The Company Formerly Known as “Old GM” is Dead at Age 103

It was long overdue, but it was bound to happen: the company lawyers named Motors Liquidation Co. but which we came to know as "old GM" during the 2009 government bailout period, died on Thursday, December 15.

Though it had a very long lifespan of 103 years, no one really noticed its demise. After all, this was just U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerbert signing the death certificate. Giving birth to the “new GM” two years ago was a very painful process – and one that most of those involved would like to forget.

It meant the sacrifice of three of its brands (Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn) and getting rid of another (Saab, which ironically is now in a similar position), closing 13 plants along with 900 dealerships. GM also had to reduce its U.S. workforce from 91,000 to 68,500 employees, which either way, is a far cry from the 525,000 workers it had in the States and another 100,000 outside the country in 1955.

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Cadillac Engineers Try to Perfect the 2013 ATS on the Nordschleife [Video]

In the third chapter of Cadillac's video series on the new 2013 ATS, the Detroit firm's engineers explain to us why they chose the Nürburgring racetrack to complete the development of their soon-to-be revealed compact sports sedan.

"There's no other facility in the world like this. You can accomplish more in one lap around the 'Ring than you can running probably a dozen tracks in the U.S." says David Mikels, energy and powertrain integration engineer for the Cadillac ATS.

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GM Boss Mark Reuss Builds a Fantasy Supercar Out of the Company’s Parts Bin

Almost every car fan has, at one point or another, considered building his ideal car: for example, one with a Ferrari or Lamborghini bodywork, a Pagani interior, a Veyron engine, Porsche everyday usability and all this at the price of a used 300,000-mile Ford Escort…

Well, the automotive term for this is a parts bin special; that is, a model built by borrowing only (or mostly) existing parts from other models. Mark Reuss, GM’s North American president, was asked by Car & Driver to assemble his dream car by using components that already exist on the company’s shelves.

We have to admit that, even though General Motors is not the first carmaker that comes to mind when picking components to assemble our dream car, Reuss has managed to conjure a pretty interesting vehicle.

The bodywork would come from the 2002 Cadillac Cien concept, which Reuss believes “defined Cadillac”.

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Official: 2013 Cadillac ATS gets New 2.0-liter Turbo with 270HP, Plus 2.5L and 3.6L V6 engines [Video]

Cadillac is not…horsing around with its soon-to-be revealed 2013 ATS as the Detroit automaker will offer the compact sports saloon with a newly developed 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four producing an estimated 270-horsepower and 260 lb-ft. of torque (353 Nm) straight from launch.

The 2.0T is a different engine than the one used on the current Buick Regal GS, with the ATS being the first GM model to receive the force-fed powerplant.

“This engine is the perfect match for the new ATS, which will be a refined performance luxury sedan,” said Don Butler, Cadillac vice president of Global Marketing. “The 2.0T has an exceptionally smooth and responsive power curve that will make the ATS nimble, quick and fun to drive.”

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Report: Senior U.S. Car Buyers Try to Cling on to their Youth by Choosing Good Ol' American Iron

Oscar Wilde famously said that “to get back to my youth I would do anything in the world except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable”.

Sadly, the 19-century novelist and poet is no longer among us to reveal if buying a car to remind him of his youth, no matter how far behind the competition it is, would be one of the sacrifices he would or wouldn’t be willing to make.

A survey by TrueCar.com reveals that cars bought by people aged 65 and above in the States belong mostly to domestic brands they remember from their youth, such as Cadillac, Lincoln and Buick.

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Attention, Serious Buyers Only: 1995 Cadillac 900S Convertible

From the 1980s right through to the beginning of the 21st century, General Motors tried its best to simplify the art of badge engineering as a cheap and easy way to expand its offerings and increase its profits.

Apparently, some of GM's enthusiasm for badge-trickery managed to rub off on certain consumers like the owner of this 1995 Saab who artfully transformed the open-top model into the Cadillac 900S Convertible in a way that a 1990s GM exec would say, "why didn't I think of that?"

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Dealer Celebrates Showroom Opening by Dropping a 1950s Cadillac 60 from a Crane… [Video]

There are a lot of different ways to go about generating some buzz for the grand opening of a new car dealership, but hanging a classic 1950s Cadillac 60 sedan from a crane and then releasing it to crash down to the ground is something you don't see happening every day.

This controversial marketing stunt came from the Texas-based, Frank Kent Motor Company, and it took place on November 11 for the opening of its new Cadillac store in Fort Worth.

We can't say for sure what condition the Caddy was in, and even though the move did realize its goal of getting the word around for the new showroom (we're here talking about it, aren't we?), somehow trashing one of your brand's classic models doesn't seem quite right. That or we’re being old fashioned about it…

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NSFW: Gisele Spends Some Time in a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe [Parts 1 & 2]

The first thing most of our readers [sic…] may notice about this video is that the featured Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is equipped with an automatic transmission. Do we really need to tell you what else your eyes will rest upon after that?

And oh, it's probably a good idea to tell you that both videos are somewhat NSFW (probable less about Work, more about Wife). If staged clips about girls taking a ride in a fast car is your kind of thing, all you have to do is follow the jump to watch Gisele and her ride in the automatic Caddy.

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Report: U.S. Car Buyers Take a Second Look at Diesel-Engined Cars

If you tried to find a diesel-powered car in the U.S. of A. you’d certainly have a hard time, as their total sales account for less than 3% of the total market. But the future may be different.

With gas prices constantly fluctuating and the government pushing manufacturers to improve efficiency, analysts predict that hybrids are not the only kind of vehicles that many buyers will turn to: diesel is another option.

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General Motors will have Four World Premieres in Detroit Including the 2013 Cadillac ATS

With the press days over at the Tokyo Motor Show, automakers are now turning their focus on the next big automotive event, which is the 2012 North International Auto Show that takes place in Detroit from January 10 to 23.

Today, we learned that General Motors is planning four world premieres but for now, the company will only tell us about one of the vehicles it will bring to Detroit, the 2013 Cadillac ATS, which is aimed squarely at the entry-level premium sedan segment rivaling the likes of the new BMW 3-Series and the Lexus IS.

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GM Builds 100 Millionth Small Block Engine, Confirms Gen V with Direct Injection Tech

It’s one of the most famous engine series in the world with a history spanning close to six decades. We're talking about General Motors' small block that was first introduced by Chevrolet in 1955 and which celebrates today its 100 million production milestone.

Fittingly, the landmark small block is a hand-built, 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 V8 that will find its way under the hood of a Corvette ZR1. The force-fed LS9 is the most powerful engine ever to be installed in a regular-production Chevrolet or GM vehicle.

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Cadillac Puts the Video Spotlight on the 2013 ATS Sedan’s Engineering Team

The video teasing of the upcoming 2013 Cadillac ATS compact sedan continues with the fourth installment of the series that focuses on the engineers behind the development of the car with which GM hopes to compete head on with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The rejuvenated wreath and crest brand stresses that all engineers working on the upcoming ATS were "handpicked based on their roles in developing other top Cadillacs" and "how well they can drive and evaluate cars on grueling test tracks".

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Rumors: Cadillac Contemplates Diesel Engines for its New Models

Cadillac is enjoying resurgence thanks to a raft of good-looking new models that also promise to be much more competitive than their predecessors. Still, it is missing something that its European competitors in the luxury segment such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz already have: diesel engines.

But that may change soon as during an interview at the LA Auto Show, Don Butler, Cadillac’s marketing vice president, said that GM's luxury division is considering adding diesels to its engine range.

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2013 Cadillac XTS in the Flesh and on the Move in New Videos

The big news for Cadillac today was the presentation of the all-new XTS full-size luxury sedan, and we've got some fresh pictures as well as two new videos including one that shows the car on the road (admittedly, not in the best quality) to share with you.

There's been some confusion about which segment the XTS belongs to since it will replace two models in Cadillac's range, the rear-/all-wheel drive STS and the front-wheel drive only DTS.

While the new XTS is Cadillac's largest sedan and as such, should be the brand's flagship saloon model, it does not target the likes of the BMW 7 Series nor the Mercedes S-Class.

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LA Show Preview: 2013 Cadillac XTS gets 300HP V6 and Available AWD

The newest addition to Cadillac's sedan lineup, the 2013 XTS was fully revealed on Wednesday in advance of its first public appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show later in the day.

The XTS takes its place as Cadillac's largest model replacing both the DTS and the STS. And large it is at 202-in. (5,131mm) long, 72.9-in. (1,851mm) wide and 59.1-in. (1,501mm) tall.

The XTS rides on a hefty 111.7-in. (2,837mm) wheelbase with Cadillac laying claims to 40 inches (1,016 mm) of rear legroom, which is about four more inches than the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class and about two more inches than the Audi A6. It also gets a capacious boot with 18 cubic feet (509 liters) of space.

The new Cadillac's exterior styling is more adventurous than the DTS/STS models and almost identical to last year's XTS Platinum concept study.

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Could this be the New Cadillac ATS Small Sports Sedan?

A bare-shell of an unidentified model shown in a introduction video on GM’s corporate site caught the attention of a forum member of GMInsidenews. The team over the website believes that this could be an early prototype of the upcoming 2014 Cadillac ATS sports sedan, with which GM wants to compete against the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloons. Read more »

eBay Find of the Day: 1965 Cadillac Flower Car Hearse

Here’s something you don’t see every day: an ultra-rare 1965 Cadillac Superior Coupe de Fleur “Flower Car Hearse”. Specialist vehicles such as this one traded in the glassed-in section behind their front doors for an almost pickup-like rear deck.

The idea was that an attractive flower arrangement would rest on top of the deck diverting attention away from the unsightly coffin was hidden below. This particular example is said to be based on a Cadillac Fleetwood.

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GM Recalling 47,401 Cadillac SRX Crossovers Over Airbag Software Issue

A potential issue with an air-curtain air bag that may not deploy during a crash has prompted the U.S. recall of 47,401 Cadillac SRX crossovers from the 2011 model year. For the same reason, 3,099 vehicles are being recalled in Mexico and Canada, with GM stating that the problem is only in North America. Read more »

Cadillac Rolls Out New Design for its Dealerships

While the bigwigs at General Motors are mulling to expand production of Cadillacs outside of North America before the end of 2012, here in the States, the focus is on improving the customer experience at the brand’s dealerships. Today, the Detroit automaker rolled out a new design for Cadillac showrooms that will become the standard across the country.

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GM Wants to Start Building Cadillacs Abroad by the End of 2012

While speaking to the media, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson revealed plans to expand Cadillac production outside of North America by the end of 2012 as part of the Detroit firm’s efforts to make its premium brand a “true global marque”. According to Akerson, building Cadillacs in other areas of the world would safeguard the company from foreign-currency fluctuations and allow GM to better handle its supply chain.

Currently, the only Cadillac model assembled outside of North America is the China-market SLS, which is a stretched version of the STS sold in the States. Akerson did not reveal where GM plans to build the Cadillac models.

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