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Cadillac still planning for big things in China

Despite some hiccups, China remains the auto industry's great hope for new vehicle sales, with significant sales gains and a huge upside. Nowhere is that hope more fervent than at General Motors, which offers eight different marques in the Asian nation. China has been GM's single biggest market the last three years running, and is unlikely to give up that title anytime soon. Yet its premiere brand, Cadillac, has remained essentially stagnant, selling just 30,000 units in China last year. That's in a segment where sales of luxury vehicles has outpaced that of the larger Chinese market. So what gives?
According to Cadillac officials Autoblog spoke with in China this week at the Shanghai Motor Show, it's been a problem of product - they haven't had the right ones. Displacement taxation issues, import tariffs and currency fluctuations have all conspired to make the brand's products less appealing than they might otherwise have been. But GM is stepping on the gas with Cadillac, and executives are eyeballing 100,000 sales by 2016 - more than triple the Wreath and Crest's current volume. And the expectations for the brand only get more ambitious from there - they're shooting for 10 percent of the luxury market by 2020. Bob Socia, President of GM China, promises that there will be a new Caddy launched in the market each year from now through 2016 and most will be built in China. Characterizing the company's efforts to revive the brand's fortunes as a "relaunch" of sorts, Cadillac also figures to gain dealers as GM expands its sales outlet footprint westward.
New products like a made-in-China XTS sedan (with a market-specific 2.0-liter four-cylinder to avoid heavy displacement taxes) will help, and Socia hinted that the ATS sport sedan could be next in line for in-country production. The SRX crossover - currently the brand's best-selling model in China - will also likely get a long look for future local production when the next-generation model is introduced. In the meantime, Cadillac unveiled the Escalade ESV Hybrid (shown above) as its latest model addition to capitalize on the market's white-hot luxury SUV segment.

Cadillac to vie for Secret Service armored car contract, new Beast?

President Obama has used the same armored limo since his inauguration in 2008. Known by many as The Beast, the Presidential Limo was provided by Cadillac and earned its nickname in large part because of its massive size, which isn't surprising considering that its Caddy-shaped bodywork is said to sit atop a heavy-duty truck chassis.
It seems the Secret Service may be in the market for a Beast replacement, having issued a request for proposals for a new armored limo. According to Motor Trend, Obama's backup limo is a leftover from the Bush Administration, so it will be interesting to see if this new machine will serve as a replacement for The Beast or for its backup. The contract is to be awarded by September 29, 2013.
The boys from MT contacted Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler, and Chrysler is the only one that would confirm that it is not pursuing the contract. Cadillac may have the inside track, as it has provided Presidential limos since 1993, but Lincoln also has a long and storied history of chauffeuring the President.

Cadillac reveals more 2015 Escalade details, launches colorizer

Cadillac has opened up a mini-site to entice you into its all-new 2015 Escalade, and begun talking about more of its features and trim levels. While all versions of the new daddy Caddy will be powered by a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque routed through a six-speed automatic, there will be three trim packages you can wrap around that powertrain and seven exterior colors available to make it pop.
Features common to all trims include leather throughout, heated and cooled front seats, a 12-inch reconfigurable dash cluster, a quieter interior thanks to Bose active noise cancellation and the brand's love/hate CUE infotainment system. The base trim comes with adaptive remote start, hands-free tailgate, rear-view camera, park assist, Magnetic Ride Control and sits on 20-inch wheels. Moving up to the Luxury spec increases your stature with 22-inch wheels and adds a reconfigurable, color head-up display, a sunroof, power fold-and-tumble second row seating, Intellibeam headlights and a Driver Awareness Package with active crash-avoidance technology like Safety Alert Seat, lane departure warning and forward collision alert.
The top Premium trim gets a Driver Assist Package that includes Automatic Collision Preparation, automatic braking and adaptive cruise control, rear-seat entertainment, along with exterior touches like illuminated door handles.