Yesterday we told you that Cadillac says Escalade will remain Escalade. But what about the rest of the Cadillac portfolio? Now comes word from Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus that “future SUVs will have an ‘XT’ and cars will have a ‘CT’ and the number behind each pair of letters will indicate its size in the hierarchy.”
Ellinghaus told Forbes that he and Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen seek to clear up confusion among potential buyers (and possibly even existing Cadillac owners) about the relative size and capabilities of its sedans, as well as the ELR, Cadillac’s plug-in hybrid.
“It’s a logical thing to give some mental space like this in your naming scheme,” Ellinghaus added. “So many other brands have done that sort of thing, across industries. It’s not rocket science. It doesn’t fit our immediate business needs, but this simple logic will help us build this brand and enhance recognition over the long term.”
Aside of the upcoming SRX and the announcement of the CT6, Cadillac likely won’t be making the transition for a number of years considering the ATS (CT4?) and CTS (CT5?) were introduced over the past two years.
Comments
(Shaking my head in disappointment)! But enough with the stupid codes!!! Let’s get some more details about the coming products. So far, I’m liking the vision being set forth for the Cadillac brand to truly transform it into a true global luxury division.
So, I am assuming XT stands for crossover touring? Would make sense that the future crossovers, especially SRX, are true crossovers while the Escalade is a true body on frame SUV which will not get an XT name for sure.
There’s still some gray areas in this new naming structure. First, what will the ELR be named if it makes it to a second generation? Second, will Cadillac align cars to crossovers in the number part of the strategy like Mercedes will be doing?
Here’s the New Name for the ELR David…..wait for it……….ET1!!!! 😉
Sounds fine to me. They’re leaving the only model that has significant meaning in the market alone (Escalade) and they’ll line up the rest eventually.
If the pricing, promotion and product aren’t right for the new cars, calling it CT6 or Elmiraj or Eldarado or whatever won’t matter. Just pick some naming scheme and go.
Let me get this straight. They’re renaming the cars based on a modification of the CTS name because it has name recognition. The SRX has been soldiering on, essentially carrying the whole brand, and they’re going to name crossovers XT___? Even when there’s an existing car called XTS?
I guess maybe they’re trying to avoid conflict from Toyota over the SR5 name. At least this naming decision makes a little more sense when you compare the name to BMW (X3, X5, etc.)
It would be so much less confusing and far more trendsetting if they switched back to real names! Maybe these confusing new alphanumerics will turn out to be code names and they’ll surprise everyone with real names at launch time to draw more attention. (HAH!)
– I don’t think anyone cares about the XTS. It’s a placeholder car and it’s brand equity is as low as can be. It’s not a leader in any form or fashion.
– I think companies like using “X” to denote either crossovers or suvs. So the “RX” of “SRX” would be relevant, not the “SR”. Of course, using the “RX” is problematic, as the CR-X is the top crossover in the market, except it’s a Honda. So that’s out.
Thus, XT4 and XT5, etc.
Again, I don’t love it, but it’s not a big deal. At least they have a strategy of some sort. No one bought the SRX b/c of it’s name (or lack there of). And people will/won’t buy the XT4 (or whatever) for other reasons. No one will say “I wish it was called a real name — then I’d buy it!”
Again don’t get too emotional here over the name game. With more models and their own engines the name will matter little on these cars as what they are will overshadow any label you put on them.
It is the car that makes the name not the name that makes the car. If you are dependent on a name to sell the car you need to go back and re engineer it.
I believe the Escalade will remove itself at some point as it is not one vehicle that will last for a whole lot longer. The CAFE will finish it off at some point and I expect Cadillac to roll it over into a little smaller and a lot lighter package with a different name.
Provoq , Vizon were great names