Dented Wallets and Square Wheels: The 10 Worst Cars of 2010

In the age of high gas prices, hybrids and everyone supposedly going green like the government would make you think, the 2010 class of cars, SUV's and trucks took another hit this year with depreciation and upkeep costs. Just about all the top companies took a good hit in both categories of big and roomy and the supposedly fuel-efficient compact variety which is not as a big hit to people as many would tell you. Here's a listing of the worst performers of 2010 and vehicles you should avoid. These are not in any specific order. (contributed by Design 911)

Cadillac Escalade - Type: Luxury SUV

It's hard to say really what tipped the "experts" off on this vehicle. It did rank poorly amongst safety and value but the one statistic that really stuck out was this vehicle got top honours for the most stolen vehicle out of everything that's out there. "Pimp My Ride" apparently does not apply here.

Chevrolet Aveo - Type: Compact

The Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT overall value is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to even more expensive models such as the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic. Consumer Reports concludes that "the ride is jittery and noise is constant." . What would you expect from driving something as small as a golf cart?

Chevrolet Colorado - Type: Pickup Truck

This vehicle has been rated poorly in just about in every aspect so I'm not going to waste my time telling you about it because what does matter is the fact that GM is soon doing away with this model as well as the Canyon. So, of course the best medicine would be to stay away from these models.

Dodge Nitro - Type: SUV

The SLT model is just another version of the Jeep Liberty but with lower marks. Consumers complained
how noisy this SUV is and how it lacks agility. There tended to be some sort of body lean which added difficulty for people steering. This would be the equivalent of pushing a baby stroller in gravel.

Ford F-250 - Type: Truck

The 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat was ranked the worst on gas mileage getting on average just 10 mpg. This was a diesel engine model as well. Hate to see how an unleaded version would do. At this bad a rate of miles per gallon, one would think you'd have to get a bank loan just to get back and forth to work every three months.

Jeep Wrangler - Type: SUV

The Unlimited Sahara was the main gripe but Jeep Wrangler overall has plummeted 23% in sales since the beginning of the year. Apparently it does well off-road but fell short when driven on-road. Handling is a challenge with vague steering and low cornering limits. It's reliability was another negative for consumers.

Chrysler Sebring - Type: Midsize

Car experts ridicule this unpopular gem for its cheap interior and poor performance. It is considered the worst midsize car for the money due to the high ownership costs. Its rate of depreciation is almost faster than watching paint dry.

Mercury Mountaineer - Type: SUV

Top honours for worst midsize SUV for the money, the Mountaineer (and its twin, Ford Explorer, which ranked right behind it) is truck-based. So therefore it makes it use more fuel than the competition and not something suited for city and suburban driving. If you live in this type area, the handling may cause a vein to pop out of your forehead as well.See another worst car 2010 here.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

This is the Cadillac Aera (Aero + Era) launches Cadillac's philosophy of "Art and Science" into new territory by taking an innovative and stylistic approach to ultra-light weight vehicle design. LOS ANGELES – The Cadillac Aera concept vehicle won the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, tying with Smart and besting entries from seven other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Maybach. GM Advanced Design has now won the honor more times than any other design team.

General Motors advanced design California has come up with a concept cars zero-emission vehicle as part of this year’s LA Auto Show Design Challenge. Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car is a 1000 lb, 2+2 touring coupe, with a range of 1000 miles before refueling; attributes achieved without compromising size, capacity and safety. With an ability to seat four, the vehicle uses a body structure made from mono-formed 3D lattice that is extremely sturdy.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

This marks the third time that the group from General Motors has won this challenge, giving them the most wins out of all automakers that enter. The Cadillac Aera Concept hit on all areas that the judges were looking for and, despite the futuristic styling, still carries some recognizable lines from Cadillacs of today.

Jussi Timonen, lead designer for the project shared: „The Cadillac Sports Cars Aera concept was designed to continue the forward-thinking imagination of Cadillac’s ‘art and science’ philosophy. It’s designed as a small city urban vehicle, but we approached this 2+2 touring coupe very much from the brand’s luxury perspective. Every detail of the Aera was conceived to minimize the vehicle’s environmental impact without sacrificing the style, comfort and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the Cadillac cars brand.”

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

The Aera is powered by compressed air via a highly efficient Pneumatic Drive System that has a 10,000-psi composite air storage tank with capacity for a 1,000-mile range. Flexible, pressurized air cells in the exterior skin, similar to material developed for the NASA Mars Rover airbags, enhance passive safety and interior comfort. The flexible polymer skin optimizes aerodynamics and functions as an ultra-lightweight alternative to conventional body panels and glass.

Additional technologies include an All-In-One (AIO) wheel system, combining rotary actuator propulsion, steering and suspension functions. A drive by wireless system decreases the mass of electrical components. Vehicle to vehicle communication (V2V) promotes active safety. The Cadillac Aera embodies a stylistic, lightweight, minimalist approach to long distance luxury touring.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers’ conference and has evolved into an integral element of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Design Los Angeles connects those working in the design industry with well-known automotive design industry leaders. Los Angeles is home to the world’s largest concentration of manufacturer design studios, representing automakers from North America, Europe and Asia. It is also the home of Art Center College of Design, one of the world’s foremost transportation design institutions where many of today’s leading automotive designers began their careers.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

This is the Cadillac Aera (Aero + Era) launches Cadillac's philosophy of "Art and Science" into new territory by taking an innovative and stylistic approach to ultra-light weight vehicle design. LOS ANGELES – The Cadillac Aera concept vehicle won the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, tying with Smart and besting entries from seven other automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Maybach. GM Advanced Design has now won the honor more times than any other design team.

General Motors advanced design California has come up with a concept cars zero-emission vehicle as part of this year’s LA Auto Show Design Challenge. Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car is a 1000 lb, 2+2 touring coupe, with a range of 1000 miles before refueling; attributes achieved without compromising size, capacity and safety. With an ability to seat four, the vehicle uses a body structure made from mono-formed 3D lattice that is extremely sturdy.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

This marks the third time that the group from General Motors has won this challenge, giving them the most wins out of all automakers that enter. The Cadillac Aera Concept hit on all areas that the judges were looking for and, despite the futuristic styling, still carries some recognizable lines from Cadillacs of today.

Jussi Timonen, lead designer for the project shared: „The Cadillac Sports Cars Aera concept was designed to continue the forward-thinking imagination of Cadillac’s ‘art and science’ philosophy. It’s designed as a small city urban vehicle, but we approached this 2+2 touring coupe very much from the brand’s luxury perspective. Every detail of the Aera was conceived to minimize the vehicle’s environmental impact without sacrificing the style, comfort and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the Cadillac cars brand.”

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

The Aera is powered by compressed air via a highly efficient Pneumatic Drive System that has a 10,000-psi composite air storage tank with capacity for a 1,000-mile range. Flexible, pressurized air cells in the exterior skin, similar to material developed for the NASA Mars Rover airbags, enhance passive safety and interior comfort. The flexible polymer skin optimizes aerodynamics and functions as an ultra-lightweight alternative to conventional body panels and glass.

Additional technologies include an All-In-One (AIO) wheel system, combining rotary actuator propulsion, steering and suspension functions. A drive by wireless system decreases the mass of electrical components. Vehicle to vehicle communication (V2V) promotes active safety. The Cadillac Aera embodies a stylistic, lightweight, minimalist approach to long distance luxury touring.

Cadillac Sports Cars Aera lightweight Concept Car

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers’ conference and has evolved into an integral element of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Design Los Angeles connects those working in the design industry with well-known automotive design industry leaders. Los Angeles is home to the world’s largest concentration of manufacturer design studios, representing automakers from North America, Europe and Asia. It is also the home of Art Center College of Design, one of the world’s foremost transportation design institutions where many of today’s leading automotive designers began their careers.

Barack Obama's New Cadillac Presidential Wheels

General Motors published the first photos of the Barack Obama's new ride a week before his inauguration as the new president of the United States. The latest Cadillac Presidential Limousine is a completely new design, succeeding the DTS Presidential Limousine that debuted in 2004 and was used by George Bush. Predictably, GM has not revealed any specific details on the President's new wheels besides the fact that it "includes many of the brand's signature design elements."
However, as is the case with all presidential limos, Obama's new extra long company car comes with bulletproof glazing, special run-flat tires and of course, an immense mass of body armor.
"Cadillac is honoured to again provide a new Presidential Limousine," said Mark McNabb, North America vice president, Cadillac/Premium Channel. "This is a great American tradition that we're delighted to renew with an all-new car featuring the best of Cadillac's dramatic design and technology."

History – Cadillac and the U.S. PresidencyCadillac has built limousines and special vehicles for U.S. presidents, diplomats, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries since the early 20th century, an iconic aspect of the brand that continues today.
Cadillac's central role began during World War I, when many Cadillac engines and cars were transferred to military and government service because of their superior durability and power. One of the first chief executives to use a Cadillac was President Wilson, who rode through the streets of Boston during a World War I victory parade in 1919. A lavish 1928 Cadillac town car was used in the Calvin Coolidge administration.
In 1938, two Cadillac convertibles, dubbed the "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth," were delivered to the U.S. government. Named after the great ocean liners of the time, the vehicles were 21.5 feet long, weighed 7,660 pounds and were equipped with a full ammunition arsenal, two-way radios and heavy-duty generators. Durable and reliable, the two "Queens" served Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
President Eisenhower, known as a car buff, rode in one of the first Cadillac Eldorado models ever produced during his 1953 inaugural parade. The Eldorado represented a high point in automobile design history, as it had the first wraparound windscreen, a feature quickly adopted on other new production models.
In 1956, the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II convertibles replaced the original series. The vehicles were slightly smaller, but like their predecessors, were fully armoured and featured state-of-the art communications. Moreover, the vehicles were fitted with narrow rims inside the tyre in case the tyres were shot out. The Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II served not only President Eisenhower, but also Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Both vehicles were retired in 1968.
The Ronald W. Reagan administration was delivered a 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham – Presidential Series was delivered to the William J. Clinton administration in 1993. Unlike previous models that typically were Cadillac cars adapted and modified by independent limousine companies, the 1993 Presidential Brougham was designed, developed and manufactured totally within General Motors and Cadillac. This included an extensive set of security measures to maintain confidentiality, a process that continues today.
Currently, the 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine resides at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., while the 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham is at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.

Cadillac has produced two presidential limousines this decade that remain in service. The first was a Deville Presidential model delivered to President George W. Bush in 2001. In 2004, President Bush debuted a new DTS Presidential model. It was the first application of a new design that launched later that year for the production DTS full-size sedan.

Cadillac's 564PS CTS-V Priced from £56,495 in the UK

The most powerful Cadillac ever, the new CTS-V, will arrive on UK shores this February carrying a base price of £56,495 (approx $82,300 US) for the manual gearbox version and £58,995 for the automatic transmission model. The left-hand drive only CTS-V is fitted with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine that delivers 564PS (415 kW) and 747 Nm of torque, launching the car to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and on to 191 mph -175 mph for the automatic transmission.

GM Reported to Kill off Cadillac XLR this Spring

The next model in GM's vehicle line-up to bite the dust will be the Cadillac XLR according to a report from the Bowling Green Daily News. General Motors communication manager Sharon Basel, told the newspaper that production of the slow-selling XLR coupe-cabriolet will cease this spring, impacting around 40 employees at the firm's Bowling Green Assembly Plant. The factory that also assembles the Corvette will remain closed until February 23 as GM has been forced to adjust production to plummeting vehicle sales.
Cadillac introduced the XLR in 2003 as a rival for the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and its likes, but the edgy-shaped roadster with the folding hardtop that shares its underpinnings with the Corvette, never quite managed to hit the mark in the luxury sportscar segment.
Will it be missed? We doubt it. Should Cadillac reveal a successor? Our opinion is that it would be far more sensible for GM's luxury brand to spend its resources and time on creating a CTS-based BMW 3-Series Coupe adversary than to give this segment another shot - at least for the time being.
Source: BG Daily News , Via: Jalopnik

Cadillac's Australian Market Launch Postponed Indefinitely

The global meltdown in auto sales has taken its latest victim as GM's Cadillac division has postponed its Australian debut indefinitely. The American luxury brand was initially supposed to be introduced in Australia during the last quarter of 2008, but GM postponed the launch for this February. Now, GM's execs decided that due to the "downturn of the domestic automotive market", it made no sense at all to launch Cadillac in Australia at this time.
"There is only one chance to launch this brand in Australia and in these challenging times, we believe we couldn't give it the best chance of success," said GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss. "This was a difficult decision but the only viable decision."
"There is no doubt the Cadillac CTS is a magnificent vehicle and the response since it was revealed at the Australian International Motor Show in October has been very positive. But obviously since then the market for new cars has continued to deteriorate, the broader economic environment difficulties remain largely unchanged and the exchange rate has worsened for imports," Reuss added.
While only time will tell if the American automaker made the right decision - or not, we must say that if anything else, GM's on-and-off affair with Cadillac's Australian launch, doesn't sound very professional...

Russians Build GAZ-51 Retro Hot-Rod from Cadillac Escalade EXT

Here at Carscoop we're no strangers to custom made creations from Russia. Some we find extremely intriguing, some just plain daft, but all manage to bring a smile to our faces. This (unfinished) project is the work of a company called 'Grande-Garage' and according to our Russian friends over at Cardesign, the retro-styled pick-up truck that is inspired from an old soviet truck called GAZ-51, is based on the underpinnings of the Cadillac Escalade EXT. The one-off creation is said to be built for a Russian plutocrat. Since the project is still in the works, we'll hold our final judgment until after we see it finished.
Via: Cardesign