New Evidence Suggests Cadillac CT5 Will Be Introduced In 2018

The Cadillac XT4 is already reaching dealers in China, but new intel suggests the luxury brand plans to introduce another all-new vehicle this year in China.

Cadillac Society has obtained a photo of a slide from a presentation delivered to Chinese Cadillac dealers that shows some enticing information. Entitled “Cadillac Product Development Process In China”, the slide shows Cadillac’s history in China, starting with the first-generation CTS in 2004, which launched the brand in the market, followed by the SLS in 2007, second-gen SRX in 2010, XTS in 2013, the ATS-L in 2014, and the CT6 and XT5, which arrived in calendar year 2016.

Anyone following Cadillac’s developments in China will likely be familiar with this timeline. But the most interesting part of the presentation is the brand’s plans for 2018. To wit – the section in red translates to “Product spectrum is further improved” and shows two vehicle silhouettes, both of which are marked for a 2018 introduction as the seventh and eighth models to be produced locally in China.

The crossover-shaped vehicle on the left is clearly the XT4, which was not yet introduced at the time this presentation was delivered. Meanwhile, we believe that the vehicle on the right is the upcoming Cadillac CT5.

Right Timing

Cadillac’s current model lineup in China is composed of the following four vehicles, from oldest to newest:

• XTS, introduced in 2013
• ATS-L, introduced in 2014
• CT6, introduced in 2016
• XT5, introduced in 2016

The XTS received a refresh at the end of last year, the freshened CT6 is about to arrive, and the updated XT5 will be presented in a matter of a few months. That makes the ATS-L, which launched exactly four years ago, as the odd man out.

The ATS-L hasn’t received any updates save for replacing the Wreath and Crest logo with its new wreath-less version. Come to think of it, the model is actually five years old in China, since the extended-length (ATS-L) variant replaced the standard ATS in China one year after its introduction in that market.

The turn of events leaves Cadillac with an outdated model in a vital vehicle segment that just happens to be China’s highest-volume luxury segment.

Imminent ATS-L Replacement

Taking all this into account, as well as the fact that China is the world’s single largest market for sedans, we believe that Cadillac plans to introduce the much-anticipated Cadillac CT5 before the end of the year in China.

We’re basing our prediction on two specific factors:

1. The CT5 is consistent with the sedan body style shown in the silhouetted presentation, and
2. The CT5 has been the model that has spent the most time in the validation testing stage than any other future Cadillac model; as such, it should be the first one out of the gate

Based on Cadillac’s official announcement that a new model will come to market every six months, the CT5 should launch in the United States during the spring of 2019 as a 2020 model.

All this indicates that Cadillac will likely reveal the CT5 in the very near future, since the luxury brand must do so in order to commence the model’s launch in China.

Stay tuned to Cadillac Society for further Cadillac CT5 news.