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2016 CT6, 2017 XT5 Introduce New Cadillac Trim Level Structure

Not only do the 2016 Cadillac CT6 full-size sport-luxury sedan and 2017 Cadillac XT5 midsize luxury crossover represent new vehicles and sales opportunities for Cadillac, they also appear to represent the introduction of a new trim level hierarchy for GM’s prestige luxury brand.

The order guides for both models show the following trim levels, in stair-step progression:

Cadillac Trim Level Structure - New vs. Old
New Trim Level Structure Outgoing Trim Level Structure
XT5 or CT6 (base) Standard
Luxury Luxury
Premium Luxury Performance
Platinum Premium

Notably, Premium Luxury is new and slots above Luxury, replacing Performance trim, while Platinum — which has been around on the Escalade and XTS — becomes the top-end trim level, replacing Premium.

The GM Authority Take

We like the way Cadillac has reorganized the trim level structure on the XT5 and CT6, as it establishes a very clear pecking order. The “standard” models are simply called XT5 or CT6 rather than “standard” or “base”, which should remove some of the stigma behind buying one of these vehicles. From there, it’s clear that Luxury is good, but Premium Luxury is better, while Platinum is the best. By contrast, it wasn’t nearly impossible to tell whether Performance was better or worse than Premium or Luxury in the outgoing trim structure.

We expect this new trim level ranking to permeate across the rest of the Cadillac lineup in the near future, as each Cadillac model gets overhauled and receives the appropriate CT# and XT# nomenclature.

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Comments

  1. The new naming structure is much better than the outgoing one. It establishes a clear hierarchy and also removes the ‘base model’ stigma especially for a higher calibre vehicle.

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  2. It doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me. I have a 2012 SRX Performance Edition, which was mid-level (kinda), but came standard with all of the features I wanted. Why not XTR/ CT6, Luxury, Premium and Platinum? Luxury Premium is confusing. In reality they are all Luxury cars, even in base trim so why not, Luxury, Performance, Premium, Platinum??

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    1. Which is better, Luxury or Premium? The words are not really comparable by themselves. Luxury sounds better to me, but apparently Premium is better? Platinum is understandable, but I wonder if they will ever introduce an Iridium level, and then eventually an Unobtanium level.

      Also, I’m not even sure why there are four levels. I think three levels + content packages would be enough.

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      1. It’s kind of as confusing as airline FF levels (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver), then there’s coach plus, preferred seating, and some other stuff.

        It’s a pain. But then again, I wouldn’t turn down a free upgrade to Platinum, instead of the usual ‘great deals @ 0% apr for well qualified buyers. It’s a new way of selling. Which means they’d shoot the idea down in a second – not invented here syndrome.

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    2. I like the new trim levels.
      ‘Performance’ does not mean anything since there was really nothing actually ‘performance’ about the previous ‘Performance’ trim.

      If someone said ‘I have the Performance trim model’ you would expect to see that it has some go fast bits or at least some go fast appearance equiptment but those models really did not, so it became meaningless.

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  3. Call it base or standard and if it has leatherette seats, it is still “cheap”.

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    1. ‘Leatherette’ is not available even on the ‘base’ trim CT6.

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      1. Is on ATS and vinyl seats are cheap regardless what they call the line

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        1. Currently the trim levels being discussed are the XT5 and CT6 and not the ATS, but duely noted. thanks.
          Also leatherette for the base compact luxury sedan is not uncommon. It is like that on the 320i.

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          1. It is still cheap and very unbecoming of a true luxury car.

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            1. Agree it is a little unbecoming on $32000 vehicle but maybe it forces the people who want it to upgrade.
              Since the majority of ATS sales are not the base with the 2.5 then it really is not that big of a deal.
              For those who just want to get into the compact luxury segment and drive a luxury brand it obviously is not a deal breaker.

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        2. They are also available on the XT5 base. But it satisfies that part of the market, and does it well.

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          1. But is Cafillac aspiring to become a true luxury line or be all things to all folks? Should leave the pseudo luxury vehicles to Buick.

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            1. Cadillac is already a luxury brand although currently it is not an aspirational luxury brand. It is not on the radar of the majority of luxury car buyers.
              Only consistently excellent products, long term commitment and getting the message out will change the current perception.

              Cadillac also needs to move higher up the food chain and have truly prestigious models.

              Leatherette on a couple of ‘base’ level models does not affect their luxury status.

              You better get use to leatherette by the way because when Cadillac does a sub-ATS sedan (AT2) and a sub-XT5 ( XT3 ) then their base seat covering will most likely be leatherette.

              If part of the goal of rebuilding Cadillac’s prestige is getting more bums in the seats then you have to have attractive pricing and entry level (base) models do that.

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              1. Here is where we disagree.

                If Cadillac wants to be a true luxury leader they cannot continue to be like the BMWs, Audis, Mercedes. A truly luxury car should not have a vinyl interior. Leather is a requirement for a basic luxury car!

                A vinyl interior does detract from the luxury status of a vehicle. You are a step below a leather interior that is available (often optional) in the majority of all vehicles, the majority of which are not even considered luxury vehicles.

                Cannot have it both ways–either you produce the best luxury vehicles or you try to be everything to everyone and Cadillac will continue to muddle along in mediocrity. A Cadillac should be exclusive!

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                1. So who should Cadillac be trying to beat?
                  Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Maserati, etc.

                  Yes if they had leatherette in the CT6 that would detract from the vehicle but not so much on a base ATS 2.5NA model. I do not think it is a deal breaker for someone looking to buy that car or the base XTS as Alex mentioned.
                  The buyer of the ATS already knows that the comparable base BMW has the same thing.

                  Cadillac has to try to fill the holes in it’s line up with more models. It will not be a prestige luxury brand by just being in a 3 or 4 segments.
                  Not sure who you think Cadillac should try to exceed or emulate for success?

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                  1. If Cadillac was to be the standard they need to quit putting vinyl–let’s call it what it really is in their vehicles. If they are satisfied with just equaling Audi, Mercedes, and BMW that is not good enough.

                    Should a BMW that is considered a luxury vehicle have a vinyl interior–heck no!

                    Cadillac needs to exceed BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Infiniti, Lexus, Acura for them to have a chance of being “the best” and even being considered as an option in their markets.

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                    1. They will be better than the luxury brands you mentioned but that will take time and commitment.

                      Yes BMW is considered a luxury brand and no, having vinyl does not detract from that. One a 5 or 7 Series it would detract though.

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                    2. Martin,

                      I get what you are saying, and your argument works well in theory: yes, Cadillac should aspire to be better than its direct competitors (BMW, Benz, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, Jaguar).

                      But here is where opinions may diverge:

                      1. Cadillac can be better than the rivals on a product level
                      2. Cadillac can be better than the rivals on a brand/desirability level
                      3. Cadillac can be better than the Rivas on a value level

                      Ultimately, the product either already is or will be better or on par. The brand will take some time, but it will get there.

                      This leaves the value, which is what we are talking about here. The argument can be made that better value results in greater (higher) sales volume, so long as other attributes are on par. The problem is that training customers to be accustomed to said value can be detrimental in the long run.

                      The prime example is the change-over from the 2nd to 3rd gen CTS. The second gen trained customers that they could get a midsize luxury sedan, wagon or coupe for the price of a compact vehicle from the German rivals. Then the third gen moved the CTS in size, features, and price to be a true midsizer. Most returning CTS owners did not go the new CTS, deciding to leave the brand for a rival product regardless of how great of a vehicle it is. Some made the switch to the ATS, but that was about 25%.

                      The thinking for most gen 2 CTS owners was: if Cadilac wants nearly the same $$$ for the new CTS that I can buy a new E, 5er, or A6/S6, or GS for, I will step up and get “the real deal”.

                      So, you can give customers leather instead of leatherette and split folding rear seats instead of fixed/non-foldable units, while rivals offer the cheaper leatherette and fixed seats on base models… and you will see short-term sales gains (after spending lots of money advertising the piss out of it). But at some point, you will not (need to) do it anymore. Once you stop bringing better value, you make those short-term buyers reconsider buying your product, and usually create negative sentiment (“they want to nickle and dime me now, despite my loyalty”, etc). So then you lose sales, along with the majority of those customers, whose elasticity of price to value is very low.

                      The strategy I would take is the one employed by Cadillac currently: offer the same equipment as the rivals for the same/similar price points, but focus on making cars that are actually better than the competition.

                      The prime example is the new Jaguar XE, which is better than everything in the compact lux segment. The ATS was a good try, but unfortunately the program benchmarked last-gen rival models, and was funded with bankruptcy money. Looking forward to ATS and CTS 2.0 to change that, and make a real dent in their respective segments.

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  4. Platinum, although expensive sounding, is too commonplace, and shared by other cars, there is an F150 Platinum for crying out loud. I would rather they had another name for the highest trim series, I’ve always though Platinum was kinda cheesy.

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    1. Stay tuned.

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      1. It looks better than what they had. Now they need to address the alpha-numeric hodge-podge.

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        1. The alpha-numeric structure is nowhere close to a hodge-podge. Watch the lineup switch to CT# and XT#, and you’ll see it all make sense.

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    2. Completely agree.
      Here is a thought; why not give the top trim level a real and nostalgic Cadillac name like ‘Brougham’, ‘Fleetwood’ or ‘Calais’. Those model names from the 60’s still have some cache and could not be copied by another manufacturer.

      Since Cadillac is joining the herd by going alphanumeric in their naming scheme then why not get some use out of their classic names that still have some value?

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      1. I like your idea the best. They have already made there decision to go with CT and XT, why not name the trim levels with heritage names. Platinum is used industry wide.

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        1. It would be a great idea if Cadillac simply switched CT6 and upcoming cars to ‘Cadillac Touring Six (#)’.

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  5. Suggestion: change the column mounted shifter on the Escalade to console mounted already!

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    1. Yes. I can not be that difficult (read costly) to do.
      While they are at it change to a IRS (independent rear suspension) as well.
      My hope what that these things would be done for the Escalade V-Sport.

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  6. Let’s keep it simple and go the “Olympics” route: Participant, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

    CCC

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    1. Haha.

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  7. I know this is unrelated, but I was looking at that CT6 photo, thinking GM made a terrible mistake risking Cadillac’s brand image by importing the CT6 PHEV from China. I understand the business case for it, but reputation sells in the luxury car world, and word gets out. The auto journalists aren’t downplaying it one bit.

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    1. Yes it is still news right now but it will not always be.
      Understand that in China there are government incentives and additional benefits like free use of the charging infrastructure for electric or PHEV vehicles produced there. On top of that there are heavy tariffs for imports of as much as 45%. It would be economically impossible for Cadillac to import the PHEV from US to China and with the extremely low gas prices and low volume potential here in NA it does not justify tooling a new line just for selling here.

      I get that many people do not agree with the decision and if you are a prospective CT6 PHEV customer then you can show your disagreement with you wallet and buy a full sized luxury PHEV from a competing brand built in the US of A.

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      1. Personally, I’m not as opposed to the business decision of the PHEV being built in China, as I much prefer the regular CT6 engine choices. However, my biggest problem with this move is that it happened at one of the worst possible times, as far as brand perception goes.

        Think about it, you have Cadillac, the crown Jewel of GM, arguably one of the most important companies in the U.S., so much so that the taxpayers had to bail them out.

        Speaking of taxpayers, why did GM choose to do this in the middle of ELECTION SEASON? With candidates like Trump and Bernie Sanders, no less. This business decision is a slab of populist red meat. If this backfires (which it could), Cadillac is going to draw the ire of the the very millennials they’ve been trying to court, who are at least as populist and concerned about the economy as other generations.

        Cadillac itself just began an image rebuilding that will take decades to come into fruition, how is Cadillac going to pull off a full prestige recovery while in the middle of a boycott? THAT’s my concern.

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        1. I do not think there will be a boycott at all. The general public is savvy enough to see past the rhetoric and political grandstanding.

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  8. “Premium luxury”? Who made this one up? I mean, you have luxury. Premium luxury suggests that mere luxury should be renamed.

    This smacks of a rental car nomenclature to me. “Near luxury” and so on.

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    1. Which ‘rental car nomenclature’ do you speak of?

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    2. Just like Audi has…

      1. Premium
      2. Premium Plus
      3. Prestige

      Premium luxury is better than Luxury… seems pretty simple to me.

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  9. A question for the masses;
    Why is the CT6 listed as a 2016 model while the XT5 listed as a 2017 model when they will both be available in calendar year 2016?

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    1. The CT6 is arriving/launching early enough in the calendar year to be a 2016 model.

      The XT5 is launching later, just when 2017 MY vehicles will begin arriving. It does not make sense to launch a vehicle as a 2016 when everything and everyone one is launching 2017s… especially an all-new vehicle.

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  10. Call them a b c, x y z! Bottom line is deliver excellent reliable product priced appropriately and the consumer will be satisfied! I personally could care the less what it is called. In the majority of the cases aren’t even markings on the vehicle. Much to do about nothing!

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