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These are the top luxury cars bought by people entering the segment for the first time

Let's say you just got a big promotion at work or the kids are moving out of the house, and you finally have some extra money. You decide to blow it all at once and treat yourself by upgrading your ride. Naturally, you look to a luxury automaker. What do you choose?
Models like the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class may be tailor-made to introduce buyers to the premium segment, but a new study finds that they don't garner the highest rates of non-luxury customer conquests. It turns out that a Volvo leads among folks moving up to a premium brand, and it isn't even one that's made anymore, at that.
A recent study by Polk and IHS Automotive looked at what models had the highest rates of buyers upgrading from a non-luxury segment. The information comes from its new vehicle registration data through April 2014. All ten top models boasted conquest rates of over 50 percent, but the Volvo C70 led the field with 68.01 percent of its customers coming from non-premium brands.

Cadillac releases updated 2015 CTS

Cadillac is in the process of applying the new wreathless emblem across its range one model at a time, but rather than simply slap the new logo on the existing models, it's taking the opportunity to roll out some revisions as well. First came the ATS coupe, followed by the updated ATS sedan, and now the flagship brand in the General Motors portfolio has quietly announced some revisions for the CTS sedan as well.
For the 2015 model year, the CTS - which was just introduced last year - gets a revised front end with that wreathless crest but also a new chrome grille with active aero elements on standard models and a black-chrome grille on the Vsport. The revised grille is flanked by new headlights, but behind them the engine lineup carries over: a 2.0-liter turbo four with 272 horsepower, a 3.6-liter V6 with 321 hp or - in the Vsport performance model - a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 with 420 hp that's still the most powerful V6 GM has ever made. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission (ditching the six-speed auto on previous versions) and (apart from the RWD Vsport) can be had in rear- or all-wheel-drive flavors.
Cadillac has also given the updated CTS some new electronics (including inductive smartphone charging, onboard wifi, and more advanced parking and lane assist systems) as well as new wheels, trims and color options, details on which you can read in the press release below.

2015 Cadillac Escalade configurator lets you bling it your way

It's Friday, so there must be a new configurator to play with. While last week we showed you how to build your own McLaren 650S, today's ride is a bit more common. It's the 2015 Cadillac Escalade, a vehicle that you've been able to colorize since the end of last year, and which is sure to be an increasingly common sight on US roads in the coming months.
For those that have played with the build-your-Caddy tool, there's not much new here, aside from the vehicle being configured. The Escalade is available in three trims and two wheelbases, with prices spanning from the SWB, two-wheel-drive Standard, which starts at $72,690, on to the all-wheel-drive, long-wheelbase ESV Premium, which kicks off at $86,790. The options list, meanwhile, isn't hugely extensive. A rear-seat entertainment system and power-retractable side-steps (only available on the Premium trim) are the two notable options, while customers will have their choice of six exterior paints and two to three interior schemes, depending on the trim level.
Hop on over to Cadillac's consumer page and take a look.