With the launch of the XTS approaching, Cadillac has decided to go ahead and announce the pricing of the vehicle, and it starts at $44,995. That’s a couple grand more than the Audi A6. There will be three levels of the XTS: Luxury, Premium and the range-topping Platinum.
If you’re looking to impress, it’s the Platinum model you want. The promising sedan will feature a unique appearance, along with exclusive wheels and interior colors. The XTS Platinum will also feature GM’s awesome magnetic ride control system, and the latest Haldex torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. There’s also Michigan-made Brembo brakes, the CUE system, and lots and lots of active safety technology.
Comments
Why compare it to the A6 that’s like comparing it to the CTS
Not too bad a price…what do you think ATS will start at?
Alex I TOLD YOU SO 🙂
Remember our lengthy discussion maybe several months ago over the price of the xts?
Congratulations are out to you sir. I’ve also a few cookies at hand. Where should I send them? 🙂
In all seriousness, this is less than the BMW 5er… this would make a perfect range-topping Buick, slotting in above the LaCrosse. Where are they planning on starting the CTS, in this case?
Hahaha
Yea even I think its too low, but I guess the next gen cts will be starting at at least 50k and thats good.
And yes this is a perfect starting price for a Buick flagship
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the FWD version has a 4th trim level: standard.
The pricing doesn’t surprise me. The basic version has the same features as a glorified Chevy. The Platinum is nothing short of a super premium executive sedan. I expect a fully loaded XTS to hit $80k.
damn!!
Even lower than the STS? It’s bigger than that, and more technologically advanced. Nice job, GM.
True, I think starting at 54k would be good.
Hello all. I always think our friends at GM are afraid of a high price tag. I’m an industrial designer (who loves Cadillac) and I must say (and I also think you guys should believe me) that if your are not loyal to the Cadillac, Mercedes and BMW, between a CTS or XTS and E350 or 535i you will buy the Benz or the BMW. why? cuz they have a higher price tag. and that simple thing make’em more prestigious. so in this case I’m with our buddy Babersher. Starting at 54K would be nice.
For $45k, I wonder if they’re giving you the current 17″s straight from the current base (and Luxury w/o WBL) CTS for $40K.. Which happen to look like a toddler designed them with a Crayola. God GM needs to get with the current wheel trends of the industry!
I know, an 18″ will probably be standard.
Pricing doesn’t surprise me. Don’t you think there will be a 1SB (or Base) trim level for those who just want the Cadillac Crest on something bigger than the CTS? It’s unbelievable what people will sacrifice for a Caddy. Such as real leather, heated seats, remote start, USB, etc; which is all standard on a Regal for less than $30k. Maybe I’m just picking on the 4-year old, out-dated CTS.
I was also close on the price of this one during that debate awhile back.
I expect the XTS to be very successful. It should grab sales from several different categories. The country club set should love the space, especially that 4 golf bag trunk! Can any other “car” fit 4 golf bags in the trunk?
I also would be hammering the airwaves with the regular gas/no premium required angle for the 3.6L. With gas prices again climbing GM should capitalize on this?
GM should capitalize on all those positive attributes with a nice, quiet, refined Buick. A flagship with V6 and four golf club bag trunk, refined interior, and a badge that carries a little more prestige than the gold bowtie. But Cadillac should be more. Like Mercedes and BMW, Cadillac should pursue the top of the top, the best of the best. Even it takes a few years (or even a decade) of mediocre sales, Cadillac should seriously look to redefine luxury and quality and maybe (just maybe) steal back the image Germany took from the States decades ago.
I don’t know, guys. Charging that much for an Epsilon? The base price sounds about right. The XTS Platinum will start around $60,000
Does it really matter if it’s an Epsilon? The consumer won’t care, know, or even understand… and if the LaCrosse is any indication, it will drive like a champ. Not as good as a 7er, S, or LS, but a champ nonetheless.
And here’s something rather interesting: the DTS had a starting price of $44,000, which makes me believe more and more than the XTS is that stop-gap for DTS buyers we’ve been discussing lately.
Of course the platform doesnt matter as long as the car is up to snuff.
Its just that I dont like how Cadillac and Chevy are platform sharing. I am of opinion that for Cadillac to become a true BMW killer, it needs to have independent platforms within its brands, the cts is such an example and look how successful its been, I mean Cadillac needs 3 platforms, compact, midsize and full size.
Compact: ATS, x3-fighter
Mid size: CTS, next gen srx
Full size: 7er fighter, gl fighter
And all other cars would be based on one of the above platforms. And none of these platforms should be shared with other GM brands.
I completely agree. I posted a separate comment below on the separate topic of price, but I think that separate platforms are key to Cadillac success. The deVille was an extremely successful flagship based on a platform unique to Cadillac. More recently, the CTS has taken center stage in regards to sedans, and it too is based on a separate platform. Adversely, some of Cadillac’s biggest failures have been based on shared architecture. This recipe for disaster was most obvious in the Catera.
The United States has lacked a distinct yet attainable performance-luxury brand for a number of years; Lincoln certainly isn’t fitting the bill with re-badged Fords and Chrysler has long since given up attempting to define itself as a luxury OR performance brand. Only Cadillac has maintained enough autonomy and uniqueness to define itself as a competitive, unique, and desirable American performance-luxury brand.
Those who say Buick should take the shared-platform “luxury” segment. Fancier Impalas, Malibus, Equinoxes, Cruzes, and Traverses with a little more prestige and some fancy little extras seem to fit Buick’s market. Cadillac should seek to be more, much much more.
Babersher- let’s not forget, the Escalade is based off the same platform of the Silverado, Tahoe, etc. This is a huge cash cow for GM. The SRX is based on a slightly revised Theta platform, same as the equinox. Cadillac doesn’t need new platforms, they just need unique ways of distinguishing them.
Youre right the escalade is a cash cow, but is it better than the mercedes gl and audi q7, if the answer is not universally yes, then thats a problem.
Dont even get me started on the srx, which should have been a Buick from day one.
I dont think that Cadillac should be focused on making money right now, I would even go as far as to propose that if GM has to break even on Cadillac to make it an established luxury brand, then go for it, Once its considered a direct BMW and Mercedes competitor in the minds of enthusiasts and more importantly the public, then it can worry about being profitable.
The CTS is and was the best product in Cadillac’s lineup since its introduction. I feel that is because its was an independently developed cadillac only platform. The ATS was developed the same way, on a new platform that is focused on being a cadillac, not a chevy, a buick, and a cadillac at the same time. Thats what made it great.
You can only differentiate so much, look where Lexus is today, I know Alex still staunchly defends it, but now its only a shadow of what it once was, once its excellant 90s reputation fades off, it wont even be relevant anymore. Lets take a look at the Lexus portfolio.
Lexus ES: rebadged camry that gets outclassed by the lacrosse in almost every way
HS / CT: rebadged priuses that flopped despite both being very new
LS : shares parts with the avalon, stopped being relevant years ago
IS: okay this is a good car, but its something Lexus is / should not be, thats why its not sellign in droves, much like the srx is in Cadillac today, successful, but not the best, but its still succesful and its like that becuase its based on its own platform.
RX: the rx is extremely good and successful, which proves my point, its on its own platform
Iin 1990, Lexus launched the LS 400, a car which I still own today, it was stunningly well built, and was based on its platform. But then slowly decided that Lexus doesnt need its own platforms, it just needs differentiation. Look where that took Lexus today. In 2011 it lost its lead as the #1 luxury automaker in the U.S, and believe me, it had nothing to do with the tsunami, and thats just the beganing.
My point is that you can differentiate so much, like how the encore was differentiated into being a Buick, but then forgot an armrest in the process.
In theory, differentiation would work, in reality it doesnt.
Differentiation will make Cadillac competitive, but not the best.
I want Cadillac to be the stand of the world again, but you cant do that with a differentiated chevy.
PS: Babersher — you’re right. Lexus needs to focus on being a soft luxury player. And what some fail to realize is that Lexus is its own operation nowadays. What’s happening with the newest products is that the platforms are co-developed by Toyota and Lexus engineers together until — and this is important — the point that the groups beging to disagree where and how to do things.
At that point, the engineering efforts are taken in-house to Toyota and to Lexus. And each platform gets developed from that point forward, independent of the other arm. This allows to save on initial dev costs, but also allows for a good level of customization.
Point is, Lexus is capable of doing anything today thanks to the organizational structure (freedom?) that’s been awarded to it by Toyota. It needs to be laser-focused on quiet, comfortable, reliable… not on the IS and GS sporty stuff. That’s the limitation of having one luxury brand; a problem GM doesn’t need to have thanks to Cadillac and Buick.
PS: LS doesn’t share anything with the Avalon. And the RX is very, very close to Venza and Highlander.
Youre right, Ls doesnt share anything with avalon, dont know what I was thinking.
But im going to disagree on the RX, very, very close? Really?
Yes it shares its basic architecture as the highlander and camry, but then so so the volt and cruze, would you describe them as platform sharing? No.
However since I dont have the sources to prove my claims, ill amend my previous statement on the rx being an independent platform to this: the rx is differentiation done right, it is the kind of differentiation, that no automaker, even Volkswagen, is capable of doing with all of their lineup, maybe with one car, but not all of them.
Well, the Volt is much further (different?) from the Cruze than the RX is from a Highlander, ES, or Venza. The tracks are identical, the RX has a slightly shorter wheelbase (1.5 inches or so) due to the exclusion of the 3rd row, and the panel and suspension mounting points are interchangeable between the three crossovers.
But none of that matters, as it truly is platform sharing done right — as you said. The RX isn’t meant to carve corners or win slaloms. It does what it does very well, but its no X5.
I’d say GM’s best example is the Malibu to Regal and LaCrosse.
@Kevin Play the differentiation game, and you end up with Acura. The brand that’s not a leader in anything: not in sales, in profit/margins, transaction prices, customer satisfaction, mind share, performance, comfort/luxury, safety… in other words, you end up with an also-ran.
Cadillac’s goal is to be a BMW competitor… and to beat BMW at its own game. To have lower unsprung weight than BMW (link below) and to handle better, be faster, and sexier. Red-blooded performance. You can’t do any of those things with warmed-over FWD-based Chevys.
Ironically, the vehicles you mentioned (Escalade and SRX) are the last of the remaining projects of Old GM, before there was a strategy for Cadillac and for Buick. The Escalde is one of those nameplates/vehicles that will not change much, just like the G-Wagon by Mercedes. It’s legendary and classic… and will stay that way thanks to the image it has established over the last decade, even though it’s not really a good car by any stretch (materials, performance, features, fuel economy, ride/comfort, and even design — check the panel gaps on one of those behemoths). And the SRX is a Lexus RX competitor (Buick’s turf), leaving GM (and Cadillac) without a viable alternative to the X5/ML.
However, Buick can be very successful at doing what you’re describing… and charging a pretty penny for it. In fact, Buick can beat Lexus at its own game by Quiet Tuning its vehicles that are otherwise based on Chevy architectures. The profit margins are higher, as is the sales volume, most likely.
In any event, Cadillac needs to establish itself as a true performance luxury player… and the only way to do this is to give it the proper mechanics. We’re talking perfect weight distribution, unparalleled performance, and unbeatable design.
I agree that the price should be higher. The luxury segment, especially the full-sized executive sedan segment, appeals to the country-club and executive demographic. In that demographic, it’s all about who has the best of the best: biggest house in the best neighborhood, most exquisite vacations to the most exotic destinations, and most expensive car in the garage. Though other considerations are made when it comes to purchasing a car (comfort, style, performance, and technology), many will gravitate toward the three-point star and blue-and-white propeller because they have a higher prestige, an attribute which is directly proportional to sticker price. If Cadillac aims to compete globally, which, as a fan of American cars and the grandson of a lifelong General Motors fan and employee, I hope they do, they should have raised the tag $10-$15 K.
i like what they did with the xts and you’re exactly right Alex it was mainly something to keep the last remaining buyers from old Cadillac. but when it dies i hope caddy will become solely rwd and maybe become just alpha and omega based. i assume the omega platform might be able to be tweaked enough to be an Escalade? i could be wrong