Here’s the deal: luxury automakers are increasingly offering blackout packages on their vehicles. The sporty-looking packages usually offer black wheels, grilles, mirror caps, the trim that surrounds the windows, as well as various other exterior elements that would otherwise be in shiny chrome. GM’s Cadillac has been doing just that with Midnight Editions of the ATS Sedan and Coupe as well as the CTS Sedan, but it has yet to do it with the SRX crossover, or its replacement — the Cadillac XT5.
Granted, the SRX is on its way out while the XT5 has yet to launch. Even so, a Midnight Edition of the 2017 Cadillac XT5 has not been announced, and is not in the pipeline, as far as we can tell.
What we’ve created is a hypothetical Cadillac XT5 Midnight Edition. Our talented renderers blacked out the following elements:
- Wheels (using the Cadillac ATS accessory wheels, RPO 5XZ)
- Grille
- Foglight housing trim
- Front skid plate
- Daylight opening (DLO) surround, or the trim around the windows
- Mirror caps and bases
- Roof rails
The end result is one mean-looking, midsize luxury crossover, one that would give the Mercedes-Benz GLC300 (with Night package) and Audi SQ5 (with Black Optics package and 21″ Titanium wheels) a run in the appearance department. Compare for yourself in the pictures below.
Comments
Looks great. It definitely changes the feel and vibe of the vehicle.
That actually looks really good. I just hope that the new crossovers coming are better proportioned than the front heavy XT5. From here on out Johan is in the spotlight. When do you guys think the product hiatus will be over? Maybe NAIAS 2017?
Yes I think that the 2017 NAIAS or more likely the 2017 NYIAS is when Cadillac will debut new product that would arrive for early 2018 calendar year.
Yes JdN is going to be in the spotlight. He can no longer blame the previous administration for their decisions or post-bankruptcy financial constraints limited product development.
Ya, from here on out everything cadillac does is based on new management. I really have high expectations especially how Audi has really taken a huge step in the last 10 years I don’t know how much Johan had to do with it but he did something.
Btw the midnight render looks amazing. Really hope they add the trim to the lineup soon.
At his highest post JdN was President of Audi America. I do not think that in that position he would have had much influence to shape product planning or brand direction.
For Cadillac he is running the whole show so this position is a significant step up in responsibility and control.
Whether he is the right person for the job remains to be seen but I’ll definitely give him a chance before bashing his actions.
Hopefully this gives them time and money to engineer the upcoming CUVs properly. Stretching the XT5 and chiseling the Buick Envision would waste the product hiatus.
Love the Blk out look! I will definitely lease one this fall.
Don’t like the all black look — resembles a funeral directors vehicle or a government secret service vehicle.
Ive never seen either of those blacked out. only the car itself and tint
Wish they would do this with other colors. Like Blue etc They as GM (NOT just Cadillac) need more color options
don’t like it. for me, a blacked out luxury vehicle screams drug dealer,kleptocrat or mobster.
Yeah, it was that way in the past. Times have changed. Black-out is a fashion statement now. Especially in the prestige luxury segments.
Might be all the rage right now but like all fads it will pass in due time. I do have to say though that some versions of this trend look pretty good.
And when the fad wear out then Cadillac can discontinue the special edition.
I think it looks good.
Like jamdown says, if the trend ceases, then they can simply stop offering the black-out package/Midnight Edition. But right now, the black-out trend is hot, and the competition is doing a better job than Cadillac at satisfying real market demand for such an appearance package.
On a related note, I don’t see the trend wearing out but rather accelerating well into the future, as more millennial and gen Y buyers enter the luxury space.
Blacked out vehicles are all the rage right now . Just check out You Tube and you will get a chance to see just what people are doing to their rides , Black is in . The XT5 looks aggressive blacked-out . One thing I’m glad you guys didn’t do was black-out the Cadillac Crest . GM usually does that to the Chevy and GMC logos .
And speaking of logos , I still think that crest needs to come down a row or two on the grill . It really looks to high in your picture above .
On You Tube i’ve seen videos of the SRX where they have used a product called Plasti-Dip , and changed the look of their SRX’s to all one color , black , white and maroon . And add black wheels to them . One I watched where this guy did his in all white and put gold wheels on it .
This Plasti-dip is a rubber compound , so if you get tired of the look you just peel the stuff off and they claim it doesn’t ruin the paint or chrome . When it first came out it was offered only in black but now comes in other colors. I’m all for customizing your ride . Some look sic and others not so much .
but back to the XT5 , Cadillac should think about doing something like this , it would bring in a customer that wouldn’t normally even think about buying the XT5 .
I’ll take mine in Crystal white Tricoat with tan interior and polished wheels, but not till the end of the year, when there will be deals !!
The appeal is definitely lost on me, especially the black rims. Looks like some punk high schooler got ahold of it, or maybe like a drug dealer owns it at “best”.
Gotta get with the modern luxury vehicle customization/styling trends. Look no further than the Benz and Audi in the pictures below the article.
What would make the XT5 Midnight Edition special would be getting access to the CT6’s LGW 404 horsepower twin-turbo 3.0L DOHC-4v V6 as special editions should be more than just being about paint color and interior trim as it should mean an extra jump in performance also.
Well, the Midnight Edition is an appearance package… what you’re looking for with the LGW is what we expect to come in the form of the XT5 V-Sport:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/cadillac/xt5/xt5-v-sport/
Now, an XT5 V-Sport with the Midnight Package would be even better!
Alex there are SRX’s now on the lots that have the new for 2016 RPO WBL .
Check the order guide. http://www.gmfleetorderguide.com/NASApp/domestic/proddesc.jsp?year=2016®ionID=1&divisionID=5&type=0&vehicleID=17469§ion=oi_def&page=4&butID=3
Very sinister I would say!!!
There already is a Midnight Edition Package for the SRX.
NEW! Midnight Edition Package, includes (2HM)/(34G) Raven Sapele wood trim, (BB4) premium carpeted floor mats, (SLV) 20″ Midnight Silver premium painted finish wheels, (R24) Black chrome rear license plate bracket trim, (GPN) Black chrome grille, (BON) Black chrome side vents and (C8T) clear lens tail lamps
1 – Requires (AFC) interior trim.
Well, there is such a package in the order guide… but it’s nowhere to be found on the SRX configurator (yet) and doing a nationwide inventory search for a vehicle with WBL doesn’t turn anything up, either.
I just looked at two today. It says Sport Edition on the window sticker. Looks sharp too !
Alex this one is well done and looks good!
It would be an easy and simple change and if they wanted too they could change the monochrome look to other colors if the market calls for it.
Looks awesome! Drag is though, just got back from the Toronto Autoshow and though they had a nice clean display, there were no blacked out models. Thankfully they had the amazing CTSV, ATSV. But unlike Benz across the aisle, they did not show less pricey models with still sporty looks. They had an ugly grey ats with the ugliest powder wheels on display. I kept thinking, you brought 8 vehicles? Why not put something for the young guys that is not 75k?!!?!? BMW had lots of Mseries trim packages, like the AMG trims at Merc. They also had some striking paint packages. They seem to get it more that these shows are an amazing way to plant a seed in folks heads.