GM Authority was the first publication to correctly identify prototypes of the Cadillac CT4 in August 2018. Since then, our photographers have given us photos of the upcoming small sedan wearing production headlights and tail lights, as well as the hotted-up V-Sport trim. Today, we caught the Cadillac CT4 Sport with a production grille.
As per Cadillac’s recently-introduced Y trim level strategy, Sport models are distinguished by replacing many of the vehicle’s shiny, chrome-look design elements like the ones seen on this CT4 Premium Luxury with blacked-out ones, while also tuning the suspension to a sportier setting. Though the tester model continues being wrapped in some heavy camo, we can still make out some of these elements on the Cadillac CT4 Sport.
The most notable feature here is the grille: whereas previous prototypes wore a placeholder grille, this Cadillac CT4 Sport is wearing the production unit, which features the new shield-like mesh while having a shiny black finish. The pattern on the grille is nearly identical to what we see currently on the Sport trim levels of the 2019 Cadillac CT6, 2019 Cadillac XT4 and 2020 Cadillac XT6.
We also see this particular Cadillac CT4 Sport tester wearing a set of black, double five-spoke 19-inch wheels with very low-profile tires. The units appear to be identical to the gloss-black 19-inch accessory wheels offered on the current ATS range, where they are assigned RPO code 5XZ.
Cadillac ATS accessory – 19-inch wheels – 5-split spoke gloss black premium paint 5XZ
We believe that these wheels will be optional on CT4 Sport models, and that the stock wheels will be a set of 18-inch units with black elements.
Out back, the Cadillac CT4 Sport tester features another tell-tale sign of its trim level: tinted neutral-density (clear) taillamps. A set of integrated, trapezoidal dual exhaust pipes is present and accounted for on the model. Meanwhile, the model we believe to to be the CT4 V-Sport gets a set of quad pipes out back, while retaining the other design elements from the CT4 Sport.
Overall, we must say that the CT4 is coming along quite well. The model is expected to be a new entry into the hotly-contested C-segment currently defined by the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and – in some markets – the BMW 1 Series sedan. Expect it to reach the market in late 2019 or early 2020, as a 2020 model year vehicle.
About Cadillac CT4
The CT4 is an upcoming small luxury sedan from GM's Cadillac luxury car division. The vehicle will indirectly replace the ATS Sedan as Cadillac's smallest sedan, slotting in the luxury C-segment against the likes of the Audi A3 range, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class family and the BMW 1 Series Sedan (which is currently available only in China).
The CT4 will be based on the second iteration of the highly-acclaimed GM Alpha platform known as Alpha 2. In first-generation guise, the architecture underpinned the ATS and CTS lines. Rear-wheel-drive will be standard, while all-wheel-drive will be optional. High-performance CT4 V-Sport is planned. It's unclear whether a CT4-V is planned.
Power should come from the standard 2.0L Turbo LSY four-cylinder engine. The naturally-aspirated 3.6L V6 LGX could be offered as an option, but that might not take place. A CT4 V-Sport model will likely be powered by 3.0L Twin-Turbo V6 LGW engine. If a high-performance CT4-V is produced, then it will likely be powered by a higher-output version of the LGW engine. It's unlikely that the CT4 will ever cradle the new Cadillac 4.2L V8 DOHC LTA engine, otherwise known as Blackwing.
Trim levels will follow the new Cadillac new Y trim level structure, commencing with the base Luxury, followed by mid-level Premium Luxury and Sport trims, and the range-topping Platinum and V-Series trims. Pricing should start in the low $30,000 range.
The CT4 will be built at the following plants:
- GM Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan, USA for North America, South Korea, and the Middle East
- Jinqiao Cadillac plant in China for China
The Cadillac CT4 is expected to be introduced in the end of the 2019 calendar year and go on sale in early 2020 as a 2020 model year vehicle.
Related News & Info
- GM news
- GM forums
- Cadillac CT4Â information
- Running GM sales results
- Running Cadillac sales results
- Running Cadillac CT4 sales results
- Running Cadillac sales results
Comments
Am I crazy or does this not look 3 Series sized?
Everyone is stating Cadillac is going the Tweener Size route. I hope it really is 3 Series Sized to be honest.
I personally hate the Tweener Sized approach.
Not crazy. I had the same thought as stated below.
I’m not a big fan either. I think the error in both ATS and CTS wasn’t the positioning, but some of the qualities. The base engine isn’t good, and the interior is several steps behind the competitors.
Jeez, u guys must understand that this car is in the C segment. How many times this should be said. C segment means a3 , cla etc. CT5 will be in the d segment. That’s the CT5 that will go against the 3,c,A4.
It looks bigger than an A-Class or A3 and is a pretty substantial looking car. It’ll be interesting to know what the actual overall length is but by appearances, I’d estimate it to be about 185 inches. If so and CT4 is at 185, then the CT5 would need to be about 195 inches for the small, medium, large hierarchy to work since we know the CT6 is 205 inches long.
At 185 inches though, this product would be sized more like the C-Class than the A.
The CT4 will be identical in size to the ATS sedan. It will be a little longer and look way more substantial than the A3 and CLA because it’s RWD, and therefore has better design proportions, along with all the other design benefits that a RWD model brings to the table.
So the CT4 will be 182 inches long, same as the ATS ?
Give or take a few minor dimensional changes associated with the bumper cover execution, which can add or subtract some length dimensions.
The ATS Sedan was 183 inches
The All New BMW 3 Series is 189 inches.
Audi A3 is 176 inches.
All New A Class Sedan is 179 Inches
I could be wrong but from these pictures the upcoming CT4 does not look like it has lost 4/5 inches of length from the ATS but looks to have gained 4/5 inches.
I agree.
It will not have gained any of that. This car will be very similar to the ATS sedan from a dimensional stand point. The size or architecture was never a problem with the ATS, but rather the overall product (positioning, etc.). This is what is being remedied with the CT4… not the size or platform.
The CTS, meanwhile, is going to lose about 2-3 inches in length to become the CT5 in the D segment (slightly larger than the new 3 series).
It is that simple.
From the photos, it looks like both trunk space and rear seat headroom will take a hit in the CT5 versus CTS, unless the rear seat is brought forward, which would make the obvious enlargement of the rear door pretty silly. Rear overhang appears slightly shorter, the front is hard to tell because it’s blunter. I can’t imagine they’d spend the money to change the wheelbase from 114.5″ (ATS is 109, BMW 3 is 112, CT6 is 122).
I’d like to know how BMW gets 17 cu ft of trunk from 186″ length. CTS is a puny 13.7.
Say What!!?? There was no confusion or misunderstanding of what segment the ATS was competing in. Product positioning was spot on with the ATS; it was a 3 series, C Class, A4 competitor. From day one, mention of it’s replacement indicated it would go down in size.
I 100% agree with you. No confusion at all. All magazines and media knew exactly which Cadillac vehicle competed with what Euro Market car.
The only thing confusing was whyCadillac chose to give us Three lackluster Sedan Attempts. They were pretty good but nowhere near Good enough!!!
ATS was 3 Series
CTS was 5 Series
CT6 was a bad/cheap attempt at 7 Series
Well I think Cadillac not having a True 3/5/7 – C/E/S – -A4/A6/A8 competitor is beyond stupid. They will never be taken seriously and once again they have proved me right that GM will never Spend what it takes to bring Cadillac to True Tier One Luxury Levels. What GM is doing to Cadillac is borderline criminal.
And on a side note, if the CT4/CT5 utilize the 3.6 it’ll be a complete joke.
Cadillac isn’t Chevrolet. I don’t think that the 3.6 is a bad engine at all as my car has it but it is NOT Cadillac worthy.
They have their own V6 now stop being cheap and use it.
I think they should use the new 2.7t i4 over the 3.6 v6 from the Silverado. Sure it’s down on power but it more than makes up in tq. Power will come in lower, and if it’s able to propel the 5000 lbs Silverado to 60 in the mid 6 sec range. Than it should be able to achieve mid to low 5 sec range to 60 in a 3200 to 3400 lbs vehicle. I’m just hoping they make the interior worthwhile.
To me, that’s disappointing. I was hoping it would be smaller than the ATS, and perhaps spawn a hatchback version similar to the A1. All I want is for GM to come up with something to compete with the Golf GTI… but in our SUV obsessed country that seems less and less likely.
I agree. I would love to see some small sub compact offering from Cadillac in either a Hatchback, Shooting Brake, small coupe, small wagon, or small sedan from them. If they did it right it would do so well cause there is nothing like it in the USA.
Looks like it will have CT6 design language which is pretty much outdated and why why why the 3.6L V6 LGX engine?! This crappy engine is not a match to the competition. Disappointed
Agree about the 3.6 but also, as much as I love the idea of the 4.2 L TT Blackwing V8, I don’t see this product as an appropriate application for that engine, even in V form. For the CT4, I’d prefer the 2.0 liter four with a small Cadillac-exclusive V-6 of, say, 2.8 to 3.0 liters as an upgrade and a performance variant of the engine for the V car.
If you think the CT6’s design language is outdated, then you should get your eyes checked. The CT6 is probably the best looking model in the entire E and F segments.
The design language of the CT4 will be closer to the XT6 than CT6… though the rear will take heavily after the 2019 CT6.
We’re still not sure about the LGX… it might not make it to the CT4. That said, the cricitism of the engine is rather overdone. It’s not outdated or crappy. Drive it in the Camaro and you’ll see for yourself.
I agree, the 3.6 does fine in a Chevy or Buick, even base CT6 but I’d say CT4/5 needs to go from turbo 2.0 300hp to tt 3.0 in 2 tunes like 375hp in low-form and 450hp or so in high-output.
You don’t get it, its not about coming up with rebuttals to these bozos, don’t waste your time.
If the CT4 was small……it would need to be bigger, if it was bigger it would need to be smaller, if it was futuristic looking, it would need to be retro, if it was retro, then it would need to be futuristic, if it came out with 500hp, they would want a 90hp version, if it was electric, they would need it to be gas, if it was gas, they would want it to be electric, its not about discussing the product, its just about complaining about something for the sake of complaining
Mr. David, is that you? Take your negativity back to the BMW fan club.
This looks great. I think this will be a better executed car with more rear seat room than the ATS.
Excited to see how the new power trains will do with the new 10spd Auto etc.
This could be the new sport luxury car to have.
The supposed issues with rear seat room in the ATS sedan are fictitious. They were invented by those who:
1. Actually needed more rear seat space, in which case they simply bought the wrong car (should have bought CTS), or
2. Just regurgitate the crap spewed out by haters who have no clue what they’re actually talking about.
I lived with both and ATS as my personal car and gen three CTS as my company car for three years. The rear seats were just fine during every day of my ownership of the ATS sedan. The same will be the case for the CT4.
Moreover, rear seat room is not among the segment priorities among actual, real world buyers of the ATS sedan and the cars it competed when it was still in production.
“Moreover, rear seat room is not among the segment priorities among actual, real world buyers of the ATS sedan and the cars it competed when it was still in production.”
It only became a priority for reviewers when the Germans were no longer the best driving cars. At a car show in the 90’s, I got my size 11’s stuck in the rear footwell of a 3 series.
This car looks like it has more front overhang than the ATS.
Whatever Cadillac does, its going to get panned……have you noticed how NOW every auto reviewer is “longing for grandpas Eldobrougharado” now in every review?
Where were they when Cadillac was making those cars and being panned for every car not being an M3?
I typically agree with you but have you sat in a 3 Series or a C -Class?
The ATS does not come anywhere near rear Legroom or even width.
And lets not even bring up the Trunk. LOL
This is why they’re going to market the CT4 against the A class. That’s cheaper and more sensible than enlarging the car a little, thereby making it too close to the CT5.
All these sedans’ interiors and seats are too narrow for Bulk-Americans.
I learned yesterday that the CTS back seat is adequate size for an 8 pack of Bounty paper towels–on the seat. Not enough room on the floor. Trunk space, what there is after the space saver tire was full with three grocery bags. LOL
Last GM product so don’t worry what new miracle is up next.
Alex I appreciate your passion, but this is America, people are big here. Why would most people buy an American car that is smaller than a 3 series?
Well, they didn’t.
You can’t possibly speak for ALL luxury car buyers. The C-segment is sizeable and the earnings potential is highly attractive, especially for GM and its Aloha platform approach, and all the scale economies that that brings with the CT4 and CT5.
Keep in mind that the size of the CT4 will be the size of the previous three generations of the 3 series… and that didn’t stop the “big” American customers from scooping those up in droves.
Does anyone else think this will have the inward curving taillights of the 2018 XTS?
That would explain the new angled trunk lid, that and a few banged heads from the old one’s corners.
I believe the taillights in the CT4 will be inward-curving, though not like on the XTS but rather like on the 2019 CT6.
In my 3.5 years with my ATS sedan, I have never had an issue hitting anything (head included) on the trunk lid… and that’s after loading hockey sticks and a hockey bag into the trunk three times per week, every week, for the 3.5 years that I had the car.
The trunk/fender intersection right there doesn’t look flat to me, nor is it straight, but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. I don’t see reverse lights anywhere–it would be strange if they’re that different bit at the top of the “fin”. What is that? They’re definitely making the fin lower and the front fender/hood higher (wish they’d dropped the tear trail) to help reduce the wedge appearance. Less lighting visible from the side will make the car look longer.
It only takes one banged head if it’s the boss’s.
I find it odd that they changed the trunk lid like that. Perhaps it’s a structural improvement, but it looks a lot like the XTS’s crease.
I’ve made a similar argument to Alex’s for a while.. since the ATS came out and someone commented on the back seat. I remember getting into a 335’s rear, and almost immediately asking myself how in the world this was being considered comfortable and the ATS’s rear wasn’t. Then I realized that one was a GM product and one was a BMW.. and bias is strong with reviewers. Even more interesting was that there was an argument at all.. WHY BUY AN ATS, 3SERIES, C_CLASS if U needed a larger car in the first place.. since they all offer larger cars?
Thought the CT5 was coming first.
I think it will in China, because they now have an ATS and ATS-L but no CTS.
Our ATS sedan stopped production last summer, so they’ll hopefully all be sold by this summer/fall. As far as I know, the CTS is still in production. Perhaps they’ll shut the whole plant down to convert to all CT’s: 4,5, and 6, but they’ll likely want to start with the 4. Probably plenty of 2019 Camaroes already on the lots, too.
That is correct: the CT5 will come first.
Like I’ve said, if the CT4 and CT5 are not all they can be, and more, they simply will not sell. If the bean counters cut corners (are those HID headlights on the CT4) and don’t make them outstanding in every way, from handling, to performance, to creature comforts and interior materials quality, the then automotive publications, which are already biased against American product, will rip them apart. They must be years ahead, and superior in every way in order to compete against the competition and SUV’s.
To the brain washed sheep who buy foreign product, they already have one strike against them,…..they’re a Cadillac. Cadillac hasn’t had much luck with the new SUV’s it has brought to market in the automotive publications as they end up last in comparison tests. I fear the bland and disappointing XT6 will end up the same way since it sits on a FWD chassis compared to the the X5, GLE, andQ7.
Cadillac desperately needs a Coupe in the lineup and the CT7 can’t come soon enough. The good news is there will be more CT6-V’s and the 4.2 TT V8 will be available in the CT6 Premium and Platinum. Hopefully the XT7 will be on the VSS-S chassis and will be able to support this engine….
I agree with somewhat of what you’re saying. It is not that simple though. People Do Not simply pass on Cadillac because it is American or GM. They mostly pass on them because whether you can or cannot admit it, the competition is just that much better. Cadillac does just good enough but that’s not what the German Three are about. Every new Generation model they put out puts the last one to shame almost. Cadillac keeps barely making each Generation better.
Also, lets not forget what Audi had to do to get back to tier One Luxury. Offer much better for a lot less. Now they are back and making crazy money for parent company VW.
Not sure why GM doesn’t understand this. Cadillac MUST offer much, much better for less. Get back into Tier One Luxury one Segment at a time one Generation at a time. But the Bean Counters will not allow that. Hence why Johan is no longer running the Show.Just look at the XT6. It is a joke.
I watched Autoline and the Cadillac Director od the XT6 said they benchmarked the Audi X7. I mean that is almost comical. The XT6 uses a 10 year old engine. No MRC. No optional engine.
A 5 year old interior it has to share with the XT5.
Give me a break. Do better to get better returns. It really is that simple.
The LGX 3.6 V6 is only 4 years old now.
I was obviously being Sarcastic. The point is that Cadillac has it’s own specific V6 so just stop being cheap and use it.
I agree that they should use the 3.0TT more. We will see.
So when people pass up the competitions car and buy a Cadillac does that mean that the Cadillac is just that much better or that your full of s**t or both? All of the above?
If more people are buying CT6’s(the 2nd best selling large luxury car after the S-class) more than they are buying Lexus LS’ , A8’s G900’s, Equus’ XJ’s…….
What does that say about those cars?
Are you being serious right now? LOL
CT6 starts at $50,495
S- Class at $91,250
7 Series at $83,650
A8 at $83,800
LS at $75,300
Starting price is irrelevant in this argument. The CT6 that starts at $50K is a unicorn.. a mys=thical creature. If U find one U had a wish granted. U gotta look at ATPs. Even the CTS, its smaller sibling was boasting a ATP recently of almost $60K. The CT6 I was told, months ago, as having an ATP of about $75K as many buyers of the vehicle go Premium lux or Platinum in 3.6L or 3.0L . What’s weird is that even if U go to Caddy’s website.. trying to build a CT6 at $50,495 seems even impossible. The lowest I could even get it without any extras was $51,500. Either way. Those numbers for the S-Class are definitely BS. A colleague of mine some how got a new 2018 S550 with 7 miles on the odo for $84K. It had MSRP at $119K The CT6, now having the Blackwing, even without the V, will easily justify a $100K+ price.. but Cadillac will leave that money on the table, even tho it doesn’t need to. There simple is no reason to spend $10-20K more for a German car over a CT6, CTS etc
The CT6 tops out at less than 100K. What are you even arguing about right now?
The Ct6 is not at the same level. Cadillac even admits it. The whole reason it is named CT6 and not CT7 is because it doesn’t compete. That is directly from GM LOL
God; I would hate to own that tire/wheel combo.
Some of the potholes in our area are about 6 inches deep! We had enough problems with the low profile, RFTs on the CTS with the 18’s. Id imagine this would be much worse!
I’m calling it now; (XTS, CT6, XT4, XT6) CT4, Escalade, XT5, CT5.
I had that exact wheel combo with Michelin PS3s on my ATS for 36 months with zero issues in Denver. Granted, it was the spring/summer set… but don’t imagine that being any different.
That said, if it’s not your cup of tea, you don’t have to get them. That’s why they’re optional, and will remain optional or an accessory on the CT4.
I like my 2.5L wimpy engine 2016 ATS. Cornering is Just as fun as a Mazda Miata/MX5, and I feel safer having a roof.