Cadillac Confirms New XT4 Crossover Will Launch In 2018

Cadillac has officially announced that it will launch a new crossover called the XT4 in 2018.

Not much is currently known about the new crossover, but Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen was quoted as saying at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show that the XT4 will arrive with a “new series of efficient and powerful engines”.

Just last month, the Cadillac XT4 was incorrectly identified in spy photo as the XT3. Based on its now-confirmed name and spy shots, we expect that the XT4 will be compact in size to slot below the midsize XT5, as Cadillac appears to be reserving the XT3 moniker for another crossover to slot beneath the XT3.

The spy shots of the XT4 show what is clearly a front-drive architecture — likely GM’s D2 platform — underpinning the vehicle. Based on the expectation that the XT4 will have a front-drive, transverse-engined layout, we don’t expect the powerplants to deliver any huge power figures, but we would love to be pleasantly surprised. What’s most likely is that the crossover will get a new turbo-charged four-cylinder gasoline engine to replace GM’s aging (yet potent) 2.0L Turbo LTG motor. Other possibilities include a turbo-diesel four and a plug-in hybrid option.

It’s currently unclear which model year Cadillac will assign the XT4 at launch, but the two primary candidates are 2018 and 2019. One thing is for sure: the XT4 will be the first Cadillac to feature design inspired by the Cadillac Escala concept car, which has been well-received following its debut in 2016.