet Black with Light Wheat accents and Very Light Platinum with Dark Urban and Cocoa accents.

If you think that’s a lot, it’s really just the tip of the iceberg, but don’t let it overwhelm you, just head on over to your Caddy dealer and let them help you out.

Source General Motors

It will be quite some time before driverless cars are available, but what about semi-driverless cars? It seems Cadillac is jumping ahead of the game with their new “Super Cruise” technology and that includes taking it out on the road to see how it responds in real life driving situations. This semi-automation includes Safety Alert Seat and Driver Awareness and Driver Assist features. It allows drivers to do things, or should we say “not” do things such as hands-off lane following, braking and speed control under certain driving conditions. The driver’s attention is still required, but their actions – not so much. This technology is based on fusion of radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and GPS map data. These are all designed to integrate into the design in a way that maintains the beauty of the vehicle.

Jeremy Salinger, Research and Development manager for Super Cruise, said, “As we continually upgrade Super Cruise’s enabling technologies, it is important to expose the updated system to different environments. The best way to achieve reliable performance is to gather as much data as possible in the conditions our customers will experience.”

John Capp, General Motors director of Global Active Safety Electronics and Innovation, adds, “Super Cruise is designed to give the driver the ability of hands-free driving when the system determines it is safe to do so. Before we introduce this capability on a production vehicle we must put the system through rigorous testing and technology refinement.”

The Super Cruise technology for Cadillac is expected to be ready for drivers before 2020. There are quite a few things to continue to consider, and how drivers make use of semi automatic driving is one of them.

Daniel Glaser, General Motors Safety Center engineering specialist explains, “Drivers may be tempted to engage in secondary tasks during semi-automated driving, and we need to make sure we understand the changing conditions. In our simulator studies we are developing techniques to manage secondary task behavior to assist in our development of techniques for the road.”

Source General Motors

The 2013 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list was just released and it looks as if the Asian automakers get to do the Happy, Happy Joy dance for building what it takes to make the Top Ten. General Motors also seems to know what will keep drivers and passengers comfy and cozy for their drives as well in order to make the list. For drivers, it gives us something to keep in mind when we are wondering what the next best commuter vehicle will be to plant our butts in.

WardsAuto World Editor-in-Chief, Drew Winter, comments, “This year’s batch of winners really drives home the point that auto interiors are vital in the battle for consumers’ hearts and minds. It wasn’t uncommon all that long ago for auto makers to view interiors as the best place to take cost out of a vehicle program. They eventually figured out that’s a big mistake because people spend a lot more time looking at the inside of their car than the outside.”

The winners are determined by being time tested and driven during routine commutes and scored for “materials, ergonomics, comfort safety, value, fit-and-finish and overall design.” According to Ward’s Auto, they are also scored for how driver friendly they are to use in regard to using the technology and accessing vehicle information.

This year’s 2013 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors winners:

• Acura RDX – Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
• Cadillac XTS – General Motors Co.
• Chevrolet Spark – General Motors Co.
• Hyundai Santa Fe Sport – Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.
• Kia Forte – Kia Motors Corp.
• Lexus GS 450h – Toyota Motor Corp.
• Mazda6 – Mazda Motor Corp.
• Nissan Pathfinder – Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
• Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn – Chrysler Group LLC
• Toyota Avalon – Toyota Motor Corp.

This is news you probably all ready expected, but it’s always nice to have facts to fall back on. Cadillac is enjoying a revival of significant proportions with the best monthly sales in more than five years. Specifically, sales for the Cadillac ATS increased by 49% for the brand’s year on year sales in March making it the sixth straight month for an upward incline in sales for the beloved Caddy. This helped boost General Motor’s sales by 6.4% overall. In comparison, Ford is enjoying a 5.7% increase for monthly sales, mostly due to the Ford Fusion and the Chrysler group increased in sales by 5%.

Jeff Schuster, auto analyst with LMC Automotive in Troy, Michigan, comments, “Cadillac’s performance certainly exceeded expectations, and the ATS was the driving factor. They have a lot happening with their lineup and the vehicles are hitting with consumers.”

The Cadillac ATS has a sticker price of $33,095, which is reasonable in regard to luxury class cruisers. But it doesn’t seem to be the price tag that is winning people over in big ways. The brass tacks seems to boil down to the design and engineering that has been able to accomplish the type of car that drivers from coast to coast just can’t resist grabbing their own set of keys for. There will be ten new Caddy models to choose from by 2015, with the latest, the Cadillac CTS sedan just showing it’s stuff at the recent New York Auto Show.

While the Cadillac brand has had it’s share of older, more established drivers behind the wheel, the new generation Caddies are appealing to a younger and more diverse demographic as well and that trend seems to be growing. One Cadillac dealership in Houston, Texas reports that seeing younger shoppers is a new trend for them. Carl Sewell, dealership owner shares that he helped a young mother strap in her baby’s car seat for a test drive. He shares, “It’s a pretty diverse group that’s coming through the door now. The new ATS is bringing in the ideal buyer: younger and better educated.”

Source BloomBerg

BMW and Mercedes-Benz should be getting nervous as Cadillac is currently firmly reclaiming its crown as America’s favorite luxury model. The Cadillac CTS Coupe is currently the best selling luxury coupe in the industry and while General Motors is staying mum on their plans about a new coupe and wagon, but it just seems as if that would be the next best move for Caddy to make.

Jim Vurpillat, Cadillac global marketing director, told Edmunds, “We will see where we go (the current CTS coupe) was the No. 1 selling luxury coupe in the industry. It is a good segment for us.”

The 2014 Cadillac CTS will be hitting the market this fall and the forecast is looking good for sales of this new model. This was specifically built to go after the midsize luxury fans, especially to lure the BMW and Mercedes-Benz drivers back to an American brand.

Dave Leone, Cadillac’s chief engineer, described the 2014 CTS as “a driver’s car.”  He also commented, “the CTS is going to deliver the most agile driving dynamics in its segment. The reason is that it is significantly lighter than anybody else out there. The CTS in four-cylinder, turbo powertrain configuration is a 3,600-pound car. It is 200 pounds lighter than the BMW 5 Series with a 2.0 turbo. Plus it has another 32 horsepower.”

The 2014 Cadillac CTS has the same platform as the new Chevy Camaro that is due to hit the streets in about two years. The larger Caddy coming out, the XTS has the same platform as the Buick LaCrosse and 2014 Chevy Impala. As for the Big Daddy XTS, Leone said, “the XTS is very isolated, a very quiet car. It is very comfortable and it has very good driving dynamics for a front-drive sedan, (but) it was never intended to be track capable” like the CTS. “The XTS is good, it is competent, but it is still a front-drive car.”

Source Edmunds