1975 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham Sedan 4-door 8.2l on 2040-cars

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Cadillac ATS failing to command BMW 3 Series-like pricing as hoped

The BMW 3 Series has long been the benchmark for small and sporty luxury vehicles, but the Cadillac ATS has come on strong in its short time on the market as a true rival in this segment. As impressive as Cadillac's new compact sedan is, however, Automotive News is reporting that the car is still lagging behind the 3 Series when it comes to actual transaction pricing.
According to the article, the average transaction price for the ATS is $39,459 while the 3 Series is at a much larger $44,764, but, just as importantly, Cadillac has about $500 more in incentives on the ATS compared to BMW. Transaction prices are much closer to cars like the Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4. Of course, this is all with the ATS trying to take on its small,sport sedan rivals with a single bodystyle and limited powertrain options compared to the numerous options available from the German automakers in this class.
This uneven battle won't last long, though, as recent spy shots have revealed that Cadillac is hard at work on a high-performance ATS-V and an ATS Coupe. No official word as to when either of these models will be unveiled, but with auto show season set to kick off, we're expecting sooner rather than later. The best news for the ATS is that the Automotive News says sales of the ATS are on target and that 74 percent of ATS buyers are new to Cadillac - two important factors for the brand as it tries to break into this tough segment.

J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.

2015 Cadillac Escalade on sale in April priced at $71,695*

With the fourth-generation Cadillac Escalade set to go on sale in April, Cadillac has released the pricing data for its fullsize luxury SUV. While there's no retail configurator yet, the data posted on AOL Autos - and confirmed by Cadillac - shows that the 2015 Escalade will have a starting price of $71,695 (*not including $995 for destination).
This new starting price is about $8,000 more than the outgoing model, but Cadillac is quick to point out that the latest 'Slade is packed with more standard equipment in the new base Standard trim that actually puts it more on par with the midlevel Premium trim on the 2014 model (currently priced at $73,245). These new standard features include Magnetic Ride Control, LED headlights and taillights and 20-inch wheels.
Stepping up to the 2015 Escalade Luxury, the price increases to $75,695 and includes added equipment like 22-inch wheels, head-up display, power fold-and-tumble second-row seats and safety systems such as forward collision warning and lane departure warning. The top-rung 2015 Escalade Premium will start at $80,195 adding features such as a rear-seat entertainment system, illuminated exterior door handles and the Driver Assist Package consisting of front and rear automatic braking and adaptive cruise control.