William Maley

Since Cadillac has brought in Johan de Nysschen as its new president, the decisions made by him - such as the CT/XT nomenclature and moving some of their staff to New York - have caused many to experience a range of emotions from happiness to outrage. So we don't know how many people are going to feel about de Nysschen's thoughts about Cadillac in the future that he talked with a couple of outlets at the LA Auto Show. First up is Reuters who reports that that de Nysschen sees Cadillac selling a $250,000 luxury sedan, but not anytime soon. "It is too early today for a $250,000 Cadillac. Fifteen years from now, it won't be," said de Nysschen. Next up is Car and Driver who got a flurry of thoughts from de Nysschen. Here's what they got. Cadillac is working on an all-new diesel engine that will launch in 2019. The U.S. will be getting this new engine. A 911 fighter from Cadillac? de Nysschen says there is a possibility of this, but not till after 2020. (Also, Corvette may have something to say about this as well. -WM) The V lineup will be growing to possibly five or six models in the future. One of those models could be an SUV - not the Escalade though. Sales target for the ATS-V? Modest Volume. Source: Reuters, Car and Driver View full article

Sometimes the more interesting bits of an auto show aren't the vehicles on display. Its the senior executives divulging some intriguing information. Case in point comes to us from Automotive News. Volkswagen of America's CEO, Michael Horn let out that the upcoming Golf SportWagen will be available with the company's 4Motion all-wheel drive system starting 2016. Also in 2016, the U.S. will also be getting the Golf Alltrack, a version of the SportWagen with increased ride height and body cladding. “That’s what our dealers, our customers, are asking us for,” said Horn. "This will come in 2016 when we need it to refresh our volumes.” What is causing Volkwagen to introduce all-wheel drive for the Golf and the Alltrack to the states? The success of Subaru. The Japanese automaker has been seeing sales climb over the past few years, and Volkswagen wants to a take a slice of that. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

Ford has finally spilled the beans on fuel economy for the 2015 F-150 engine lineup for two-wheel and four-wheel drive variations. The fuel-economy numbers do put Ford in a good place for most half-ton gasoline competitors. But the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel still rules the roost in overall fuel economy with 20 City/28 Highway/23 Combined. Still Ford has an argument that the F-150 is the better value. "Equipped with 2.7-liter EcoBoost, the all-new F-150 is a better value than even diesel-powered pickups. For instance, the $495 option on the Ford is significantly less than the $4,470 3.0-liter Ram EcoDiesel option. In addition, with diesel prices currently 76 cents per gallon more at the pump, each 3.0-liter Ram EcoDiesel fill-up costs over $24 more than the new 2.7-liter F-150. That means at today’s fuel prices Ram EcoDiesel owners are not able to offset the additional cost of their EcoDiesel engines with fuel savings." Here are the official numbers from the EPA 4x2 F-150 3.5L V6: 18 City/25 Highway/20 Combined 4x4 F-150 3.5L V6: 17 City/23 Highway/19 Combined 4x2 F-150 2.7L V6 EcoBoost: 19 City/26 Highway/22 Combined 4x4 F-150 2.7L V6 EcoBoost: 18 City/23 Highway/20 Combined 4x2 F-150 5.0L V8: 15 City/22 Highway/18 Combined 4x4 F-150 5.0L V8: 15 City/21 Highway/17 Combined 4x2 F-150 3.5L V6 EcoBoost: 17 City/24 Highway/20 Combined 4x4 F-150 3.5L V6 EcoBoost: 17 City/23 Highway/19 Combined Source: Ford Press Release is on Page 2 FORD'S BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABILITY ADVANCES TO NEXT LEVEL; NEW F-150 LINEUP INCLUDES HIGHEST EPA-ESTIMATED FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS AMONG GAS-POWERED PICKUPS The new 2015 F-150 lineup – featuring the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150s ever – now includes the highest EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of any full-size gasoline pickup on the market When equipped with available 2.7-liter EcoBoost® engine, new F-150 4x2 has EPA-estimated 19 mpg City, 26 mpg Highway and 22 mpg Combined fuel economy ratings 2015 F-150 can tow as much as 1,110 pounds more, haul as much as 530 pounds more, has a 5 percent to 16 percent better power-to-weight ratio and new F-150 EPA fuel economy ratings are 5 to 29 percent better than current models, depending on engine Ford advances to the next level in providing customers with more fuel-efficient vehicles, as the new 2015 F-150 lineup includes the highest EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of any gasoline-powered full-size pickup sold in America. Up to 700 pounds lighter than current models, the new F-150 4x2 with Ford's 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine has EPA-estimated ratings of 19 mpg City, 26 mpg Highway and 22 mpg Combined. That is 5 percent to 29 percent better than current F-150 models, depending on engine and driveline configuration on the combined cycle. "We set out to create the future of tough with the new F-150," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "We are delivering with the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150 ever – and now the highest EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of any full-size gas-powered pickup in America." The improved performance is enabled by saving weight through the use of high-strength steel and high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloys plus smart engineering. The weight savings not only improve fuel efficiency, they improve the new F-150's capability and performance. Combined with EcoBoost engine technology, the F-150 now tows as much as 1,100 more pounds and hauls as much as 530 pounds more than today's model with a 5 percent to 16 percent better power-to-weight ratio. Ford is producing trucks and now has started shipping the all-new pickups to its dealers. Delivering Ford's Blueprint for Sustainability The F-150's fuel economy leadership pays off two key elements of Ford's Blueprint for Sustainability – making high volumes of internal combustion engines as efficient as possible through EcoBoost technology and achieving substantial vehicle weight savings. Introduced in 2007, the Blueprint is a plan of near-, mid- and long-term product and technology actions that incorporate fuel-saving technologies into the company's vehicles, while continuing development of breakthrough technologies. Today, Ford has 2 million EcoBoost engines on the road in cars, utilities and trucks. EcoBoost technology was first offered for F-150 customers in early 2011 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine. To date, Ford has sold 600,000 F-150 trucks equipped with 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines, helping Ford customers save an estimated 68 million gallons of gasoline. New truck, even more engine choices Ford offers new F-150 customers four engine choices: the available 2.7-liter EcoBoost with standard Auto Start-Stop, a new standard 3.5-liter V6 Ti-VCT engine, a more powerful available 5.0-liter V8 Ti-VCT engine and an available premium 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine. These trucks represent a substantial improvement over trucks of the past. Owners of seven- or eight-year-old trucks who are in the market for a new truck may be surprised by the impressive capability of the 2015 F-150. For example, returning owners of 2008 model year F-150s could see EPA-estimated fuel economy rating improvements of up to 43 percent and power-to-weight increases of up to 46 percent, while towing could improve as much as 3,900 pounds and payload could improve as much as 1,390 pounds, depending on engine and configuration. View full article

I was trying to be kind to you Drew.. You did a lot as it was.

Being a two person outfit is somewhat difficult when covering an auto show. With one on press release and story writing duty, and other trying to get pictures at the show, that means we can't cover all of the reveals. But that doesn't mean we're not going to give their due. We picked some of the vehicles that are important and/or interesting that debuted at LA. 2016 Acura ILX Acura is trying to right the ship of the compact ILX. Since its introduction only a couple of years ago, the ILX has dropped both the base 2.0L four and Hybrid model, leaving just the 2.4 model. Now for the 2016 model year, Acura hopes to address many of the shortcomings with ILX. First up is a new front end treatment with a new grille and jewel eye headlights. The back end gets a new bumper and taillights. Under the hood lies the 2.4L four-cylinder from the TLX producing 201 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. This will come paired up to a eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, again from the TLX. The six-speed manual that was available previously has been dropped.Also new for the ILX is the addition of a A-Spec package which add a number of design tweaks such as 18-inch wheels, "Euro-style" stitching to the steering wheel, and suede on the seats. The revitalized 2016 ILX will be hitting dealers early next year. Audi Prologue Concept Audi's design language tends to follow the one design for any size car. Just look at their passenger car lineup and you're left wondering if they used the enlarge function on the copy machine to create their vehicles. Audi is planning to change this up in the future. To give us a preview, the company revealed the Prologue Concept. The front end gets a trapezoidal grille that sits wider and lower than on current models. A set of wedge-shaped laser headlights sit above air intakes with blade elements. Around back, the trunk lid is angled forward to suggest moment. Slimmed down taillights and trapezoidal exhaust tips finish off the rear. Overall, the Prologue Concept is proportioned in such a way to accentuate the all-wheel drive DNA that is part of Audi. Audi's design chief Marc Lichte says elements of the Prologue's design will be on future Audi models. But the concept itself could go into production. Rumors have been flying at LA that Prologue Concept is hinting at a flagship coupe that will sit above the A8. 2015 Fiat 500X We known for awhile that Fiat was working on its version of the Jeep Renegade. At LA, Fiat let the 500X out into the wild. The 500X trades in the Renegade's boxy looks for something more 500-ish. To our eyes, it looks like a standard 500 with some added length and some added body cladding. Inside is the same story, with elements of the standard 500L making an appearance here.Powertrains include a turbocharged 1.4L MultiAir four-cylinder with 160 horsepower and 184-pound-feet or the 2.4L TigerShark four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet. The 1.4 will be available with a six-speed manual, while the 2.4L comes paired to a nine-speed automatic only. Front-wheel drive will be standard, while all-wheel drive with disconnecting rear axle will be optional. The 2015 500X will hit Fiat dealers in the first half of next year. 2016 Jaguar F-Type We've already talked one of the big changes for the F-Type which is the availability of all-wheel drive. But there was one other item up Jaguar's sleeve; a manual transmission. You'll be able to equip a F-Type with a six-speed manual if its a six-cylinder and rear-drive model. The manual transmission drops 22 pounds off the F-Type's weight. As for the all-wheel drive, we have a bit more info on that as well. The F-Type R with its 550 horsepower V8 will have all-wheel drive as standard, while the F-Type S with its 380 horsepower V6 will have it as an option. 2016 Kia Sorento I know what you are thinking: Didn't Kia just release a refresh Sorento not that long ago? Yes they did. But in a marketplace where fresh meat is coming in quick, Kia decided to give the Sorento a redesign. The Sorento grows 0.2-inches in overall length and rides on a wheelbase that is 3.1-inches longer. The front is similar to the new Sedona with a flat front end, new headlights, and quad fog-lights. The rest of the vehicle is similar to current Sorento, aside from a tweaked tailgate. Inside, more of Sedona's influence is here with more soft-touch materials, improved control layout, and new screen for the infotainment system.Powertrains mostly carryover from the current Sorento with the 2.4L four-cylinder taking the base, and 3.3L V6 being the top dog. In the middle is a new turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder with 240 horsepower. Front-wheel is standard, while all-wheel drive is on the options list. Kia says the 2016 Sorento will be out at dealers in the first quarter of 2016. View full article