Cadillac‘s luxury utility vehicle line-up appears generous at first sight, with the XT4, XT5 and XT6 crossovers, followed by the Escalade SUV. However, after taking a closer look, a question quickly comes to mind: is there room for another model – called the Cadillac XT7 or XT8, perhaps – occupying the space between the XT6 and Escalade?
The starting prices of the four current models demonstrate the situation. The 2021 XT5 costs $10,200 more than the 2021 XT4, which seems like a reasonable gap, yet only $2,000 separates the starting prices of the XT5 and the 2021 XT6. There is then an enormous leap of $28,200 from the XT6 to the 2021 Escalade full-size SUV. That is well more than double the price differential between the XT4 and XT6.
| Segment | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | XT4 | XT5 | XT6 | Escalade |
| Starting Price | $35,795 | $45,995 | $47,995 | $76,195 |
Clearly, there is space for a Cadillac XT7 or XT8, but such a model is not in the pipeline, GM Authority has learned. The reason why is that the XT7 or XT8 were what the XT6 was originally intended to be.
To make sense of this, we first need to discuss GM’s Omega platform, which has only ever been used for the Cadillac CT6 luxury sedan, which went out of production in February 2020 for the U.S. and Canada. In the early planning stages, however, Omega was supposed to have been used to underpin other vehicles, one of which was the mod Cadillac XT6.
But due to the same cost restraints that eventually saw the discontinuation of the CT6, plans changed, and the decision was made to base the XT6 on the GM C1 platform instead. This immediately made the XT6 less of a “pure” luxury vehicle, and more in line with other GM crossovers, including the Chevrolet Traverse, the GMC Acadia and both Chinese and North American versions of the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Blazer.
There were also various limitations. Both the C1XX and Omega platforms allow for all-wheel-drive, but C1XX is a front-wheel-drive architecture with a transverse engine placement, while Omega is a rear-wheel-drive platform with a longitudinal engine orientation. Vehicles built on Omega can therefore approach a 50-50 front-to-back weight distribution, which is near impossible on C1XX models.
Yet another benefit of the longitudinal orientation is associated with design, as such a layout typically gives the vehicle a longer dash-to-axle ratio. The most coveted luxury cars today feature a particularly lengthy dash-to-axle ratio to create more dramatic proportions and a more imposing design.
C1XX also sets a practical limit on engine size and, by association, power. The strongest engine that can reasonably be used in the architecture the naturally-aspirated 3.6L V6 LGX gasoline unit, rated at up to 335 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque. By comparison, the Omega platform opened the door to beasts like the twin-turbo 4.2L V8 DOHC LTA unit, otherwise known as the Cadillac Blackwing engine. When used in the CT6-V, the twin-boosted eight was good for 550 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque.
So the Cadillac XT7 or XT8 might have had a more stylish design than the real XT6 does, been nicer to driver, and would have allowed for exciting V-Series or even Blackwing variants. None of these things are necessary in a utility vehicle, but buying a Cadillac has never, in the brand’s long history, been about necessity.
GM BEV3 platform for upcoming Cadillac Lyriq EV opens possibilities for various vehicles and variants
That said, it’s likely that half of Cadillac’s line-up in the U.S. will consist of electric vehicles by 2025. In November of last year, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that 30 new GM electric vehicles will go on sale worldwide in the same time period, while stating that GM is “transitioning to an all-electric portfolio”.
In that environment, with fewer constraints on the vehicle architecture and none at all on ICE choice, a Cadillac XT7 or XT8 could become a reality after all. Just don’t expect it to be called that.
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This post was created in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.
Comments
They will do it after Lincoln does it, just think a longer and wider XT5/XT6 with the same 2.0L and 3.6L engines.
Hopefully they’ll have at least 400 HP this time…
That’s why I think the next XT6 will be rwd on VSS-R..
Based off everything we’ve heard, Cadillac is going fully electric before the end of the decade. Multiple sources from within GM have said this. In order for Cadillac to stand out from the other legacy luxury automakers, going all-electric needs to happen. I think the only reason why it’s not official is so they don’t scare away the existing customer base.
Like the XT5 and the Lyriq, the vehicle that succeeds the XT6 (whatever it’s name will be) will be definitely be on the BEV-3 platform. It makes no sense for them not to.
Simple, one will be ICE, the other is electric. Just like the sedans.
That’s contrary to everything that GM has announced.
That’s redundancy if next XT6 and Lyriq are both electric. They’ll be all electric in certain
markets in say California, Japan and Germany but as long as the competition is ICE they’ll offer ICE.
@Andy it doesnt matter what GM says if the market isnt ready for it, wont happen like that
Either way Cadillac is foolish not to bridge the gap with a unique vehicle, only slightly larger, maybe aimed at Discovery.
The Germans have multiple offerings. Even Chevrolet offered some spice with Blazer. To route all Cadillac sales through four SUVs is madness considering the brand can’t move sedans.
Tesla has a great niche & now Lucid is running adverts so Cadillac is very late to the game. Had the wreathless Crest offered a real EV two years ago, before PSA & German efforts, it would have stood out.
Cadillac as an EV brand will still have the same brand image as stale melba toast and prunes. Cadillac, like Lincoln, simply isn’t a sexy brand. GM should have purchased Lucid and paired it with ICE Cadillac or beside GMC Hummer.
If we’re comparing it to a Lincoln from 2017 and below, yes it is where Cadillac is heading. I mean, it’s really hard to deny that Lincoln has definitely has had a glow up compared to past model years. The XT6 is a joke compared to the Aviator in terms of features and horse power. What they put out for the XT6 I would’ve expected it to be on a Buick, not GM’s highest brand.
Without Tesla the electric car market market in the US is 1.5% There is no why Cadillac will be fully electric by 2030. We have heard these inflated claims about EVs before. In the past Cadillac EVs have been bigs failures. Stating half of all Cadillacs by 2025 will be electric is not even living in the real world. GM cannot even sell 20,000 Bolts a year!
I thought VSS-R was dead. (VSS-F proceeding). No?
We’ve heard absolutely nothing about it. Assuming the Camaro is dead after the 6th gen runs it’s course, I can’t see it ever seeing the light of day.
The whole XT4, XT6, CT4 and CT5 range is simply a stop gap measure to fill out the product portfolio in between the massive shift in direction for Cadillac. This is likely what led to the JDN firing.
The current mediocrity Cadillac find themselves in is clearly to save costs and allocte additional resources to EV’s. The electric revolution cant come soon enough for Cadillac.
You nailed it.
GM better hope customers buy into their aggressive EV strategy.
My pops who just leased an XT6 Platinum Sport(nice vehicle) is doing just that. He is waiting to see what the Lyriq is going to be like. He really wants to stay GM and actually buy a Cadillac, so here’s hoping GM pulls out all the stops.
Wow your Pops now owns the only XT7 in existence! Tell him to hold onto it!
Yea, my bad. Subconscious wishing…
In the near term, I think this “bridge” will be the Lyriq once it appears 13-15 months from now. I believe its already been announced that its starting price will be about $60k, which means it may top out in the upper $70k range.
I know this may not sound practical, however,
I truly believe Cadillac NEEDS an aspirational
sporty, flashy, SUV that’s lower riding
(hatchbackesque? shooting breakish?),
with GREAT handling and DESIRABLE for those
of us who still really enjoy driving and (call me
superficial)… LOOKS REALLY SHARP when
I wanna look sharp. LOL There… 😁 …I
actually admitted it. Haha.
Place it as the next step up towards an
Escalade and hopefully it’s “halo” will
eventually extend to the lower priced items
in styling, low cost performance packages.
Going hybrid and ICE should make the
performance part rrrrrrreally easy.
But what do I know. At 61 years old, still
stuck on “fun and style” and not likely
to change… I could be wrong …right?
bryce?
If only if Cadillac had something that could hold the same attention as a Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q8 or Range Rover Sport. For a luxury manufacturer they have a massive hole in the larger luxurymidsize SUV 5 seat passenger segment. Something all the aspirational marques have in their lineups.
A $28,000 spread is just to massive not to have something in.
Too bad GM can’t buy JLR from Tata or spin off Cadillac in partnership with JLR to gain luxury scale.
GM wasn’t wrong moving Cadillac to NY for independent management. Getting away from Detroit has been great for Buick (first Opel, now China) with both concepts and products.
Pretty simple…they don’t want to cannibalize Escalade. A larger more premium crossover would probably command a lower price/lower profit margin and steal buyers away from their volume cash cow
If Caddy puts the X bone suspension on a full size …it will die and kill the Escalade! Electric yeah ..what ever…ask an American what he or she needs/wants in there suv..my 2013 srx4 is great but engineering is a joke..make 1 SRX ..with the new v8(427sbc) Not to big not too small..and American..just make a new car and the rest will follow..horse power…tech..and a 50 to 70 thousand price tag .no more ..it’s just a car..and no car is worth a hundred thousand dollars on a mass production …and with technology worth so little..just remember if it ain’t made in America it ain’t a Caddilac…so .and all big caddie’s need a 502 bbc ..quit short changing Americans..export what we Americans make for ur PROFIT ..not rip off Americans ..🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
The designers at GM need to be fired. The XT6 looks and feels like a rebadged GMC Acadia with carbon fiber trim on the inside from personal experience. Cadillac also needs to stop with this xt ct stuff. Put a real name on it. Make it special. Create a new Eldorado but as a high tech electric car that’s GM’s model for the future and can rival Aston Martin or BMW. They can also update the escala or ciel concept which are great and put that out. But at least give it a real name.
No way someone could have driven both and say that with a straight face. I’ve owned an Acadia and I’ve driven the XT6 for long stretches of time. Night and day difference. Is it where I think it should be? No. But it’s a huge step up from an Acadia.
I mean, there is a difference but just not enough in my opinion compared to what other brands have for their upscale models such as the Lexus RX and the Toyota Highlander and the Lincoln Aviator and the Ford Explorer. If I were the designer for the XT6 first of all I would’ve based it off of the Traverse since it’s bigger and I would’ve put a bigger engine in it so it can actually be what it’s marketed as with more dramatic sporty styling outside with rear wheel drive and 21 inch wheels. The interior is pretty good and it has the style that Cadillac has been using but I would’ve put things in it such as massaging seats and a more upscale second row since it would probably be used as a family car and put a 3D surround sound system in it with better door chimes and I would’ve gotten rid of that crappy plastic by the gear knob and I would’ve gotten more leather color choices such as red since it’s more sporty and it’s where all the other luxury brands are going. There’s a lot more that I would’ve changed but hey! I’m not GM’s designer! (Unless they want to hire me.) But seriously, they could’ve done a lot better and it looks like GM thinks that too because they have a few openings for design and interior design.
Valid points. Can’t argue about them. My Dad and I are fully aware of the shortcomings but after looking at the Aviator, He decided the XT6 was a better vehicle. It drove better and he liked the design better. But, he refused to buy it because of all the missing features you described. He got it for a nice lease deal.
If GM is serious about making Cadillac an EV brand and if they truly want to be an environmentally conscious company, the Escalade needs to go. It’s era is over. It’s a gigantic gas-sucking vehicle that nobody actually needs. Mary cannot continue to talk out of both sides of her mouth with her zero, zero, zero babble while still peddling the hulking Escalade and depending on it as the cash cow to fund GM’s operations and her overly generous compensation.
Further, her giant Hummer EV is really not a whole lot better than an Escalade or an old Hummer. Most electricity is still produced by burning fossil fuels. In my state, it’s about 72 percent so a massive Hummer EV is still an energy hog that must suck a lot of current out of the tap and that tap got filled mostly by burning fossil fuels. All that dirty energy is then expended on moving an overweight colossal beast down the road. Hummer EV is symbolism over substance if you ask me; It’s a product to make people feel good but in terms of actually being environmentally friendly, folks would likely help the planet more by just driving a Spark.
They will never sell more than 10,000 EV hummers a year. Heck, GM cannot even break the 20,000 annual sales barrier for the Bolt. Trust me, most Chevrolet dealerships loath the Bolt because they sit on the lot for months. Toyota is right about this ridiculous hype concerning EVs. The demand is just too small. I see Toyota’s continued expansion and another GM bankruptcy. GM never learns from history, and explains why they are now in fifth place!!!
GM doesn’t need to sell more than 10,000 Hummers a year. Hell, they sell 10,000/yr, and I’d bet you everything I own that they make a massive profit…and GM would be more than satisfied.
Hummer isn’t a mass-market brand anymore…there will be no more 2006 sales numbers for it, when they moved over 70,000 units. It’s now a high-end, super capable, aspirational vehicle. Think about the S Class…they don’t move a ton of units. But it doesn’t matter, it’s an image vehicle that sets the tone for the entire Mercedes brand. That’s what Hummer is to GMC, their first true flagship with insane capability and aspirational new tech.
And lest I forget to mention…selling 10,000 Edition One Hummers equates to $1.12 billion dollars in sales. Billion, with a B. That’s real money.
The most powerful engine that will fit is not the 3.6, that’s the most powerful naturally aspirated engine that can fit. They had a 2.0 turbo in the Traverse at one time, so you know a 2.7 turbo will fit as all it basically is, is a stroked 2.0 turbo. Also, if the 3.6 twin turbo will fit in the old XTS, how hard is it to throw 2 turbos and an intercooler in the XT6 with the 3.6? At least the 3.0 twin turbo…
Consumer Reports ranked Lincoln in last for 2020. Why would Cadillac want to emulate that! What is going to happen when nobody buy Cadillacs upcoming EVs. Remember, the Bolt is still GMs slowest selling passenger. Mary Barra has lost her mind.
Super Cruise in the XT6 would be a competitive advantage over BMW, Mercedes, Audi. But, can’t find information as to when/if it will be available..
Escalade and CT5 show Super Cruise as an option on the build and price section of cadillac.com, but, dealers don’t have Super Cruise in stock.
What is the deal with Super Cruise availability?
It’s not likely that it will be available for this generation on the XT6.
Disappointing that Super Cruise may not be on XT6.
I’m wondering why it is not possible to find an Escalade with Super Cruise.
It seems like a huge competitive advantage.
Is there something wrong with Super Cruise?
Remember initially Cadillac said it wouldn’t be available then Mary said it would be but since then all XT6 has gotten are poor reviews and the all mighty 2.0L.
I doubt that super cruise will even take off at this point. Too overpriced and we don’t even know if it’s as good as they say compared to Tesla or other brands yet because they haven’t released it after hyping it for months.
Actually the existing Supercruise has gotten better reviews in comparison to all the existing platforms at what it is supposed to do. Several car magazines has tested them… and given supercruise praise while not perfect it’s came out as a good system.
I’m sure most Cadillac buyers are not on GM authority, so guys don’t you worry for GM and Barra. They are doing just fine if not great, and they will be better.