Those sensors include radar, ultrasonics, and cameras, in addition to GPS map data. All are said to be seamlessly integrated into the car itself, with Cadillac saying it leaves it near-production in appearance rather than sporting a huge radar stem as per Google’s self-driving vehicles.

However, Cadillac’s system will also have reduced functionality in comparison to the entirely autonomous projects Google and others are working on. The car company says that it will be applicable in freeway situations, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and on long road trips; however, adverse weather or poorly painted road markings will cause the car to prompt the driver to take the wheel again.

The road testing Cadillac has in mind should amount to “hundreds of thousands of miles” in a range of conditions, including day and night, various weather types, and among different levels of traffic. However, it will also be used to monitor how drivers themselves react to the car taking a greater role in driving, something the Super Cruise safety team expects to prompt another change in behavior.

“Drivers may be tempted to engage in secondary tasks during semi-automated driving,” one of GM’s safety specialists explains, with Cadillac “developing techniques to manage secondary task behavior to assist in our development of techniques for the road.”

With this new system, the driver will be taking part in the driving experience like never before – imagine being able to extend the length of time you’ll be able to drive without stopping to refuel or re-charge your car while you’re driving. How unimaginably far we’ve come from the crank-start cars of the past – how long until we just hop in and the car brings us wherever we want to go, no effort included?

“Regen on Demand enables ELR drivers to actively re-capture energy when slowing down, such as when approaching slower traffic or setting up for a tight turn. This allows the driver to take more active role in the electric vehicle driving experience.” – Chris Thomason, ELR chief engineer

Engaging Regen on Demand is simple: the driver simply takes his or her foot off of the accelerator and presses one of the vehicle’s two steering-wheel paddles. These paddles both generate energy and begin to decelerate the car – Regen on Demand will not bring the car to a full stop, but this feature is meant for coasting or, as Thomason mentions, setting up tight turns. This is also known as regenerative braking.

“Pulling back on the paddle to slow down allows the ELR driver to keep their foot close to the throttle, ready to accelerate. It provides a more engaged, satisfying driving experience, and when you consider the added benefit of re-capturing energy, it’s also a smart thing to do.” – Thomason

In addition to the Regen on Demand paddles on your steering wheel, you’ve also got a blended regenerative braking system. With this system you’ll be recapturing energy when your brakes are applied and your vehicle slows. At the point at which you need a massive amount of brake power, this vehicle blends in friction brakes so you can stop quick.

The Cadillac ELR works with an estimated range of about 35 miles (56 km) of pure electric driving and uses an advanced electric drive unit capable of 295 lb-ft of instant torque (400 Nm). The energy is stored in a lovely T-shaped battery pack, this pack charged up by the Regen on Demand system you’re reading about today, a standard 120V electrical outlet, or a dedicated 240V charging station. Depending on outside temperature, you’ll be able to completely recharge your battery in about 4.5 hours using a 240V outlet.

Have a peek at our Car Hub as well as the timeline below for more Cadillac excellence through the future – and keep on regenerating that electricity with the power you already generate. Let nothing go to waste!

We’re no strangers to GM’s in-car tech. The company announced earlier this year that it would be equipping all of its models with in-car LTE, and promptly showed off a demo of what you could do when your 4G connection is actually baked into the car’s electronics, rather than just a dumb mobile hotspot in the glovebox. We also played extensively with Cadillac CUE, the infotainment system built into the 2013 ATS, last year.

GM isn’t a late entrant to the infotainment market, however, and gambles like baking expensive LTE radios into every single model aren’t exactly new. “If you look at our history, we’ve long had OnStar as an asset” GM President Mark Reuss told us. “So I think bringing that demonstrates the commitment we’ve made. There were a lot of tough times at the company when we looked at the equipment that we put in to do that, and generally did not price for. So that’s generally a long-term financial commitment to what we think we’re now being able to look at: an amazing opportunity for us for 4G, the expansion of that pipe we’ve invested in.”

In fact, Reuss argues, car connectivity and the functionality that enables could well end up being the 21st century’s equivalent of extreme customization. “If you look at how people use their cars, if you look at the changing demographics, new people coming into the car-buying market, most of those people have sort of an “ultimate customization” available, they see all the different devices available today” he pointed out. “That’s a reflection of who you are, that’s a reflection of how you live … it’s almost like hot-rodding used to be, right, sort of like that type of creativity that you have. It’s very low-cost, it’s very fun.”

Examples of that flexibility GM has already demonstrated range from remotely setting LED color schemes and cabin temperature, monitoring fuel levels and economy from across the country, and turning your car into a Skype video conferencing suite. However, Reuss says, the key is minimizing the stress involved in owning a car.

“That attention and care is now delivered through the pipe of the car, because the car is now bringing that information back to both the dealer, our engineers, and us as an OEM, and that’s really important data to us from a safety standpoint, and it’s important to the customer” Reuss says. “It takes the challenge of thinking about “when’s my oil going to be changed?” and “when are my tires going to be rotated?”; it takes that away from your busy life. And these are big, big things because the world is not getting less complex, and these type of tools in fact can make your daily life less complex.”

Still, it’s a big investment to web-enable every car you produce, especially when only part of your audience might walk into the showroom with an understanding of cutting-edge informatics. According to Reuss, GM has tackled that in how it markets each system across each of its brands, picking out the key functionality it knows potential drivers are going to be most interested in, as well as able to afford.

At the budget end, for instance, there are models like the Chevy Spark, aimed at younger drivers who are particularly smartphone-savvy. “You see widely different approaches in GM in how we’re doing this” Reuss points out. “The reason for purchase in a Spark of the screen we have in the car, the bring-your-own-media, don’t underestimate that. This is a car that’s under $13,000 … so that car in that price point is one approach to connectivity and bring-your-own-media, that replicates basically what you have on your phone in a very simple way, a fun way.”

On the other end of the spectrum is Cadillac’s CUE, which doesn’t assume the driver will necessarily be coming to the car with a pocket or bag full of the latest phones and slates. Instead, Reuss says, “the CUE system embeds more of that technology into the car, into the center stack of the car.”

For Cadillac drivers, the appeal of a system like CUE might not be its streaming media capabilities but how it unlocks new safety and convenience features: tech that builds on the same underlying informatics hooked into the car, but delivers that access and data in differently focused ways. “The price point is wildly different,” Reuss concedes, “but that type of information, integration, safety systems, crash avoidance, automatic cruise-control, radar-detected cruise control: that data and that format in the car you’ll see on the most expensive models in the range. And it replicates a lot of the function of what a tablet, or a smartphone, would do for you on a use-basis.”

The next example of that growing technological focus inside and outside of the car comes in the shape of the new 2014 Cadillac CTS, the company’s latest sports sedan. Set to hit the road later this year, the CTS builds on the excellent example of last year’s Cadillac ATS, borrowing the expansive all-digital driver instrumentation from the more expensive XTS, and cladding it in a sharp suit with echoes of the eye-catching 2014 Corvette Stingray.

On the outside, that design language expresses itself in features like the daytime running lights, extending down from the main lamp cluster and under the bumper. Like on the new Corvette, GM has worked hard to diffuse the LEDs so that they illuminate as two solid strakes of light; that, director of Cadillac exterior design Bob Bonaface tells us, gives the whole family a recognizable face, and one which you can spot no matter whether it’s day or night.

It’s arguably on the inside that the technological and materials focus is most obvious. Just as the Corvette team strove to be “authentic” in their choice of finishes – opting for real carbon-fiber, real metal, real leather rather than cheaper lookalike alternatives – so the new CTS dresses its cabin in premium materials. Eight interior finishes will be offered, ranging from the more traditional black, tan, and brown leather, through to more eye-catching shades like blue, each with optional contrast stitching. Real carbon-fiber and aluminum also show up again, joined by open-pore and natural finish wood.

The center stack has the same zero-profile touch sensitive buttons, topped by an 8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen with anti-gloss and oleophobic coatings, as we saw in the Cadillac ATS last year. However, the ATS’s LCD sub display in the driver’s binnacle has been replaced with a huge, 12-inch 1280 x 480 cluster display, capable of showing multiple instrument layouts and even 3D graphics of the car which can be scrolled through using wheel-mounted controls. It’s all driven by a tri-core ARM11 processor running Cadillac’s proprietary Linux OS.

The only visible sign of that underlying tech that GM wants drivers to see, though, is a smooth and responsive interface. It’s still a work-in-progress, Reuss tells us, but it’s one the car company is committed to: making its car’s controls just as tactile and efficient as analog would be, while also having the flexibility benefits being digital brings. “Things we’re working on to make them perfect is the feedback and latency of something so simple as a volume control,” he says, “so we’ll work to perfect that, but the use and layout of it is spot-on, so we’re committed to that.”

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or, in this case, how many drivers aren’t punching their dashboards in confusion), the GM President says the response – even from those who might traditionally be considered more tech-averse – has been positive. “While the demographic for Cadillac may not be the very youngest car-buying population, our population is currently changed by the use of those devices no matter what your generation is” he argues. “You immediately understand what [CUE] is and how to use it, so we’ve had very little feedback that that’s a problem; very little from the CUE system in both the XTS and ATS.”

Next up is third party developers wading in, as GM throws open its In-Vehicle APIs and invites coders to cook up new functionality and features based on having core access to the infotainment stack. Alongside that, there’s an official plan for “agility and capability” over the next decade, Reuss says, though he also points out that consumer demands more than anything might well shape what car dashboards look like and deliver in tomorrow’s models.

“I don’t know how it’s going to evolve, and that’s exciting to me” Reuss concluded. “It’s sort of an open world of possibilities for it, and our job is to provide those open world of possibilities enabling people’s lives to be easier, to provide new advantages to buy a GM car, and to provide a user-interface that’s extremely safe, and easy to use, and very consistent.”

However, one major detail we didn’t know about the new CTS was exactly what the vehicle will look like on the outside. Some official photographs of the 2014 Cadillac CTS have leaked online ahead of the car’s official launch in New York. The images show a distinctive front grill and a front bumper area that has a sporty look.

The images also show what appear to be LED daytime running lights, HID headlights, and LED fog lights. The rear of the car has a small deck lid spoiler, LED tail lights, and the familiar Cadillac crest. On the inside, the car is all-new using lots of leather, real wood trim, and Alcantara along with contrasting color stitching.

There will be multiple engines available in the new Cadillac, the most powerful being Cadillac’s new twin turbo V-6 engine. We previously talked about that new V-6 in depth and it will provide the new CTS with 420 hp and 430 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac says that the CTS fitted with this engine will be able to reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and have a top speed of 170 mph. I’d wager that engine will be available in the CTS V performance version only.

[via Motoward]

The new twin turbo V6 will also be the first twin turbo engine for Cadillac and the first be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The V-6 engine uses a smaller pair of turbochargers combined with an efficient charge air cooler to reduce turbo lag and provide immediate power delivery. The engine displaces 3.6-liters and GM says that 90% of engines peak torque is available from 2500 RPM up to 5500 RPM.

That broad torque curve will give drivers of the vehicle a feeling of available power in almost any driving condition. Cadillac says that the CTS sedan equipped with the optional twin turbo V-6 engine will be able to reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. The vehicle will have a top speed estimated to be 170 mph.

The 2014 CTS sedan is set to debut in the US this fall. GM says that almost every component in the V-6 engine is new including stronger connecting rods, machined aluminum pistons, and lots more. The turbochargers produce over 12 pounds of boost. The 2014 CTS will also be available with a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.

[via GM]

Many of the tweets are also similar to what we saw yesterday, mainly dealing with the superiority of Cadillac over Jeep, mixed in with some incoherent language and hashtags. The background was also changed to a McDonald’s-laden blinged-out car, pretty much confirming that it’s the same hacking group that we saw yesterday, due to the McDonald’s reference.

If it is the same group, then the Defonic Team Screen Name Club are the ones behind today’s Twitter hack. The group is best known for hacking into Paris Hilton’s phone a while back. Of course, Jeep is gaining hundreds of new followers by the minute, similar to how Burger King’s following grew by 30,000 users in about an hour’s time.

Jeep’s Twitter account hasn’t been suspended, unlike Burger King’s account, and it seems things are back to normal. Jeep’s head of brand communications Todd Goyer says that the company is “aware of the issue and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.” Most of the branding is back to normal and all of the irrelevant tweets have been deleted.

The test cars are all pre-production – the final car won’t be appearing in Cadillac showrooms until sometime in 2014, GM has said – but they give the company a valuable opportunity to see how the electronics hold up. The tires, steering, anti-lock brakes, and the traction and electronic-stability control systems are all under the microscope.

Meanwhile it’s also an opportunity to see how the ELR’s Continuous Damping Control system handles the more than four inches of fresh snow. That system dynamically adjusts the car’s damping every 2ms to suit the road conditions.

“During this latest test, the ELR continued to perform beyond our expectations” ELR chief engineer Chris Thomason said of the car’s trip, though GM is keeping quiet on full performance reports from the adverse weather testing.

However, with electric car abilities and practicality topical today, given Elon Musk’s critical response to recent Tesla Model S reviews, GM and others will probably come in for increased attention as their real-world usefulness is discussed. The ELR, for instance, isn’t a pure-EV but an “Extended Range Electric Vehicle” (EREV), using a gas engine to top up the onboard batteries, something GM claims makes for a more reliable experience without the usual “range anxiety.”

The Cadillac CTS series of coupes and sedans are among the automakers most popular models. The company has announced that it will unveil redesigned CTS mid-size sedan designed to target BMW at the New York auto show in March. The redesigned CTS is expected to go on sale in the fall as a 2014 model.

While all the details in the redesigned CTS are unknown, Cadillac is going to clearly differentiate the redesigned CTS from the smaller ATS. The existing Cadillac CTS series was due for a refresh since it was introduced in late 2007. Sales for the current CTS have been declining due to its aging design and stiff competition from other Cadillac models and competing brands.

Cadillac wants the new CTS to directly compete with the BMW 5 series. Cadillac executives also note that they expect introduce a coupe version of the smaller ATS next year. Cadillac also plans to have new versions of its popular Escalade SUV and a version of its plug-and electric ELR in dealer showrooms by early 2014. I’m rather excited to see what Cadillac does with the new CTS-V.

[via Reuters]

The petrol engine is a 1.4-liter four-cylinder plant, and is used to charge the ELR’s Li-Ion battery array. That 16.5kWh system powers two front electric motors mustering 207HP in total, and 295 lb-ft of torque, for a top speed of 100mph; Cadillac is yet to confirm 0-60mph times, but says the ELR should be capable of around 35 miles in pure EV mode, or more than 300 miles with a full battery and a full tank of gas. Interestingly, the steering wheel paddles don’t control gear-changes but battery regeneration efficiency: drivers can adjust how much of the ELR’s momentum is transferred back into electricity, topping up the battery in the process.

In that way, the gas engine never actually powers the wheels directly, but instead keeps the battery full; Cadillac calls it an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV), and says it has broader plans with the system for other models in its upcoming range. Of course, most eye-catching is the clean-cut exterior, complete with 20-inch wheels and vertical front and rear lighting clusters (which use LEDs). There’s also some clever aerodynamic work, with shutters behind the grille to adjust airflow and reduce drag, and a steep rake on front and back glass to make the ELR extra slippery.

Inside, it’s a 2+2 layout, with lashings of leather, wood, and real chrome (while carbon fiber is an option); Cadillac throws in some sueded microfiber too. The center console is dominated by an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen for the company’s CUE infotainment system, as we fondled on the ATS last year, as well as showing details on driving efficiency, energy usage, charging status, and other hybrid-related information. The display motors up to reveal a storage nook with USB connectivity, ideal for a phone.

Charging up the ELR’s battery from an external source is expected to take around 12hrs from a 120V power point, or 4.5hrs from a 240V charging station. The whole process can be scheduled to suit lower electricity rates or to be matched to a specific departure time, and ELR owners will be able to monitor and remotely-control things via a browser or the RemoteLink app.

Cadillac isn’t talking pricing for the ELR at this stage, only saying that the car will go into production late this year. It’ll be offered in limited quantities, however, which suggests this won’t be a direct alternative to the Volt.

Cadillac plans to start its model roll outs with an ELR hybrid at the end of 2013, which is said to be a sophisticated big brother to the Chevrolet Volt. Other potential vehicles that would be released over the next few years include a small car said to be a “take on BMW’s 1-Series”, as well as a small crossover. While Cadillac declined commenting on the specifics of the rumor, it did give an affirmative nod at the question of whether it will be expanding its lineup.

This is reported to be an effort on Cadillac’s part to establish itself as a luxury brand globally, a goal that was corroborated by the company’s vice president at the Detroit auto show. Presently, 75-percent of Cadillac’s sales come from the the US, which has dropped steadily over the last couple years. Some critics have expressed doubt that it can establish itself globally, with the managing director of 2935 Analytics stating that he wasn’t convinced Cadillac can pull it off.

Cadillac Global’s Vice President Bob Ferguson said at the Detroit Auto Show: “We’re saying it over and over and over that we want Cadillac to be a truly global luxury brand. We have the core of a very good product set now and we’re working hard at examining the options to make it even better. You can expect a more robust lineup.”

[via Reuters]

That is obviously no good, and specifically, the problem centers around faulty park lock cables and warped steering column lock actuator gears. If your car is affected by the issue, it means you could potentially shift your car from park without the key in the ignition or without pressing the brake pedal while the key is in the off position. This in turn could lead to a very bad day, and to make matters worse, this problem seems to affect a number of different models.

The 2013 Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT are the cars from Cadillac that could potentially be affected by this flaw. For Chevrolet, we’re looking at the 2013 Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe. Finally, GMC cars affected by this defect include the Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL. A total of 55,000 of these vehicles are currently in the US, while 6,310 are in Canada, 670 are in Mexico, and the remaining 7,084 are exports.

Despite this potentially dangerous flaw, there is some good news in that GM hasn’t had any reports of injuries or crashes. The company also says that only 1 in 1,000 of the recalled cars are believed to be affected by this issue, and that most of them are still on dealer lots or on the way to dealers. Affected cars that are still with dealers will be fixed before being sold off, while GM will be sending out letters to owners starting January 22. GM will replace the flawed steering columns at no cost to the owners.

[via Reuters]

The company has announced that they’re dropping the cookie-cutter approach to the interiors and exteriors of its full-size SUVs and pickup trucks, beginning with the redesigned 2014 models. We already took a look at the 2014 Silverado and Sierra from Chevrolet and GMC, respectively, but it looks like 2014 SUVs, like the Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon, will look a bit different this time around.

Chris Hilts, creative manager of interior design at General Motors, says that in the past, the company has “shared SUV and truck interiors. That is not the case going forward.” When the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Suburban, the GMC Yukons, and the Cadillac Escalades get their redesigns for 2014, they’ll be getting their own instrument panels, consoles, instrumentation, knobs, materials, and other design elements.

Previously, the Escalades and Yukons shared similar door panels, but since these two vehicles have different prices ranges that cater towards different types of people, GM thought it was necessary to finally give each of their SUVs a unique look that differentiated from one another. Essentially, GM says that a 2014 Silverado and a 2014 Tahoe will look completely different, and won’t have similar qualities that the two vehicles have shared for so long.

[via Car and Driver]

In September, a series of snapshots surfaced of a prototype ELR out on a test drive, its body covered fender-to-fender in a black and white wrapper. Those images, as well as the slow trickle of information from Cadillac, came months after the initial announcement in August 2011 that the Converj concept car would enter production and emerge as the ELR.

There aren’t too many details known about the Cadillac ELR at this point. The vehicle utilizes the same powertrain found in Chevy’s Volt, offering an electric motor with a 4-cylinder gas engine that functions as a generator for the motor. Because the ELR prototype is wrapped like a present, we can’t see its roof to determine if the vehicle has the same solar panel as its concept car predecessor.

Another big question mark revolving around the ELR is its design; will it resemble the Converj concept, or will it have its own unique style? It is hard to determine the ELR’s design based on the prototype due to the wrapper. We can see the prototype’s general body shape though, and it demonstrates many of the same features we’ve seen in the Converj concept. A few minor differences have been observed, however, including smaller wheels and bigger mirrors

Honda unveiled an updated 2013 Civic at the Los Angeles Car Show today, while new user-configurable gauges were shown off for the Cadillac XTS. According to benchmark tests, it turns out that the new iMac is able to boast a 25% performance boost over last year’s model, and it seems that Apple is now offering variable-cost iTunes gift cards at retailers, though they require that you load at least $15 onto them.

We heard rumors earlier today that claim the next Xbox could launch in time for Christmas 2013, and Sony has filed an interesting new patent for a hybrid Move/Dualshock controller that splits in half. A new report from comScore shows that Samsung and Apple continue to dominate the smartphone space, while we learned that Google Play revenue has risen 300% though the App Store still sells more. Nokia is hunting for a Linux engineer, which has the Android community excited, and it appears that ASUS is gearing up to undercut the Nexus 7 with a tablet that costs only $99.

The Humble THQ Bundle has pulled in more than $2 million in just one day, and Xbox Live Gold has gone free for this weekend only. There’s a new PS Vita bundle on the way to the United States, and Facebook has rolled out its new Photo Sync feature for its mobile app. Finally tonight, Chris Burns delivers his review of the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the weekend folks!

What you’re seeing here is a set of different dials and clusters of information on a fabulous 12.3-inch LCD screen that replaces the entirety of your traditional analog dials near your steering wheel. You’ll be looking at your speed and fuel information just as you always have, but here you’re able to switch them left to right, arranging the information you want to where you want it to appear.

The folks at Cadillac are showing this week a collection of layouts you might use, including Simple, Enhanced, Balanced, and Performance. Have a peek above and below to see each of them and let us know which one you’re planning on using! With the Balanced view you’ve got a traditional look at the layout with the ability to change the size and graphic quality of the display – three zones exist with a speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, outside temperature, and radio station information.

Next is the Performance layout with “enthusiast” drivers with information about the cars innards you might otherwise never see – unless you head under the hood, that is. Performance is a layout you’ll be using to see the tachometer, speedometer, and a few normal bits, but with awesome additions such as fuel consumption and tire pressure to back you up as well.

With the Enhanced cluster display you’ll be more connected than you’ve ever been before. Enhanced is a layout for the web-loving user with a “web-inspired design” that includes a navigation map on the left, digital speed and fuel readings on the right. This layout allows you to pull up and scroll through information pages with a button tap – imagine the connectivity – but don’t do it while you’re diving 88MPH of course.

The Simple cluster layout is made for the minimalist – here coming correct with speed, fuel, and audio information. You’re also able to pull up additional information in this layout, but it’s hidden unless you absolutely need it. Each of these modes – all of them – also have a “screen-within-a-screen” feature that allows a smaller display to sit inside the center of the speedometer and tachometer allowing users to see navigation routes and grab radio control – just for starters.

Scott Martin, senior creative designer in charge of building the digital cluster layouts, spoke up on the project this week.

“Drivers can also further customize each layout to their own personal liking. They can flip through all the information pages to permanently display their favorite preset radio stations, check tire pressure, navigation, fuel range, and temperature among other features. … Most drivers fall into one of four different categories in terms of the amount of information they want to see at any given time, so we built the XTS gauge cluster layouts to appeal to any one of those drivers.” – Martin

[via GM]

The vehicle will be a front-wheel-drive extended range electric vehicle and will be constructed at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant. The car sounds very much like a Cadillac branded Chevrolet Volt. However, the ELR we’ve seen in renderings, such as the one above, will certainly be a better-looking vehicle than the Volt.

Whether or not that rendering will be what the vehicle looks like when it rolls off the assembly line remains to be seen. The vehicle uses a T-shaped lithium-ion battery, electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. The gasoline engine will kick on to charge the batteries when more driving range is needed.

As I said, it’s basically a Volt with a two-door body. The Volt is already an expensive vehicle, and anything with the Cadillac crest on the grill carries a significant premium. I’d wager we’re talking about a $50,000 or more extended range electric vehicle when the ELR Coupe is available at your local dealership.

[via Motoward]

Use of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is on the rise, while some XDA developers have discovered that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has at least partially implemented support for multiple user accounts. Speaking of Android, the CyanogenMod team announced today that they will be dropping support for the Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 with CyanogenMod 9, so you S1 users may want to start looking for a different custom ROM. Samsung started sending out invites today for its “Pushing Boundaries” press conference at the end of the month, and we have a feeling that a new Galaxy Note device will be revealed there.

Sadly, we’ve got some bad news about Nokia, as new reports say that it has shuttered its Qt offices in Australia and laid off staff. SHIELD, a new bill that has been introduced in the US House of Representatives, looks to stop patent trolls in their tracks, and it turns out that around 83 million of Facebook’s users are fake profiles. With Facebook quickly approaching the 1 billion user mark, this means that about 9% of the profiles on the site are fake. AT&T announced its planned acquisition of NextWave Wireless today, a purchase which should help it boost its 4G LTE service.

Astronomers have taken a very clear picture of a spiral galaxy that has produced two supernovas in the past 30 years, so be sure to have a look at that one. Apparently Prometheus 2 is a thing now (raise your hand if you knew that was coming), and we talk to the director of Total Recall about a certain strange-looking dollar bill that appears in the movie. As far as video games go, today Gameloft began teasing its first game made with the Unreal engine, and we tried our best to guess what it is. Assassin’s Creed III got a new trailer today, but this particular trailer takes a closer look at what players can expect with Ubisoft’s new AnvilNext engine. Needless to say, it looks very… snowy.

That’s about it for the news, but there are also a couple reviews we suggest you check out. First up is Vincent Nguyen with a review of the 2013 Cadillac ATS, and Chris Burns has a review of Total Recall. Is Colin Farrell a good replacement for Arnold Schwarzenegger? You’ll just have to read the review to find out. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday evening everyone!

Design

Cadillac’s design language is clear, the crisp edges softened slightly from the more memorable of the “Art & Science” concepts like the Ciel and Sixteen, but still distinctively purposeful whether parked up or in motion. Some of the details are particularly pleasing: the huge trapezoid gape of the grill slashed across by the front bumper, for instance, and the way the headlamps flood down from the leading edge of the hood and spread somewhat, visually broadening the stance. The rear tapers to the familiar pinch of Cadillac’s existing XTS, the LED lights slashing neatly at the extremes of the trunk lid and haunches.

The 18-inch wheels – standard on the Premium model, an option on the Luxury and Performance – do a good job of filling the arches, though the standard 17-inch set are decent. Cadillac has obviously had the tape measure out to make sure the ATS blends in well with the rest of the compact sport sedan crowd: at 182.8 inches long, 71.1 inches wide and 55.9 inches high, it’s 0.3 inches off the length and 0.2 off the width of the 3-Series, while sitting lower than Mercedes’ C Class or Audi’s A4.

Engines and Performance

The ATS launches with a choice of three powerplants, starting with a normally aspirated 2.5L four-cylinder and topping out with a 3.6L V6, while a 2.0L four-cylinder Turbo slots in-between as the performance option. All are paired as standard with a 6-speed auto gearbox with slick magnesium paddles behind the wheel for those moments you want to take charge – though the turbo can optionally be outfitted with a 6-speed manual – and rear-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive an option on the two more powerful engines.

At the entry-level, the 2.5L musters 202 hp at 6300 rpm and 191 lb.-ft of torque at 4400 rpm. Cadillac claims a 7.5 second 0-60 mph time and 22 mpg city / 32 mpg highway economy, though it’s worth noting that it also recommends regular fuel rather than the premium BMW, Mercedes and Audi would all prefer you to fill up with (in contrast, Cadillac only specifies premium for the turbo). We tested the ATS in a combination of road and track conditions, and while the 2.5L is obviously not the most powerful engine around, that only left more space for the steering and road-holding to shine.

The electric power steering avoids the vague sense of disconnection that some systems of its type suffer, instead being precise and accurate; there’s a sport mode, which tightens response up further, though it’s not an extreme difference in most driving conditions. Nonetheless, point the ATS at a corner and it simply follows, with no wheel shudder or fuzziness. Cruising in sixth gear is a matter of keeping a single finger on the wheel (though we’d recommend more, obviously), but the ATS instantly wakes up when you get to twistier stuff, albeit showing some of its power shortage and demanding you snap at the paddle once or twice to kick into a lower gear.

That’s not a problem that affects the 2.0L Turbo, and what the mid-range ATS engine lacks in capacity it gains in forced-induction grunt. 272 hp at a more usable 5500 rpm, along with 260 lb.-ft of torque at 1700-5500 and a 5.7 second 0-60 time, look better on paper and feel better on the road, and once the turbo has spooled up there’s a broad band of power to make use of. It’s a good foil for the excellent suspension and road-handling, the multi-link suspension – Cadillac’s first five-link system – doing a great job of clinging and smoothing in equal measure.

Cadillac’s own economy figure predictions suggest the Turbo will hit the same mpg as the 2.5L four-cylinder, though we’ll believe that when we see it. If we had a complaint it would be the soundtrack: Cadillac’s Turbo lacks the appealingly animal growl of rival engines, and is serviceable but uninspiring. We can’t criticize the brakes, though, the Brembo discs pulling the ATS to a 60-0 mph stop in 129 feet according to Cadillac’s own testing.

Finally, there’s the 3.5L V6, a step back toward luxury from the forced thrust of the Turbo, but still possessing enough blunt force to make the ATS a machine to be reckoned with on the road. 321 hp at 6800 rpm, 275 lb.-ft of torque at 4800, and a 5.4 second 0-60 run are paired with (estimated) 19 mpg and 28 mpg city and highway economy figures respectively. In short, it’s the fastest ATS but also the thirstiest and heaviest, though Cadillac is at pains to point out that it has undercut all of its segment rivals on the scales. The company scrupulously paired back curb-weight by shaving away unnecessary metal, punching holes through struts and bars, and generally refusing to accept a component if a lighter version was within budget (even down to picking smaller screws where possible, saving 36g apiece).

The biggest engine slurs along smoothly on the Magnetic Ride Control (a cost option on both the Turbo and the Premium models) with all the waft potential you might expect from a larger Cadillac. However, it doesn’t sacrifice all its performance: flick at the paddle shift (or, indeed, let the auto gearbox show its surprising degree of intelligence and handle the changes itself, which we often found we couldn’t fault) and you can expect most of the point-and-play excitement that a sports compact buyer might want. Cadillac’s various electronic driver aids tempered oversteer to the point where it was difficult to coax from the ATS, and it’s possible to throw the car around in ways rear-seat passengers really wouldn’t appreciate.

Interior

BMW, Audi and Mercedes haven’t just built reputations on style and performance, but the quality of their interiors, and thankfully Cadillac has stepped up with the ATS’ kit and trim as well. Pride of place is the latest iteration of the company’s CUE informatics and entertainment system, an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen with HD radio, Bluetooth connectivity for up to ten devices, CD, voice recognition, and both USB and SD connectivity.

CUE looks significantly slicker than most of its segment rivals, and uses the sort of swipes and gestures – such as pinch-zooming – that we’d more commonly associate with the iPad. That helps keep its breadth of functionality easy to approach, and it didn’t take long before we had hands-free calls working and music playing from our smartphone. Commonly-used controls like HVAC use touch-sensitive buttons embedded in the swathe of black running down the center console, with haptic feedback to let you know you’ve stabbed at them accurately. Our only complaint would be the occasional lag in moving between functions, though it was never enough to distract us too much from the road.

Bose has provided not only the speakers but a clever noise-cancellation system that uses the same sort of active noise-suppression as found in some Bluetooth headsets to reduce road and engine noise in the cabin. It works impressively well, and without introducing the bulk and weight of traditional sound insulation. Meanwhile, CUE also pushes information to a 5.7-inch display in the instrument cluster and to a head-up display (the latter part of the Driver Assist package).

Several leather finishes for the seats – or optional (and pleasingly grippy) sports seats – are on offer, including platinum grey, caramel, black and a fetching morello red, with a choice of brown or black accents and either wood, aluminum or real carbon fiber trim, the latter being a first for a Cadillac. The interior mood of the car changes significantly with the different color combinations: the lighter shades and wood trim are less successful to our eyes than the sportier dark leather and aluminum or fiber trim.

Either way, the rear accommodation feels a little more cramped than we’d like, with leg, shoulder and headroom all coming in shorter than what the 3-Series would offer. It’s not a deal-breaker, by any means, but that and the more limited trunk space – 10.2 cu.ft. versus the 12.4-13 that Audi, Mercedes and BMW supply – could be worth bearing in mind.

Two active safety packages are available, dubbed Driver Awareness and Driver Assist. The former includes buzzing seats that warn you if you’re drifting from your lane, forward collision monitoring (that warns but doesn’t prevent bumps), rain-sensing wipers and rear thorax airbags, while the latter adds front and rear automatic braking, collision preparation, adaptive cruise control, side blind-zone and rear cross-traffic alerts, and the head-up display.

Pricing

The 2013 ATS starts at $33,990 for the 2.5L RWD auto in standard trim, stepping up to $38,485 for the Luxury trim. The 2.0L Turbo is $24,615 in RWD with the manual transmission and standard trim, rising to $39,110, $41,510 and $44,315 for Luxury, Performance and Premium trim respectively. The automatic gearbox is between $1,180 and $1,475 depending on trim level, while AWD (which is only available with the auto box) is between $2,575 and $3,280 more than the base Turbo, again depending on trim level.

Finally, the 3.6L RWD Auto is $42,090 for the Luxury spec, rising to $44,590 and $47,590 for the Performance and Premium trims respectively. The AWD option is around $2,000 more. In short, Cadillac undercuts its German rivals and is competitive with Lexus too, despite heaping on the toys.

Wrap-Up

It’s been a long time since Cadillac broached the compact sport sedan segment, but the company has risen to the challenge admirably. Speaking to Cadillac executives, there’s an interesting blend of humility – recognizing the lofty goals of the 3-Series – and ambition; recognition that the 2013 ATS is more than just a shrunken XTS. Yes, it can deliver the traditional Cadillac wafting, but it can also unleash not only a turn of speed but the road-handling to deal with it both with safety and entertainment in mind.

Our complaints are few: a more aggressive exhaust note from the Turbo, perhaps, to match its punchy midrange, and accommodation for passengers and luggage once you get back beyond the front seats is tighter than others in the segment. CUE is ambitious and capable, making the few stumbles we experienced all the more glaring. We’d like to see an ATS-V performance version, too, though that’s likely to arrive in time (something Cadillac wouldn’t confirm, but didn’t seem too keen to deny with any great vigor).

Overall, then, the plusses outweigh the minuses. The 2013 Cadillac ATS looks great, is tightly constructed inside and out, rides brilliantly and does so at a price that’s highly competitive with the high-flyers in its segment. That it’s from a US brand and doesn’t spare the toys are factors that will undoubtedly appeal to many as well. BMW’s “ultimate driving machine” reputation was an ambitious target for Cadillac to choose, and that the 2013 ATS comes so close in many ways should be a huge wake-up call for rivals and buyers alike.

The iPad will come preloaded with the MyCadillac app, along with OnStar RemoteLink, since OnStar is also a valuable feature for Cadillac. Users will be able to familiarize themselves with all the enhanced functionality that comes in the car’s system, from the comfort of their home or anywhere else they use their iPad. It’s all part of a strategy to make car ownership a more social experience to help make everyone his or her own brand ambassador, and hopefully for Cadillac, that brand will be Cadillac.

As quoted by Wired, Cadillas head of customer experience admitted, “The moment you pull away from the dealership, there’s this kind of black hole for 90 days.” But We need to think about helping [owners] with the learning curve. Even if you get a walk-through at the dealership, you’re going to forget about a lot of the features. And we want the customer to learn about CUE on their own time.” CUE is about allowing car owners to be more connected with Cadillac enthusiasts and employees than ever before.

[via Wired]

Lexus dealerships have begun looking to firms with a reputation for clear, understandable advice such as Apple for their in-showroom staff, one dealer tells the WSJ. Its in-house “technology specialist” – previously an Apple Store employee – talks through new owners in dedicated handover sessions, helping them hook up their phones, set up voice dialing, personalize navigation and sync multimedia.

Mercedes, meanwhile, has 11,000 trained employees across the US, equipped with 1,300 specially purchased iPads, that pull the exact specifications of each new car from the VIN (vehicle identification number) and create custom tutorial guides. As well as the expert advice, there are videos showing some of Mercedes’ more technical features; by tailoring the content based on what standard and optional features the car has been outfitted with, there’s no confusion around aspects being missed out or incorrectly mentioned.

Cadillac CUE iPad app demo:

Cadillac will offer OnStar drivers technical advice for their in-car systems at the touch of a button, and will fly 25 newly-trained specialists around to bring showroom staff up to speed. The CUE app for iPad is a free download [iTunes link], though you’ll need an access ID and password for GM Global Connect to actually use it.

Meanwhile, the most expensive model will have a 3.6L V6 engine which has 320 brake horsepower underneath the hood. Other premium features will include 8-way leather power seats and “adaptive start”. All-wheel drive will also be an option, and the 3.6L engine is expected to be able to do 0-60 MPH in under six seconds.

Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac Marketing, says that the “ATS will bring a distinctive presence and compelling value while offering quick, nimble, fun-to-drive dynamics that will appeal to the lifestyles of modern luxury buyers and challenge the segment’s status quo.”

The base model of the 2013 Cadillac ATS will cost $33,990, the middle model with the 2L turbocharged engine will be $35,795, and the 3.6L version will set you back $42,090. You can expect all of those prices to rise as you add more optional extras and features. The car is expected to go on sale sometime this summer.

[via GM]

The two optimal conditions (if you can call them that) Cadillac is addressing here are bumper-to-bumper traffic and extremely long road trips. These conditions will be aided by ultrasonic sensors, GPS map data, and radar – all fused together. As Don Butler, Vice President of Cadillac Marketing noted this week:

“Super Cruise has the potential to improve driver performance and enjoyment. Our goal with advanced technologies, like this and our CUE system, is to lead in delivering an intuitive user experience.” – Butler

CUE stands for Cadillac User Experience and in this iteration includes such amenities as a touch-screen center radio panel, in-car GPS, and integrated digital displays in and around the driver’s speed and gas gauges. The Super Cruise feature is made up of a bunch of features already existing in Cadillacs on the market. Cadillac’s Driver Assist Package contains many of these features, currently listed under crash risk detection as well:

• Rear Automatic Braking
• Full-Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control
• Intelligent Brake Assist
• Forward Collision Alert
• Safety Alert Seat
• Automatic Collision Preparation
• Lane Departure Warning
• Side Blind Zone Alert
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Adaptive Forward Lighting
• Rear Vision Camera With Dynamic Guidelines
• Head Up Display

This new system which will be essentially driving the car for the driver will be first and foremost developed as a safe system. Wouldn’t want something awesome to be in place just to have it be a danger in the end, would they? As General Motors director of Global Active Safety Electronics and Innovation John Capp notes:

“The primary goal of GM’s autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle development is safety. In the coming years, autonomous driving systems paired with advanced safety systems could help eliminate the crash altogether by interceding on behalf of drivers before they’re even aware of a hazardous situation. More than ever, consumers will be able to trust their car to do the right thing.” – Capp

Are you ready to allow your car to drive for you? Google is attempting to create something to this effect as well – watch out for robots and Men in Black!

[via GM]

If a threat is in the front or back of the vehicle, the vibrating motors will pulse on both sides of the seat. The seat works in conjunction with other technologies such as visual alerts and presumably audio alerts that are common in vehicles already. The vibrating seats are part of the Cadillac Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages. The Driver Awareness Package includes a forward collision alert system, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, and rear cross traffic alert systems.

The interesting part of this to me is with the research that surfaced this week on vibrating steering wheels to deliver tactile feedback for navigation. The seat could be wired to the navigation system to vibrate on the left or right sides to alert the driver where to turn. The system will also help make parking easier. I wonder why GM didn’t design the seat where it can vibrate in the back or the front of the lower seat section to indicate front and rear threats more clearly. It’s worth noting that Cadillac is apparently not the first to have this feature, Citroen has had a very similar vibrating mechanism for seats as far back as 2006 for lane departure warnings that are directional as well. Those vibrating seats are available on the current Citroen C5.