2011 has been the year of the recall for General Motors. Hardly a week goes by when a new vehicle recall from GM is not making news. The latest addition to this list is the Cadillac SRX.

In particular, SRX models built in Mexico between 2010 and 2011. Roughly 20,000 vehicles are said to be affected, with the majority of these vehicles being in China and America. A smaller number of defected vehicles can be found in 20 other countries.

The problem is with the transmission shift cable causing unintended movement. Upon examination, GM has sourced the problem to an incorrect routing of the transmission shift cable through the engine bay.

The problem was triggered by a person who wrote to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) about unintended vehicle motion when he shifted from park to drive to park again.

GM has notified the NHTSA that it will sort out this issue. No accidents or injuries have been reported due to this defect.

Cadillac is recalling 50,500 SRX crossovers due to the passenger side airbag functioning differently than the owners manual states. SRX air bags are programmed to disable the right side roof-rail airbag if the front passenger seat is occupied.

The owner’s manual says that airbags will deploy whether or not the seat is occupied. This discrepancy violates federal safety standards, necessitating the recall. A software upgrade is all that’s required to fix the defect, and only vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico are affected.

[Source: Automotive News]

The upcoming Cadillac ATS is expected to slot below the mid-size CTS, and compete with upcoming compact luxury cars. In order to differentiate itself from the CTS, the ATS will get a series of smaller engines, with an Ecotec 4-cylinder or a small V6 (much like the high feature V6, seen above) among the possibilities.

According to sources, the Cadillac CTS-V’s LSA V8 may fit under the hood of the ATS, but with the next BMW M3 getting an inline six engine, the ATS-V will likely get a twin turbo V6 making 380 horsepower, with a choice of 6-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. Unfortunately for Cadillac, their last effort with turbocharging on the SRX crossover was poorly received by everyone but critics. Hopefully the ATS-V provides some redemption, and with current gas prices, the idea of yet another blown V8 is unfathomable.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Despite sharing a good deal of componentry with it’s Cadillac cousin; the SRX;  Saab’s upcoming 9-4X crossover is not following the same path as the Caddy for 2012; at least when it comes to engines.

Cadillac has decided to change the engine lineup in the SRX; replacing the previous turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6; also used in versions of the Saab 9-3 and 9-5; with the 3.6-liter V-6 from the CTS.

However; for the 9-4 X; outgoing Saab CEO Jan Ake Johnsson says that the 3.0-liter V-6 as used in the base SRX and the 2.8-liter turbo will remain the only engine options. Some have said that a smaller displacement diesel could have perhaps been offered, primarily for buyers in Europe, but that idea has been nixed by Saab, at least for the time being.

“We could probably double our sales volume of the 9-4X in Europe with a diesel. But the 9-4X is really a vehicle for markets like the US, Russia, China and Australia where gasoline is the traditional buyer preference,” said Jonsson.

[Source: Left Lane News]

General Motors is recalling 10,179 Buick Lacrosse sedans and Cadillac SRX crossovers due to a fault defroster. The problem is actually a software glitch rather than a physical defect, but one that prevents the unit from properly clearing the windshield.

Should the windshield fail to be clear, visibility problems could arise and result in a crash. While GM claims that they haven’t heard of any accidents or injuries related to the issue, they will fix the problem free of charge. Only a third of the affected vehicles are said to be in customers hands, and the majority (around 8,000) are said to be SRXs.

[Source: Detroit News]

Having only been on sale for a year, Cadillac has decided to kill-off its SRX Turbo luxury crossover. The standard SRX model will continue on, but a lack of consumer interested in the vehicle has lead the GM accountants to axe the low selling ‘ute.

Cadillac spokesperson Robyn Henderson confirmed the demise of the 300-hp model, stating that it made up less than 10 percent of total SRX sales. Fuel economy of just 15/22-mpg has been cited as a reason for lack of interest by consumers, however, it’s more likely that price was the main factor. While the standard SRX models start at just $33,830 the Turbo model costs $49,315 in ‘base’ trim and jumps to $51,860 when fully loaded.

While this is hardly good news for GM, Henderson did point out that the SRX still has a significant chunk of the luxury crossover segment, out-selling German competitors like the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK and the Audi Q3.

[Source: GMI]

Read AutoGuide’s Cadillac SRX Turbo Review by Clicking Here

The Saab 9-4x will come to America starting at a base price of $34,205 when it hits American dealers sometime in 2011. The $34k entry point will get you a front drive 9-4x with GM’s 3.0L direct injection V6.

Moving up the ladder, the $38,075 Premium is laden with more opulent features and Saab‘s renowned XWD all-wheel drive system. For the princely sum of $48,835, the 9-4x Aero can be had with a 2.8L turbocharged V6 making 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft.

The 9-4x is priced within a few hundred dollars of its sibling, the Cadillac SRX. We expect that the two cars won’t be too different when it comes to the driving experience, so it’s mostly going to come down to how image conscious you are.

[Source: Saab via Autoblog]

Saab’s 9-4x crossover will finally see the light of day, and we have some of the first pictures of the car ahead of its Los Angeles Auto Show debut.

Sharing much of the same architecture as the Cadillac SRX, the 9-4x also comes with the same 3.0L V6 and 2.8L turbocharged V6 engines, displacing 265 and 300 horsepower respectively. Torque vectoring all-wheel-drive is available, while a 6-speed automatic gearbox helps put the power down.

AutoGuide will have live shots of the 9-4x when we cover the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. In the mean time, check out the gallery and official press release on the Saab 9-4x.

GALLERY: Saab 9-4x

[Source: Saab]

Hit the jump to see the official press release

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The official Twitter feed of the Los Angeles Auto Show has confirmed that the Saab 9-4X crossover will bow at the West Coast’s major auto show this November, hot on the heels of the brand’s flagship 9-5 sedan.

The 9-4X will share underpinnings with the Cadillac SRX and be built at a GM facility in Mexico, despite GM having sold Saab to Spyker. The 9-4X will likely use the 9-5′s 2.8L V6 and 2.0L 4-cylinder engines and many interior pieces will be shared as well.

Most interesting is that 147 9-4X’s were produced in January of 2010, before GM offloaded Saab. That means that the 9-4X will have debuted nearly a year after production officially started, something that never happens. We can’t help but wonder what happened to those examples that never made it to showroom.

[Source: Los Angeles Auto Show]

Cadillac‘s SRX crossover will get a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 to replace the current 3.0L naturally aspirated V6 and the 2.8L twin-turbo V6 currently offered in the vehicle.

The new V6, codenamed LF3, is also set to appear in the redesigned GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS. Also planned is a two-mode plug-in hybrid SRX, similar to the stillborn Saturn Vue hybrid.

[Source: GM Inside News]