Now that Cadillac has its crossover SUV portfolio largely fleshed out, it’s time to focus on its sedans.
The luxury brand told Canada’s Globe and Mail in a Friday report that it’s committed to the sedan market, and the proof sits in the new Cadillac CT4 and CT5. We’ve known for awhile that Cadillac planned to rejigger its sedan portfolio with the demise of the ATS, CTS, and XTS. The CT4 will court younger buyers to the brand with an entry-level price, while the CT5 will largely take over duty from the CTS.
The Cadillac CT6‘s future is still unclear after the brand initially said the car would exit production when the Detroit-Hamtramck plant goes idle. In the latest report, it’s named as a survivor. Cadillac President Steve Carlisle also said in the past that the brand is looking to move production of the car elsewhere.
Andrew Smith, Cadillac’s director of design, said the brand is flush with SUVs now and it wanted to come back and focus on the sedan market. While that market is shrinking, it’s still an excellent way to court buyers who don’t want a utility vehicle and plop younger buyers behind the wheels of Cadillacs. Smith said the Cadillac CT4 is a perfect entry-level vehicle for young buyers and acknowledged their somewhat untapped buying power.
For those buyers looking for something sportier, the Cadillac CT4-V will serve them. The brand shocked when it revealed both the CT4-V and CT5-V with less powerful engines than their predecessors, the ATS-V and CTS-V. However, this is a calculated move, the brand said. For buyers who may be turned off by such a powerful machine the V-Series represents, they can enter the realm of V while knowing the car isn’t exactly out to kill them. It will also allow the V-Series to be the most affordable yet.
For those still seeking out an American sports sedan, don’t fret. Cadillac has proper CTS-V and ATS-V replacements coming. Look for the Blackwing name to denote their high-power.
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Source: The Globe and Mail
Comments
Didn’t read the article; did a CTRL/F for {Coupe} and there were zero results… so I have zero cares. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they are building sedans, it should be a prerequisite.
Seriously. Luxury is a large RWD Coupe with an excessive engine. Luxury is having a two-door fastback the size of a sedan simply because you can.
Agreed, Cadillac needs an amazing powerful long and sleek highway cross country cruiser luxury coupe. I feel they can capture some of this market now that the S Class coupe will be discontinued.
Wait, why are you walking away? Don’t you want a Cadillac sports sedan powered by the Silverado’s base four banger? Aren’t you excited by the power vibes of an I4 turbo from GM?
Well yeah I am kind of excited. Isn’t that engine a high output 2.7 turbo with 320hp, in a car that’s super lite and should handle even better than the outgoing ATS? My wife has the 2.0 Turbo with intake and KPE exhaust and that car puts a smile on my face every time I drive it and sounds great while doing it. So yeah a car that has that going for it sounds like fun.
Totally agree and it’s what I’d be driving if someone made one… such a shame. The majority of all collector cars seen at the auctions are all coupes and no one makes one anymore. The market is not dead they just quit building ones that people wanted… everybody went front wheel drive and killed the Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Cutlass Supreme, Thunderbird, Cougar, They destroyed the El Dorado Riviera and Toronado in the late 80s early 90s By making products that were simply not appealing…They need to go back to the old formula and resurrect that market.
I don’t think we can trust anything Cadillac says. A few recent examples:
June 7, 2018 -Eric Brandt reporting for The Drive:
– Cadillac spokesman Andrew Lipman confirmed Thursday that Cadillac headquarters isn’t going anywhere. “It’s 100 percent that we’re staying here [in NYC], that was never a question,” Lipman told the Detroit Free Press.
September 26, 2018 – – Clifford Atiyeh reporting for Car and Driver
– Cadillac’s swanky, hipster-friendly headquarters in Manhattan is about to clear out for a similar destination: Detroit.
As confirmed by Cadillac CEO Steve Carlisle to employees on Wednesday, Cadillac will move most, if not all, of its 110 employees in New York back to GM’s Detroit headquarters as part of continuing shakeups…
July 22, 2017 – Jeremy Korzeniewski reporting for AutoBlog
– Mark Twain never actually said that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated. But if the Cadillac CT6 could talk, those are the exact words it would use. Speaking to Jalopnik, Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen confirmed, emphatically, “There is absolutely no plan, at all, to cancel the CT6.”
November 27, 2018 – Raphael Orlove reporting for Jalopnik
– In addition to announcing what factories it will be closing, today GM announced that a whole bunch of its cars –even the big ones with big promotional pushes – are dead in the water. Included are many models the company claimed were ready to take on the best in the world, including the Cadillac CT6, the company’s flagship luxury sedan…..Cadillac did indeed get back to us to confirm that though the CT6 is dying, that won’t stop it from squeezing in production of its upcoming “Blackwing” twin-turbo V8 and accompanying CT6-V model….A representative explained it stating, “important note – our plans to introduce the V-Series and Blackwing V-8 aren’t impacted by today’s news.”…So our final CT6s will be cool, at least.
January 24, 2019 – Michael Martinez reporting for Automotive News:
– Although the brand is focusing on crossovers and SUVs, it’s not giving up on sedans.
Despite plans to close the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that produces the CT6 sedan, Cadillac executives have said they’re evaluating options to keep the vehicle in the lineup. Wahl said they plan to sell it at least for the rest of 2019 and into 2020.
“The news of its demise has been greatly exaggerated,” Wahl [Deborah Wahl, the brand’s chief marketing officer] said. “This vehicle has so much to offer.”
Need a convertible not based on the upcoming C8…
RWD based XT7 and coupe are on their way.
Do you mean CT7 and coupe version of the CT7? Or a RWD based crossover XT7 with a weird crossover coupe version? Just making sure I’m reading your comment right.
I mean a 2 door coupe. It will get its own beautiful name. Its not a crossover.
XT7 is an RWD based crossover.
That’s not all 🙂
There is also a flagship. But I won’t tell about it now. All I can tell you it’s not a liftback.
Not counting the electric models.
This all sounds promising and I’m excited. Now I’m just deep down hoping you’re legit and not just trolling me pretending to know some info. Hahaha!
Don’t worry.
Will they be Chevy/Buick/Holden versions of these Cadillac sedans and coupes?.
Will there be a convertible CT4 or CT5?
Unless Cadillac builds a more compliant ride and a little more interior room into the CT4 it will be doomed to the same fate as the ATS for entry level buyers including myself, there is a reason why ATS sales went on a deep down trend from 14/15 on repeat buyers beyond the performance enthusiasts were few and far between.
The ATS was trying to compete with the C class and 3 series. It was not successful for many reasons. A few being interior space , interior quality and design and price. With Cadillac’s reputation as compared to Mercedes and BMW they can not expect to succeed by offer a product that’s almost as good as the competition for almost the same price. The AT4 will compete with the lesser Mercedes and BMW with some advantages such as rear wheel drive compared to their FWD. A-bigger and better interior compared to theirs and perhaps and hopefully a better price point. The interior measurements advantages may be small but it may help them succeed where the ATS small measurements disadvantages caused it to fail. At least it was part of the reason. IMO. I could be wrong not being an expert in marketing or anything. Heck I don’t a darn thing about marketing lol. but that’s my thinking
Downright ugly cars. Choppy design. Homely, plain grille. The Cadillac name used to signify elegance. No more. Too bad, so sad that GM has allowed it’s flagship brand to deteriorate to this level.
They need to build a sedan that’s only partly crossed-over. Taller roof but a sedan’s low center of gravity, room for 4 tall and wide adults and their luggage. Less folding but no step up to enter.
That kind of sounds like a lowered pickup.
I would like to believe them but Dropping the 3.0TT in the CT6 instead of the 3.6 and the Silverado 2.7 Truck engine in the CT4 V state otherwise.