Cadillac sedan sales fell globally during the fourth quarter of 2019. Decreases took place in all markets tracked by GM Authority, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Russia.
The results come just as GM transitions Cadillac’s sedan portfolio by phasing out the ATS, CTS, and XTS and launching the CT4 and CT5 in the first quarter of 2020. As such, Q4 2019 has yet to see the positive impact of the new CT4 and CT5 models from a sales standpoint.
In addition, GM saw negative impact of the UAW strike during Q4 2019. The 40 day-long walkout resulted in no Cadillac sedans rolling off the line in the U.S, thereby negatively impacting vehicle availability at the retail/dealer level, and ultimately eradicating considerable sales volume of U.S.-made vehicles. Given that all Cadillac vehicles listed for markets in this report are assembled in the U.S., the strike impacted sales of all Caddy models – including sedans – during the quarter.
USA
In the United States, sales of Cadillac sedans fell nearly 60 percent to 4,430 units during the quarter. All nameplates except for the recently-launched Cadillac CT5 saw declines in sales volume.
Though the ATS, CTS, and XTS were already discontinued well before the fourth quarter began, the CT6 was still in production during the time. However, CT6 sales volume during the quarter was negatively impacted by the aforementioned UAW strike, during which time no CT6 units rolled off the line or were shipped to dealers. In addition, the very first units of the all-new CT5 began arriving at dealers during the final days of the fourth quarter; the new compact luxury sedan saw a handful of deliveries during Q4, with sales expected to commence in full scale during Q1 2020. The CT5-V began arriving at dealers during the first half of March 2020. However, the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic might delay these timetables.
Sales Numbers - Cadillac Sedans - USA - Q4 2019 - United States
MODEL | Q4 19 / Q4 18 | Q4 19 | Q4 18 | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATS | -90.01% | 83 | 831 | -89.56% | 1,134 | 10,859 |
CTS | -60.44% | 966 | 2,442 | -37.92% | 6,965 | 11,219 |
XTS | -79.02% | 1,062 | 5,063 | -36.23% | 11,304 | 17,727 |
CT6 | -5.09% | 2,276 | 2,398 | -17.76% | 7,951 | 9,668 |
CT5 | * | 43 | 0 | * | 43 | 0 |
TOTAL | -58.73% | 4,430 | 10,734 | -44.62% | 27,397 | 49,473 |
Canada
In Canada, sales of Cadillac sedans fell about 70 percent. Much like in the U.S., all nameplates saw significant drops in sales volume during the quarter, including a 14 percent decrease for the CT6 which, much like in the U.S., was still in production during the timeframe.
Unlike in the U.S., the all-new Cadillac CT5 did not launch in Canada during Q4 2019. The 3 Series and C-Class fighter was planned to launch during the first quarter of 2020, though the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic might prevent that from taking place.
Sales Numbers - Cadillac Sedans - Canada - Q4 2019
MODEL | Q4 19 / Q4 18 | Q4 19 | Q4 18 | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATS | -99.25% | 1 | 132 | -96.99% | 47 | 1,561 |
CTS | -50.40% | 42 | 85 | -48.57% | 233 | 453 |
XTS | -73.47% | 32 | 121 | +1.72% | 531 | 522 |
CT6 | -14.05% | 49 | 57 | -26.47% | 175 | 238 |
TOTAL | -68.56% | 124 | 394 | -64.46% | 986 | 2,774 |
Mexico
In Mexico, sales of Cadillac sedans fell nearly 85 percent. The two sedans sold in the country – the ATS and CTS – have been discontinued prior to Q4, so it’s only natural to see sales of those models decrease substantially prior to the arrival of the all-new CT4 and CT5 later on in 2020.
Sales Numbers - Cadillac Sedans - Mexico - Q4 2019
MODEL | Q4 19 / Q4 18 | Q4 19 | Q4 18 | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATS | -88.00% | 3 | 25 | -58.23% | 33 | 79 |
CTS | -80.95% | 4 | 21 | -68.85% | 19 | 61 |
TOTAL | -84.78% | 7 | 46 | -62.86% | 52 | 140 |
South Korea
In South Korea, Cadillac sedan sales fell 68 percent. All models posted declines in sales volume. The decline in ATS and CTS sales is to be expected as a result of their discontinuation prior to Q4. Meanwhile, the decline in CT6 sales was caused by GM discontinuing the turbo-charged 2.0L engine – which was the most popular powertrain configuration in the Korean market.
Sales Numbers - Cadillac Sedans - South Korea - Q4 2019
MODEL | Q4 19 / Q4 18 | Q4 19 | Q4 18 | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATS | -98.72% | 1 | 78 | -66.67% | 67 | 201 |
CTS | -39.58% | 58 | 96 | -1.76% | 223 | 227 |
CT6 | -68.46% | 117 | 371 | -44.79% | 525 | 951 |
TOTAL | -67.71% | 176 | 545 | -40.90% | 815 | 1,379 |
Russia
Cadillac sedan sales in Russia increased 200 percent in Q4 2019. Despite the significant change, the amount of vehicles delivered totaled 15 units. The discontinued CT6 accounted for 14 of the 15 sales, while the discontinued CTS managed to record one registration.
Sales Numbers - Cadillac Sedans - Russia - Q4 2019
MODEL | Q4 19 / Q4 18 | Q4 19 | Q4 18 | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CTS | * | 1 | 0 | -66.67% | 5 | 15 |
CT6 | +180.00% | 14 | 5 | -22.64% | 41 | 53 |
TOTAL | +200.00% | 15 | 5 | -32.35% | 46 | 68 |
Cadillac Sedan Sales Projections
Going forward, we expect Cadillac sedan sales to rebound during the 2020 calendar year, as GM completes the launch of the new CT5 and begins the launch of the CT4, which began shipping to dealers in mid-March. The GM Lansing Grand River factory will soon add a second shift to support the rollout of these two sedans.
But not all will be easy-going, as Cadillac sedans will face strong obstacles from several different directions. One of these headwinds will be the discontinuation of the Cadillac CT6, which will take a significant chunk of volume out of the luxury brand’s sales count. Another headwind is the ongoing change in consumer buying dynamics, wherein car buyers favor crossovers over sedans.
Arguably the biggest headwind of them all is the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, which will certainly have a negative impact on sales during the first quarter of 2020, and possibly thereafter. COVID-19 has caused GM to pause production at its assembly plants in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil. As a result, no Cadillac sedans are currently being produced. But once thing return to normal, we believe that CT5 and CT4 will pick up a healthy amount of sales volume thanks to qualities related to product and their value compared to the competition.
We’ll be here to report more as it happens, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for ongoing coverage of Cadillac news and GM news.
This article was written in collaboration with our sister site, Cadillac Society. Check out Cadillac Society for Cadillac forums and discussions.
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