#2017GmcAcadia

As its lineup of traditional luxury sedans struggles, sales of Cadillac’s 2017 XT5 show why automakers everywhere are scrambling to field as many crossovers as their budgets allow.

The XT5’s popularity and the level sales performance of the redesigned GMC Acadia prompted General Motors to add a third shift at its Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant. For Cadillac, it’s a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Sometimes, someone invents a device that perfectly sums up the world we live in. Selfie sticks and microwave bacon racks are good examples, but GMC has a strong candidate with its Rear Seat Reminder.

The automaker just announced that the new warning chime, which monitors the rear doors of the 2017 Acadia SUV, will alert drivers to the fact that they’ve procreated, and that their vulnerable offspring is currently sitting in the backseat.

Revealed overnight before its in-person, on-stage performance at the 2016 North American International Auto Show, the 2017 GMC Acadia will gain a new, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with start/stop tech and lose nearly 700 pounds of heft.

The former Lambda-based crossover also sees a significant realignment in size thanks to a switch to the new Chi platform that underpins the new Cadillac XT5. The Acadia’s wheelbase shrinks by over 6 inches, length by 7 inches, and width by 3 inches.