Remember How Everyone Thought Lincoln Aviator Would Obliterate Cadillac XT6 Sales?
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The year was 2019, and many automotive enthusiasts, observers and analysts armchair quarterbacks immediately wrote off the Cadillac XT6 upon its announcement. The reason for the thinking was the new Lincoln Aviator from GM’s cross-town rival, Ford Motor Company. The consensus among the pundits was that the Aviator was a much better product that the XT6, and that it would simply obliterate the Caddy in terms of not only product attributes, but also when it came to sales volume. Now, three years into both vehicles’ lifespans, reality has proven to be very different.
Lincoln Aviator
Let’s briefly revisit the reasons that most discarded the XT6 and put their money on the Aviator. It essentially boils down to the architecture that underpins either vehicle, as well as the powertrains that propel them. While the 2020 and newer Aviator rides on all-new, rear-wheel-drive platform called CD6, the XT6 rehashed the existing GM C1 platform – a front-drive-based architecture initially launched with the Cadillac XT5 and second-gen GMC Acadia before making its way to a bevy of other GM crossovers like the Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave, Chevy Blazer, and others.
The actual platforms don’t mean much. It’s the benefits that they provide each vehicle that can’t be ignored.
Cadillac XT6
The longitudinal powertrain orientation of the Aviator’s architecture enables a long dash-to-axle ratio, creating design proportions that are more in line with luxury vehicles. More benefits delivered by Lincoln’s rear-drive platform are a more powerful standard engine – with the Aviator’s twin-turbo 3.0L V6 (400 horsepower, 415 pound-feet of torque) putting the XT6’s atmospheric 3.6L V6 LGX (310 horsepower, 217 pound-feet of torque) to absolute shame. Linc’s rear-drive benefits don’t stop there, since the platform also allows Lincoln to offer an even more impressive 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque thanks to its available plug-in hybrid drivetrain. Finally, the Aviator’s rear-drive roots also enable more natural handling as a result of more natural front-rear weight distribution.
The Cadillac XT6 doesn’t enjoy any of these benefits due to its front-drive bones and transverse engine orientation, which deliver more plebeian proportions (a short dash-to-axle ratio, for starters) and a more nose-heavy weight distro. And, as if to rub it in, GM introduced a new engine for the 2021 model year that was even weaker than the aforementioned not-so-powerful six. This came in the form of the turbocharged 2.0L I-4 LSY, which is rated at 235 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque. The outcry from the armchair CEOs reached roughly the same fever pitch as it did back when GM announced the XT6.
Lincoln Aviator
Cadillac XT6
But despite all that, the doom and gloom for the XT6 was greatly exaggerated. The actual sales numbers show that the XT6 and Aviator have remained roughly even in the segment since becoming available.
In 2019, the year that both models launched, the XT6 actually outsold the Aviator by over 3,000 units, delivering 11,559 units in the U.S. market to the Aviator’s 8,323. One could make the argument that this isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison due to initial availability and rollout-related items, so let’s take a look at the subsequent year.
Sales Numbers - XT6 vs Aviator Sales - 2019 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 | YTD 19 SHARE | YTD 18 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CADILLAC XT6 | * | 11,559 | 0 | 58% | NAN% |
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | * | 8,323 | 0 | 42% | NAN% |
| TOTAL | * | 19,882 | 0 |
Both models enjoyed a full year of sales during the 2020 calendar year. During this time, the Aviator gained some ground, outselling the XT6 by less than 500 units for the entire year. The 500 unit difference between the two is exactly one percent of the sales volume of both models combined – essentially a rounding error.
Sales Numbers - XT6 vs Aviator Sales - 2020 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 | YTD 20 SHARE | YTD 19 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | +177.30% | 23,080 | 8,323 | 51% | 42% |
| CADILLAC XT6 | +95.60% | 22,609 | 11,559 | 49% | 58% |
| TOTAL | +129.80% | 45,689 | 19,882 |
In 2021, the Aviator only outsold the XT6 by less than 300 units, with the models moving nearly 42K units on a combined basis – another month of neck-and-neck results, with the difference essentially being a rounding error.
Sales Numbers - XT6 vs Aviator Sales - 2021 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 | YTD 21 SHARE | YTD 20 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | -9.34% | 20,924 | 23,080 | 50% | 51% |
| CADILLAC XT6 | -8.61% | 20,662 | 22,609 | 50% | 49% |
| TOTAL | -8.98% | 41,586 | 45,689 |
And during the first half of 2022, the Aviator has pulled ahead of the XT6, posting a 1,571 unit advantage. However, it’s worth noting that GM didn’t produce the XT6 for a substantial amount of time during 2021 as a result of ongoing supply-level shortages, including but not limited to the well-publicized microchip shortage. As such, the numbers are far from a like comparison.
Sales Numbers - XT6 vs Aviator Sales - H1 2022 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 | YTD 22 SHARE | YTD 21 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | -7.64% | 10,950 | 11,856 | 54% | 47% |
| CADILLAC XT6 | -28.63% | 9,379 | 13,141 | 46% | 53% |
| TOTAL | -18.67% | 20,329 | 24,997 |
In any event, the XT6 and Aviator have essentially been seeing the same levels of sales success, despite all those early predictions to the contrary. Interestingly, it would seem that two wildly different approaches by GM/Cadillac and Ford/Lincoln have paid off for both automakers in equal measure. It also goes to show that power levels and drivetrain is not the highest priority for shoppers of luxury utility vehicles.
Sales Numbers - Luxury E-Segment Utilities - H1 2022 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 | YTD 22 SHARE | YTD 21 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW X5 | +21.48% | 35,526 | 29,244 | 20% | 14% |
| MERCEDES-BENZ GLE-CLASS | -9.12% | 32,448 | 35,705 | 19% | 17% |
| ACURA MDX | -35.83% | 23,610 | 36,791 | 14% | 18% |
| VOLVO XC90 | -13.76% | 17,232 | 19,981 | 10% | 10% |
| LEXUS GX | -9.41% | 13,956 | 15,406 | 8% | 7% |
| LINCOLN AVIATOR | -7.64% | 10,950 | 11,856 | 6% | 6% |
| CADILLAC XT6 | -28.63% | 9,379 | 13,141 | 5% | 6% |
| AUDI Q7 | -48.13% | 9,183 | 17,705 | 5% | 9% |
| LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT | -38.48% | 6,269 | 10,190 | 4% | 5% |
| INFINITI QX60 | +34.25% | 5,781 | 4,306 | 3% | 2% |
| BMW X6 | +17.06% | 5,399 | 4,612 | 3% | 2% |
| AUDI Q8 | -51.22% | 4,207 | 8,625 | 2% | 4% |
| GENESIS GV80 | * | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| TOTAL | -16.20% | 173,940 | 207,562 |
Despite the XT6 hanging with the Aviator in terms of sales volume, both models are far from the leaders in their overall segment – moving roughly a third of the segment best-sellers from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That might seem like a failure at first, until we consider that Cadillac is a brand new entry in this space, having been absent from the segment from the very start. From that standpoint, it’s making up for lost time, and doing so relatively quickly. If only GM could produce more.
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Notes & Resources
- Running Cadillac sales
- Running Cadillac XT6 sales
- Running Lincoln sales
- Running Lincoln Aviator sales
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Just goes to show that sales numbers don’t necessarily tell which vehicle is better. Simply put, Cadillac is a way more well-known brand than Lincoln is, which is the only reason why it keeps pace with the Aviator’s sales volume. In every area the Aviator is a better vehicle, but GM’s top tier marketing machine and stranglehold on pop and country music allows its brands to gain more exposure. Either way, these lackluster sales numbers for both prove that nobody wants to buy luxury from American brands, simply because it comes from America
you cant say you own a caddy uness you do,its a pride thing- co with over 100 yrs history- i love gm and have a new buick enclave,floats like a cloud.
BUICK ENCLAVE 2023 MODEST ELEGANT LUXURY ANDD HIGH BUILD QUALITY,HAS ALL THE ESSWENTIALS AND NOT MANY NONESSENTIALS,AT 51 LARGE ITS EXPENSIVE TILL YOU CONSIDER WHAT YOU GET IN SPACE,UTILITY,PRACTICALITY AND ITS A LOOKER,QUIET AS HELL AND RIDES LUXURIOUSLY. ITS TIME FOR GM TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER AND EITHER INCREASE QUALITY OR DECREASE COST AND BEAT THE PANTS OFF ALL THE OTHERS.