Oh, its only 14 hours

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I enjoy drives with my family.   We learned simple rules, like stop every 2 or 3 hours and stretch, get a snack, gas or a meal if needed, and back on the road.

Our ‘long’ regular trip is from Plano Texas to Georgetown, South Carolina to visit my Wife’s family.   That tends to be a 20 hour drive.  Some years we tried to do it in 2 parts, stopping overnight along the way.  After bad experiences with hotel stays, we just decided that if you keep going eventually you get there.  Now we leave home at 7 am and arrive there at 3 or 4 am the next day.     It is a long driving day, but you end up with more vacation time at our destination in the bargain.

Today we’re headed back from Indianapolis to Plano.   Hopefully it will take around 14 hours.   Compared to our South Carolina trips, the family thinks of this as a shorter trip lol.   But we’ll generally follow the same pace, stopping every couple of hours 0r as needed.

On the way here we were regaled with Irish Drinking songs, but on the way back I suspect the singers will still be asleep most of the way.  I am not sure when they finally got back to the hotel, but good that it was before we left!

There is some promise of speech practice sessions, and of course the Cadillac has XM radio with plentiful choices for third party entertainments.  Should be a fun driving day.  After all, it’s only 14 hours.   If I can ever get everyone awake, and their stuff in the car, and on the road…

Cadillac: the New Standard of the World

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Cadillac is considering adopting a new marketing slogan:

Cadillac, the New Standard of the World

Let’s revisit the history of how Cadillac became the Standard of the World.

Upon award of the prestigious Dewar Trophy to Cadillac in 1908, the Royal Automobile Club of England proclaimed Cadillac “Standard of the World” for precision manufacture.  This is not a self made claim, or marketing slogan, but recognition of the engineering and precision manufacturing of a remarkable automobile.    In fact, the Dewar Trophy is given “to the motor car which should successfully complete the most meritorious performance or test furthering the interests and advancement of the [automobile] industry”.  This was the first time that an American car had won the award.

Cadillac continues today to produce beautiful, carefully engineered automobiles with the latest technologies in manufacture.    The resulting modern Cadillac is a joy, with world class performance and luxury while maintaining a uniquely American style.

Cadillac The New Standard of the World.

The New Cadillacs, made with a precise attention to detail, craftsmanship,  and desire to achieve excellence that places Cadillac among the world’s greatest motorcars.

New Cadillac Flagship?

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The upcoming Cadillac XTS will notionally replace both the Cadillac DTS and the Cadillac STS.    Certainly it seems a numeric replacement for the Cadillac DTS, as a FWD or AWD model with perhaps similar ride, handling and all-weather traction.

Replacement of the STS, originally intended to be Cadillac’s S-Class or BMW 7-Series Competitor by the upcoming XTS is more problematic.   Although the AWD variant of the XTS can be tuned to have some rear-wheel drive dynamics, it is difficult for such a vehicle to have the control, predictability, and performance of a true rear-wheel drive sedan.

Once more Bloomberg reports that GM CEO Ed Whitacre has charged the team to do a business case analysis for Cadillac to develop a new high-end rear-wheel drive flagship:

The company has also started work on a flagship sedan for Cadillac, two of the people said. Designers are looking at several prototypes that differ from the XTS concept car on display at the Detroit auto show in January, they said. If GM’s board approves funding for the luxury car, intended to compete with BMW AG’s 7 Series, it wouldn’t be built for several years, they said.

It is not clear if this model would impact development of the XTS itself; I hope Cadillac moves forward with the release of a hybrid power-trained XTS while considering development of a new model.   Production of the XTS really seems a no-brainer, building on the advantages and sales base of that platform and offering a high-end replacement for DTS buyers.    Meanwhile, penciling in a high-end sedan above the CTS works.  It would even make sense to plan a high-end variant of the next gen Alpha-platform CTS and make that the flagship.

There are still on-the-shelf technologies such as a hybrid power plant, Heads-up Display, lane departure warning, and blind-spot alert that are not available in the CTS family.  Moreover, the magnetic suspension used so well in the current CTS-V could be offered in a high-end sedan as standard equipment.

I am excited if Cadillac brings on a high-end sedan stable-mate or Flagship.  I hope that the Team does not take their eye off the ball however and send indecision to the showrooms instead of new models.  Bring the XTS along and continue to work the business case for a high end RWD flagship.