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Cadillac first used the advertising tagline “Standard of the World” in 1908. This week in GM’s luxury brand’s view indicated a new beginning for the Standard of the World, as Cadillac delivered the first hand-built CELESTIQ EV* ultra-luxury sedan to its owner.
“This week Cadillac said the CELESTIQ represents a new era of ultra-luxury at Cadillac. Each CELESTIQ embodies the ultimate expression of Cadillac technology, performance, refinement and innovation. Working with a CELESTIQ concierge, and with available curation assistance from a Cadillac designer, each client has the opportunity to create an entirely unique CELESTIQ to fit their tastes and desires,” Cadillac claimed. Continue reading
As Pedestrian, Cyclist Deaths Grow so do Vehicle Blind Spots
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A recent study led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center is the first to use the new method that the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)* developed for measuring a driver’s direct area of vision around a vehicle. Through multiple redesign cycles from 1997 to 2023, forward visibility within a 10-meter radius fell as much as 58% for three popular SUVs, the researchers found. For a top-selling pickup, close-proximity visibility declined by a smaller 17%, but even the earliest model had extremely large blind zones. In contrast, the early models of the two cars provided relatively good visibility that fell less than 8% in later generations.
“The across-the-board decrease in visibility for this small group of models is concerning. We need to investigate whether this is a broader trend that may have contributed to the recent spike in pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “This study also illustrates that the new method developed by IIHS gives researchers a straightforward, repeatable way to assess driver visibility,” he added. Continue reading →