"For the third year running, the 2009 Cadillac DTS wins the Motorist Choice Award in the Large Car segment. With a spacious cabin, huge trunk, and plush seating, owners find the DTS to be a very pleasant vehicle to own and operate." -- AutoPacific

"Best-in-segment ownership costs and a strong showing in the AutoPacific survey were the keys to the DTS win." -- IntelliChoice

Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Exterior Size
* Brand's Reputation
* Reliability / Dependability
* Driver's Seat Forward Visibility
* Feeling Safe While Driving
* Safety Features

Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Best-in-Segment Ownership Costs

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"In a closely fought battle, the Cadillac Escalade wins the 2009 Motorist Choice Award for Luxury Sport Utility segment-again. Cadillac style, expressed by exterior and interior styling as well as image, resonates with these buyer; satisfaction with Power and Acceleration helped secure the win." -- AutoPacific

"The Cadillac Escalade has best-in-segment maintenance costs and was ranked first in the AutoPacific survey." -- IntelliChoice

Owner Satisfaction Highlights
* Brand reputation, Vehicle Reputation and Image
* Exterior and Interior Appearance
* Ride, Handing and Braking
* Overall Quality, Reliability and Dependability
* Safety Features (and large size) give Escalade owners a strong feeling of safety while driving

Cost-of-Ownership Strengths
* Lowest Maintenance Costs
* Better than Expected Insurance Costs

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Awards Show Consumers Enjoy Luxury and Size
(August 11, 2009) -- Right brain, left brain; the practical versus the emotional -- an age-old dilemma often at the center of decision making when buying a new car or truck. The 2009 Motorist Choice Awards recognize new cars and trucks that give their owners both economic and emotional satisfaction, helping new-car buyers find vehicles that best satisfy all of their personal-transportation needs. The fourth annual Motorist Choice Awards survey, announced today, scores 196 cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs. With the top overall scores in both owner satisfaction and value, the Lexus LS placed highest of any 2009 model year vehicle.

Large and luxury vehicles dominated this year's results. The top 34 ranked cars, and 106 of the top 107, are large cars, luxury cars, sport utility vehicles, crossover SUVs or minivans. Only one small car, the BMW 1-Series, scored in the top 100, landing in the 35th slot. Toyota Prius is the next-highest-scoring small car, coming in 107th.

Awards are given for top-scoring vehicles scoring in each of twenty-three segments, as well as for the top-scoring brand. Nine manufacturers earned segment wins, led by Toyota with nine awards (including three for Lexus), followed by General Motors with six (Chevrolet 4, Cadillac 2), Honda with three, and Chrysler with two (Dodge 1, Jeep 1). Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen took top honors in one segment each.

(And check out our video on YouTube.)

Continue reading "Motorist Choice Awards Reveal Vehicles That Please Both Hearts And Minds" »

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Public Responds Positively to Ford's Actions, but Some Still Have Reservations
TUSTIN, Calif. (June 17, 2009) -- American consumers' opinions about Ford Motor Company have been positively influenced by the company's decision not to accept government bailout funds, and by the bankruptcy filings of rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Automotive research and analysis firm AutoPacfic conducted an online survey of more than 900 U.S. consumers regarding their purchase intent and opinions of individual car companies. Highlights include:

* Asian and European manufacturers scored highest when the survey asked "How concerned are you about buying/leasing a vehicle from" a particular maker, with an average of 61% "Not concerned at all." Ford scored 48%, far ahead of GM's 15% and Chrysler's 14%.

Continue reading "Survey Indicates Ford Benefits From Troubles Of Others And Not Taking Bailout" »

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The Cadillac Escalade dominates the Luxury Sport Utility segment with top-of-the-segment scores in no fewer than 30 of 48 attributes. The Escalade, also a 2008 winner, comes out on top despite tough domestic and import brand competition. Leading Escalade attributes include:
• Brand reputation, vehicle reputation and image
• Exterior and interior appearance
• Dynamic characteristics including ride, handing and braking
• Quality, reliability and dependability
• Safety features (and large size) give Escalade owners a strong feeling of safety while driving

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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For the second year in a row, Cadillac wins the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award for top-scoring brand. Earning an overall score higher than thirty-six other major American, Asian and European brands including Lexus, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and BMW proves Cadillac understands their owners and satisfies them. Cadillac is successful across a range of attributes and an all-round winner, scoring highly in categories including:
• Brand and vehicle reputation
• Exterior and interior styling
• Dynamic characteristics, including ride, handling and braking
• Quality, reliability and durability
• Safety features, and a feeling of safety when driving

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Continue reading "Does Bailout Money End Up Killing GM?" »

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GM's 2009 Sunday press conference packed a powerful punch, with several production vehicles and a hint of what a Cadillac based on the Chevrolet Volt architecture might look like. Introduced by Bob Lutz himself, the Cadillac Converj is likely to see light of day as a production vehicle down the road, though Cadillac is also just as likely to find an alphanumeric name. Though Cadillac did not specify launch timing, a logical expectation would be that the vehicle arrive about 2013MY.

Aside from distinctive Cadillac styling, the Converj gave GM a chance to discuss the next stage for their Voltec system (the new corporate name for their range-extended electric vehicle powertrain archicture). The 161HP Converj is, like Volt, a front-drive application, though a two-door coupe with seating for four.

Perhaps the current concerns about fuel efficiency, the allure of an ultra-cool-sounding powertrain, and the fact that Cadillac styling is strong across the range will be strong enough for the Cadillac brand to support an entry-level product like this, but the brand's history with brand cloning and small, front-drive entries is not good. Remember Catera? Cimarron?

In the meantime, follow the jump for the official Cadillac details and a few more photos.

Continue reading "2009 NAIAS: Cadillac Converj" »

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Cadillac's CTS expands the range. This car was formally introduced in Paris, and some attendees of the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance caught a look, but this is the first U.S. auto-show circuit showing. With the goodness of the CTS for a base, it should be no surprise that Cadillac has created a Euro-style, sexy-but-practical wagon.

Follow the jump for more photos and the full Cadillac press release.

Continue reading "2009 NAIAS: 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Cadillac's first-generation SRX was weakly received, to put it mildly, and never quite met Cadillac's expectations. The successor has turned to the front-drive, unibody architecture of the crossovers consumers are buying these days. When they are buying at all, that is.

More photos and Cadillac's full release are below the jump.

Continue reading "2009 NAIAS: 2010 Cadillac SRX" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Are we nearing the end of Chrysler? Or the beginning of a new blended family? Or just another day at the rumor mill?
Late on Friday, the first stories began appearing about GM and Chrysler in possible merger talks. And at least in Detroit, dominated the weekend news cycle. GM's stock went up this morning, but given that the Dow was up 5.6% and GM went up only about 3%, the stock bump might have happened without merger talk. GM closed on Friday at $4.89, a number some say is actually less than the company would be worth in capital assets alone.

All of this merger talk, whether these deals are realistic or not, does nothing good for public perception. The economy is weak, last week's events on the stock market don't reassure anyone, and talking about GM and Chrysler perhaps needing to merge to survive only further erodes confidence in American business. While GM and Chrysler LLC, as well as any other maker in trouble right now, needs to consider even unthinkable options and test our common assumptions as they get out of this trouble, this merger does not inspire hope.

Continue reading "Exhaust Notes #32: More Detroit Merger Talk" »

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AutoPacific: Cadillac Escalade owners gave then vehicle high ratings for styling and image, which may not come as any surprise, but they also gave high marks to the feel of Escalade’s interior fabrics and materials. Adding to Escalade’s 2008 Motorist Choice Award® win were strong ratings for reliability, vehicle ride, interior controls, driver’s seat visibility and instrumentation.
IntelliChoice: The Cadillac Escalade has best-in-class maintenance costs, strong retained value and does not underperform in any one area.

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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AutoPacific: Despite tough competition in the large luxury car segment from vehicles such as Chrysler 300, Mercury Grand Marquis and Toyota Avalon, the Cadillac DTS took home a 2008 Motorist Choice Award®. Owners pointed to how quiet the DTS was from inside the vehicle and gave high marks to its ride, handling and braking. Contributing to the DTS win were the car’s exterior size and innovative technology.
IntelliChoice: The Cadillac DTS was among the best in overall ownership costs and has best-in-class insurance costs. Combined with its first-place ranking in the AutoPacific survey, that makes the Cadillac DTS a 2008 Motorist Choice Award® winner.

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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On August 3, I finally returned to one of my favorite summer events, the annual Meadow Brook Concours d' Elegance. Held the first weekend of August every year since 1979, this Concours is one of the premier events of its type. Not quite as prestigious as the Pebble Beach Concours happening the weekend of August 16 (yes, the same weekend as Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise), Meadow Brook has earned a strong reputation. For me, it's simply a chance to wander among cars from storied brands of today and yesterday. Delahaye, Packard, Auburn, Duesenburg, Pierce-Arrow, Studebaker, Peugeot, Ferrari, Cadillac, Lincoln, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, the list goes on and on.

Meadow Brook is home to a mansion of the same name built by the widow of John Dodge, one of the two Dodge brothers that helped establish the automotive industry we know today. The home and its property now belongs to Oakland University. Aside from the sheer joy and pleasure of celebrating the automobile as an art from, the event's purpose is to raise funds for upkeep of the 88,000-square-foot mansion and its grounds. Seems a fitting choice of fundraising event.

Continue reading "2008 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Each year AutoPacific identifies the Brand and individual vehicles that top all others in vehicle satisfaction: The Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new passenger car or light truck. Owner satisfaction is measured across 46 specific areas related to a vehicle's operation, comfort, safety and the overall purchase/lease experience. The 2008 ratings reflect input from 33,500 buyers and lessees of new vehicles acquired September through December 2007.

2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award top brand honors went to Cadillac, while other luxury brands such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche also had strong showings. But what does it mean to have a top brand? Though calculations single out one brand as having the highest overall score, each individual attribute also has its own top scorer. Sometimes the detail underneath it all can have just as much, if not more, meaning than the final outcome.

Continue reading "Top Brands in Vehicle Satisfaction for 2008" »

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After a lovely 4th of July weekend, doing my best to focus energies on anything not related to work (something I hear is easy for most people to do, but I've never quite got the knack of), I started my usual workday morning routine at my local Bally Total Fitness. And, sure enough, as soon as I get near the gym TV, there's the news, dragging me right back to 5:15 am Monday morning reality.

The 5 am scoop in Detroit was the rumor GM is considering dumping more brands, one way or another, and firing more mid-management white-collar employees. (No, UAW, you do not have the corner on losing jobs. I swear.) Of course, by time I was in the office and caught up with e-mail, GM has flatly denied that any brand, other than Hummer, is up for review. We'll only know the truth of that if GM manages to hold onto the seven remaining brands, and assuming Hummer is sold. Here's the thing: If GM is not considering reducing their brand count, they should be.

Rumors actually surfaced on this subject last week. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was on my way home to enjoy said holiday weekend that I heard an automotive journalist being interviewed for his opinions on the rumors and what GM should do opine that Saab and Saturn are the likeliest brands to go. Monday morning and it's groundhog day again. Between that interview and Monday morning, it turned into "news" that GM is considering selling those two brands. Says a lot about how quickly (and recklessly) rumors and speculation fly in this industry, but that's a story for another day.

Continue reading "Exhaust Note #19: Is GM Breaking Up?" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The Cadillac CTS won the 2008 IVA award in the Aspirational Luxury Car segment. Owners rated it highly for its exterior styling and size. It also scored very well in power and acceleration. The infotainment system added to owners’ ratings of the CTS, as it scored highly with respect to level of technology.

Though the Volvo C70 is only available in one trim level (T5), owners in the Aspirational Luxury Car segment found the C70 well equipped, giving the C70 top honors as a 2008 Ideal Vehicle. Of course, it also comes standard with numerous safety features, sharp wheels and tires, excellent interior lighting and appropriate seat firmness.

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Tustin, California, June 30, 2008 – An “ideal” is defined as an excellent or perfect example. In the annual Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVA), announced today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate their new 2008 model year cars and trucks by how close they come to their ideal, as measured by 15 key vehicle attributes. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal.

Continue reading "AutoPacific Announces 2008 Ideal Vehicle Awards" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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With five cars and trucks earning the strongest owner satisfaction scores in the industry, Cadillac won the 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Award for Top Brand. Edging out Japanese and European luxury marques such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW; Cadillac proved itself a winner with owners. Rebuilding the brand over the past few years with great product and targeted advertising paid off when owners gave Cadillac higher marks for satisfaction than any other brand.

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Mark LT owners are happy with Lincoln’s luxury interpretation of the Ford F-150. Mark LT owners appreciate the vehicle’s blend of utility and style. Top ranking was secured with a Comfortable Ride, great Driver Visibility and a Feeling of Safety When Driving.

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Not only did Cadillac as a brand rank No. 1 over all, the new and much-talked-about 2008 Cadillac CTS won the ’08 Vehicle Satisfaction Award in the Aspirational Luxury Car Segment. Owners bought the CTS because it is new, bold and from a espected brand. They praised its aggressive Styling and Fun to Drive dynamics. Owners would like better Cup Holders in the CTS, but there was no denying it has proved itself the segment winner.

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Tustin, California, May 29, 2008 - A study released today by noted automotive consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc. summarizes the results of its 2008 model year vehicle satisfaction research. AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new passenger car or light truck.

In a year that promises to be the toughest in a decade, owner-based awards like AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award will help customers make their purchase decisions.

The brand with the highest satisfaction rating is Cadillac. The vehicle - car or truck - registering highest overall satisfaction in 2008 is the new-for-2008 Toyota Sequoia Large Sport Utility Vehicle. The passenger car with the highest overall satisfaction score is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

There are twenty-eight Vehicle Satisfaction Award categories. At the manufacturer level, multiple top ranked award winners include: General Motors (eleven categories), Toyota (nine categories), Ford (six categories), Volkswagen (four categories), Honda (three categories) and Hyundai (two categories).

"Cadillac wins the Vehicle Satisfaction Award as the top brand in a close race. Strong satisfaction performance by Cadillac cars and trucks has Cadillac winning over other leading luxury marques including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW says AutoPacific president George Peterson. "Top ranked finishes by Cadillac's Escalade, CTS and DTS helped cement their industry topping position."

Peterson continues, "Vehicles that are all new received top rankings in several categories: Cadillac CTS, Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Lancer, Scion xD, Toyota Sequoia, Audi Q7, Buick Enclave, Hyundai Veracruz, GMC Acadia, Saturn Vue and Nissan Rogue. These new-for-2008 vehicles were strongly rated by their owners showing that the industry continues to improve as new vehicles are added to the hotly contested American car and light truck markets."

From a vehicle type perspective, Traditional Sport Utility Vehicles received the highest ratings as a class closely followed by Crossover Sport Utility Vehicles. Peterson says, "Clearly, SUVs continue to be one of the most popular and satisfying vehicle types available in the USA today. Even with skyrocketing gas prices, SUVs are attractive and Crossover SUVs fill the bill for most SUV buyers with better fuel economy." Cars scored slightly below industry average followed by minivans and pickup trucks.

Continue reading "AutoPacific Announces 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards" »

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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This is fun, right? We’re having fun!

Well, here we are in the World of Tomorrow. The food pills and flying cars are some ways off, but our brave boys in the trenches of science have figured out how to harness those spastic blinky necklaces (pictured) issued by law to every obnoxious child at every fireworks display and use their power for good. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the LED headlamp.

The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum blinds you with science

Continue reading "[insert "bright future" joke here]" »

Posted by Katrina Ohlemacher at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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