Three years ago, Caddy announced it would release a new Cadillac model every six months. Now, following the release of the XT4, XT6, XT5 refresh, CT5, CT4, and 2021 Escalade, that ambitious product offensive is complete.
To refresh, let’s go back to 2017 and the Geneva International Motor Show, where former Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen announced the plan, saying, “Starting with the launch of the XT4, a new Cadillac will be brought to market every six months.” Johan de Nysschen was eventually replaced by Steve Carlisle, but the product offensive moved forward regardless.
Now, in 2020, we can look back at the execution of that plan, with an eye for what comes next.
As stated previously, the XT4 crossover was the first new Cadillac model out the gate, making the scene at the New York Auto Show in March of 2018. Following the XT4 was the seven-seater XT6, which arrived in January of 2019 at the North American International Auto Sow in Detroit. The refreshed XT5 completed the automaker’s updated crossover lineup with a debut in July of 2019, dropping in with a new engine lineup, revised styling, and the latest tech offerings.
The Cadillac CT5 and CT4 sedans were also released in 2019, with the former arriving at the 2019 New York Auto Show in April, and the latter revealed in September.
The last part of the puzzle is the all-new, next-generation 2021 Cadillac Escalade full-size SUV, which was unveiled in a special media event in Hollywood, California, earlier this month.
While the CT4 and Escalade are still scheduled for market launch this year, their debut completes the new Cadillac model product offensive announced in 2017. As such, attention now turns to the new Cadillac EV crossover, which, as we covered previously, is believed to be roughly the same size as the Cadillac XT5 in terms of exterior dimensions. What’s more, the upcoming Cadillac EV won’t carry an alphanumeric nameplate, and will introduce a brand-new electric vehicle architecture for Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors.
Look for the new Cadillac crossover EV to debut in April, and remember to subscribe to Cadillac Society for ongoing Cadillac news coverage.
MARY KATRINA ELLEN ROLLS
Thank you Cadillac for the opportunity you gave the sedan models
Because of your beloved sedan models like the CT6 CT 5 and CT4
Thank You For Your Cooperation
With Best Wishes & With Love From Mary Katrina Ellen Rolls
Xjug
What began as serious excitement evolved into total disappointment. Not a single vehicle elevates the brand not one! The E continues with bling etc but doesn’t move a single needle.
Every single Senior Mgr especially MB needs to be fired as this exercise has wasted millions and probably billions.
Cadillac is no farther on its journey of re-establishing itself as a premium brand than it was 5 years ago it just has more badge engineered CUVs… it’s pathetic
Xray
Talk is cheap…
Gary
+100. You are very on-point with your feedback. Everything that has been brought to market hasn’t served to elevate the brand.
Can’t speak for all but I was expecting the so called product offensive to leapfrog the brand into the upper ranks of the luxury vehicle market. It was more so just playing catch up and only with able to pass muster vehicles and not much more.
IMO, the Escalade will sell as GM basically chose to keep the same formula that made it successful and it has brand cachet. But the landscape has changed with Lincoln and BMW serving up compelling alternatives.
Chris Stapleton
Please don’t ever compare Lincoln to BMW again. Lincoln is the one that has been playing catch up to the market since their debut of the all new Navigator. Before the redesigned Navigator, the company was a complete and utter joke. They emerged from near irrelevance amongst the U.S. luxury market and are now worth a mention again but still struggling to sell next to the competition from Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. Lincoln isn’t on BMW’s level of craftsmanship, attention to detail, or interior/exterior quality.
The Escalade will sell because it leap frogged everything else in the segment. The new Escalade compared to the new Navigator, it’s night and day as far as technology and innovation goes. Lincoln will have to go back to the drawing board in order to compete with it. I feel a lot of you are in denial about that.
I think many don’t want to believe that’s the case, or you simply aren’t paying much attention to what’s really going on here. The Escalade is the only vehicle you should’ve been looking to for a sense of the direction the Cadillac brand is going. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is the epitome of Cadillac and as reviews begin to roll out you will see why exactly it did all the “leap-frogging” that Cadillac needed to do within the last 3 years.
We’ve had Super Cruise available literally since 2016…why wasn’t it available at launch in the new 2019 XT4, refreshed 2020 XT5, or new 2020 XT6 when the technology is already available on older Cadillac models? Because Cadillac’s goal wasn’t to “leap-frog” anyone with those vehicles…not just yet anyway. There was a larger picture and purpose for this, they were updating their lineup and preparing to launch the flagship. Obviously the Escalade’s new features and design will trickle down into the rest of the lineup similar to how every Lincoln released after the all new 2018 Navigator has received the same copy/paste design from it’s flagship SUV.
I don’t understand even with Ford’s botched release of the issue plagued Aviator why they’re praised for only becoming worth a mention again and Cadillac is bad-talked with nothing to show the elevation of the company. I think anyone that feels that way is delusional. You can look at a base CTS and compare it to a base CT5 and see worlds of elevation just in that space alone. I think Cadillac has haters who don’t want to give them their props.
Robert Charet, M.D.
Whoever designed the CT4 and CT5 should be fired.
The CT5 C-pillar black plastic faux window is a design failure unseen in a Cadillac since the mismatched sheet metal at the base of the final Eldorado’s A-pillar. It’s atrocious; Hyundai does better.
The bulging trunk on the CT4,, copies the awkward XTS MCE, resembling a toddler with a “full diaper.” It’s ridiculous and incredibly awkward and ugly.
Both cars have unappealing taillights ( Ed Wellburn correctly believed that Cadillacs should have vertical taillights; it seems that Mike Simcoe wants to spite him. And both cars have instrument panels resembling a decade-old BMW 3 series, far behind the current competition.
Both the CT 4 and 5 are half-baked failures.