There has been quite a bit of back and forth over Cadillac’s future and the potential for a flagship vehicle in the luxury brand’s portfolio. Last year, word broke the brand’s flagship sedan project, rumored to be called the Cadillac CT8, had been canceled. Six months later, Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen told GM Authority the flagship vehicle program was still on, but it would not be a four-door sedan.
Following those statements, Cadillac revealed the Escala concept, which technically is not a four-door sedan, if you want to pick nits. This fueled the fire for what may become of Cadillac’s flagship vehicle program.
Now, we have some strong words from de Nysschen again. The Cadillac chief stated the Escala “is a potential addition to our existing product plan” during the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. However, it came with a grain a salt, as he said it “[depends] on the development of [the] market segment for large luxury sedans.”
This statement, which made its way into an official Cadillac press release, is a strong one. However, since Cadillac has already confirmed it is indeed working on a flagship vehicle, these statements could be taken another way.
de Nysschen’s words may mean the flagship program has been underway without any influence from the Escala, and the Escala may literally be an additional vehicle to the brand’s five new nameplates coming in two years. This is in addition to the CTS and ATS switching over to Cadillac’s CT nomenclature and a “comprehensive enhancement to CT6 later during [its] life cycle,” per de Nysschen.
While nothing surrounding future product is entirely certain, one thing is: Cadillac is gearing up for a couple of very busy years.
Comments
I can’t say I love every last detail of the Escala, but overall it is close to the kind of “breakthrough” vehicle Cadillac needs to re-establish itself as a leader. That “grain of salt” is a bit of a problem though, because JDN is saying Escala’s production would depend on market development of the segment.
So he’s essentially saying “we’ll do it if someone else blazes a trail in that segment”. What happened to “daring greatly”? What happened to admiring Apple Inc? Would Steve Jobs have waited for someone else to establish a segment, before entering with a product?
Still, I like that the Escala is even being considered. It seemed silly to me to run a commercial featuring this car, when it’s not currently available and possibly never will be. Just saying that the car represented future design cues was not enough to justify that commercial. Perhaps one reason for the commercial was to “test” for a reaction to the Escala, and I believe it got a positive response.
I concur totally with these statements as well as so many other comments that i have read that are critical of Cadillac going back and forth on the Escala.
When i saw the Escala concept for the first time, i immediately began to salivate with anticipation buying what would have been the first Cadillac that ever wanted simply because it was the most beautiful coupe that i had ever seen. But when i asked a of mine if he had seen it, he said ” yes,but Cadillac never builds their concepts” and as i looked for confirmation that Cadillac would in fact follow through and build the CT8,the more i saw that my friend was right.
I don’t understand what Cadillac is trying to do or how it benefits their brand by continually teasing everyone but not following through with anything solid. The Escala has gotten rave reviews by almost every and potential customer and critic yet they will not commit to buildiing a flagship vehicle that they have known that they need to
compete with the Germans.
And yes, i am aware that there are two big reasons that makes Cadillac hesitant to build this vehicle now which are: It’s currently an SUV and Cadillac needs more of them.But i also know as they do that they need a competing flagship .Cadillac will eventially build this vehicle because have to and i am onlya potential customer ,not the president I would love to the president of and make just 10% of the multimillions that Cadillac pays it’ s current CEO’s Who cannot make the right decision.
I agree with Drew. I don’t remember a time a company advertised a concept car as much as the Escala so there has to be a resaon. Everybody and their brother is saying Cadillac needs something to sit above the CT6 and this is the car. Regardless of this awful CUV craze, luxury car makers are NOT doing away with their large flagship sedans, even if their not a traditional sedan and more like the Escala.
I think it be called a CT7 since it won’t be a traditional sedan and have a traditional sedan above the CT7 and be called CT8…..Cadillac said there will be at least 2 cars above the CT6.
I really like the exterior look and use of rear cargo space. I think I’m open to experiencing the inside and go from there. I would expect driving dynamics to be comparable to current. CTS etc.
Interesting time for Cadillac enthusiasts
5 door,5 person Lift-back flagship, Omega chassis( LWB), CT9 (I think it will be called that). Cadillac will have a flagship, it’s already in development, and there is another one above coming as well. Cadillac sedan will not be a four-door sedan, jdn has made this same statement before.
Cadillac shouldn’t have to wait for another car company to make some type of impact in the luxury car segment for them to decide whether or not to build what is badly needed to create the image of Cadillac being a luxury division for GM .
When Oldsmobile first came out with their FWD Toronado it was so different from what people expected from a car the first year it wasn’t a huge hit but Oldsmobile took a chance and in the second MY it was so well received that Cadillac came out with their Eldorado .
Cadillac needs to actually dare greatly and come out with a product unlike anything else we have ever seen . Keep the bean-counters at bay , load that car with the latest in technology and even patent something new that is ground breaking ( and useful ) and build it for the wealthy individuals not the rich but the WEALTHY .
Athletes and the Hollywood group would buy it because it would be exclusive and not everymans car and sit back and watch Cadillacs star shine .
Get your SUV’s out there to satisfy the shareholders and then DARE TO BE GREAT .
I’m now thinking the whole ‘Dare Greatly’ tagline is a horrible mistake. Folks are going to rightfully be throwing it in the faces of Cadillac’s execs for years to come, as does GM PDT above. The fact is that you have a luxury brand that is the absolute antithesis of daring; a brand that steadfastly refuses to dare and yet they crow about being risk takers. JdN even admits they won’t build something like Escala until another car maker proves there is a market for it meaning until someone else takes the risk. Cadillac should ditch ‘Dare Greatly’ in favor of ‘Copy Greatly’. That’s a far more apropos slogan for what the brand actually does. Cadillac, for crying out loud, went to the Nürburgring, in BMW’s backyard, to develop performance variants of its cars that they call V’s in a shameless attempt to copy what the Bavarian car maker does with the products they label as M’s. That is not daring, that is copying; pure and simple.
I completely agree with Ci2Eye – great post! “Dare Greatly” is a laughable marketing term completely at odds with what Cadillac is actually doing. Would it have made sense in the 20th Century? Sure. Would it have made sense for Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), of course. But not the Cadillac that has been trying to imitate the Germans rather than daring to be its own self.
Cadillac is so into copying the Germans now, they use the German naming conventions and even try to copy some of the German “class” measurements inch for inch. Then they complain that it’s unfair to penalize the ATS for having 33.5″ rear legroom, because that’s all the Germans had in that “class”, until they went one generation higher and increased it. What was daring or great about giving the name “Cadillac” to a car with a tiny back seat, and putting fake leather seating surfaces on the base model? What was daring or great about changing the car names to almost exactly match that of the Germans?
And how is all that copying working for Cadillac, in terms of sales? Seems to me that the Cadillac models that sell best, even today, are the ones that do not copy the Germans. Yet the current Cadillac management seems intent on sticking to the program to further Germanize the brand, and erase nearly all traces of its successful American practices. That’s not “daring greatly” or even “copying greatly”, it’s “copying poorly”!
Escala = Audi A7 – Nice car that fits between the CT6 and CT8
CT6, CT7, CT9, CST1.
This is the direction Cadillac needs to go with cars like this! People will always nit pick all of these cars you can’t win over all of them.
It looks to me that Cadillac will have one hell of a lineup
Maybe they will launch Escala as Buick has done with Avenir. Buick uses Avenir as an up-market trim level for a Chinese mini-van. In a similar vein, we could get the XT4 Escala which would be a FWD Chevy-based crossover with the 2.0 Turbo but with that “menswear” interior and pretty brown paint to mimic the original Escala concept.
Technically, Buick is now selling the Avenir and Cadillac could add the “Escala” to it’s lineup in a similar fashion.
CT6, CT7, CT8, CT9.
Just a thought. How about everything over CT6 be named Escala. You can have a sedan, coupe and roadster. Meanwhile, all SUV’s over XT6 if they make one, would be called Escalade. That way you have a premium luxury brand in the CT’s and XT’s and a ultra luxury brand in Escala and Escalade.
2021 CT7.
2024 NG CT6.
2025 CT8.
I love the Escala. This is the Design language that Cadillac needs to adopt!
Please make this…. Please make this!
JDN said recently that he is looking at a 15 year turn around for the Division . And the concept will look alot different by then . Cadillac should just go ahead with a ” halo ” car knowing that it may loose money building it , but that may be what it takes to draw attention to Cadillac from the younger crowd Cadillac wants so badly .
Zach, I have to admire JDN’s ability to market himself to GM. He’s evidently saying he needs another 15 years to turn around Cadillac, which presumably means moving it to a higher spot then 5th in the US luxury car market. It wasn’t that much more than 15 years ago that Cadillac was number 1 in the US luxury market. Further, he’s saying that he might create a model that loses money, for the good of the brand. And on top of that, he’s saying he wants Cadillac to be more exclusive, also for the good of the brand.
So now he has a pre-made excuse for every potential failure. A particular model loses money? Hey we have to do that to help our long term, it’s a halo car. The overall brand loses even more market share? That’s good, it makes Cadillac more exclusive. No progress in turning Cadillac around is seen for the next 15 years? Don’t sweat it, that’s all part of JDN’s master plan.
Meanwhile JDN gets to collect huge paychecks year after year, as there’s no point in firing him for at least the next 15 years. Now I’m not saying he’s doing a bad job – we simply don’t know at this point, too soon to call. But he appears to be a master of establishing job security for himself. If GM is buying what he’s selling, then the problem is at GM upper management. GM can’t afford to let Cadillac take another 15 years to get on track.
I have never owned an American car. If this was available today, I would purchase it. However if they do decide to produce and it ends up in the showrooms 3 years from now- too late.
I would buy the car today if available! I saw the commercial twice last night. It’s absolutely stunning.
Just put it in production, already! It’s a fantastic car and don’t understand how you are advertising for a car that’s not available!!! When will it (possibly) be available? I have my check book ready to buy one NOW! Let’s get on with it, shall we?!?!?!
I went into the dealership where I purchased my ’13 CTS Sport Wagon and asked about the Escala. The salesperson said I was the 48th person to ask. In the same breath, he said we will never see it made. As a proud Cadillac owner, I say “Don’t procrastinate! Build it!”
Add me to the big bold luxury market if this thing becomes a reality.
Doesn’t need to be called anything but what it is. …the Cadillac Escala. They make it…price be damned …I’m buying one.