Cadillac XT5 sales decreased in the United States, Canada, and Mexico while increasing in Russia during the third quarter of 2021.
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XT5 | -41.84% | 5,506 | 9,467 | +2.39% | 24,852 | 24,273 |
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XT5 | -40.31% | 869 | 1,456 | +25.27% | 3,753 | 2,996 |
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XT5 | -6.90% | 27 | 29 | +10.48% | 116 | 105 |
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XT5 | +226.14% | 287 | 88 | +86.05% | 880 | 473 |
Cadillac XT5 sales place the crossover in eighth place in its competitive set during the third quarter of 2021, one spot lower than in Q2 2021. The XT5 was outsold by the Lexus RX in first, BMW in second (with cumulative X3 and X4 sales) totaling 20,240 units, Audi Q5 in third, Acura MDX in fourth, Volvo XC60 in fifth, Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class in sixth, and the Lincoln Nautilus (previously known as the MKX; see running Lincoln Nautilus sales) in seventh. The XT5 placed eighth, outselling the all-new Genesis GV70, Infiniti QX50, and Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEXUS RX | -1.56% | 27,981 | 28,425 | 24% | 25% | +27.73% | 84,625 | 66,251 |
| BMW X3 | +8.54% | 17,720 | 16,326 | 15% | 14% | +48.33% | 53,993 | 36,400 |
| BMW X4 | +55.56% | 2,520 | 1,620 | 2% | 1% | +43.71% | 6,871 | 4,781 |
| AUDI Q5 | +44.23% | 16,354 | 11,339 | 14% | 10% | +69.97% | 49,920 | 29,370 |
| ACURA MDX | -24.39% | 11,023 | 14,579 | 9% | 13% | +46.88% | 47,814 | 32,553 |
| VOLVO XC60 | +33.22% | 10,991 | 8,250 | 9% | 7% | +54.35% | 31,583 | 20,462 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ GLC-CLASS | -30.15% | 7,982 | 11,428 | 7% | 10% | +12.19% | 38,131 | 33,987 |
| LINCOLN NAUTILUS | +16.95% | 6,749 | 5,771 | 6% | 5% | +13.23% | 18,176 | 16,052 |
| CADILLAC XT5 | -41.84% | 5,506 | 9,467 | 5% | 8% | +2.39% | 24,852 | 24,273 |
| GENESIS GV70 | * | 4,696 | * | 4% | 0% | * | 5,274 | 0 |
| INFINITI QX50 | -41.05% | 3,242 | 5,500 | 3% | 5% | +16.62% | 16,991 | 14,569 |
| ALFA ROMEO STELVIO | -5.38% | 2,690 | 2,843 | 2% | 2% | +18.42% | 8,003 | 6,758 |
| TOTAL | +1.65% | 117,454 | 115,548 | +35.30% | 386,233 | 285,456 |
From a segment share standpoint, the Lexus RX held 24 percent (1 percent less than Q3 2020) while BMW grew 2 percentage points to 17 percent. The Audi Q5 grew 4 percentage points to 14 percent and the Acura MDX fell 4 percentage points to 9 percent. The Volvo XC60 grew 2 percentage points to 9 percent, while the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class fell 3 percentage points to 7 percent, and the Lincoln Nautilus grew 1 percentage point to 6 percent. The XT5 represented 5 percent of the segment, falling 3 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. All other contenders held a share of 4 percent or less.
The luxury D-crossover segment expanded nearly 2 percent to 117,454 units in Q3 2021, meaning that XT5 sales under-performed compared to the segment average. Only 5 models in the segment posted an increase in sales this quarter, with 6 others posting declines in sales.
We should note that Lexus RX sales now include the two-row RX and the three-row RX L, with the three-row RX L being a rival to the new Cadillac XT6. As such, a more apt comparison would be to pit combined XT5 and XT6 sales against those of the RX.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEXUS RX | -1.56% | 27,981 | 28,425 | 74% | 64% | +27.73% | 84,625 | 66,251 |
| CADILLAC XT5 | -41.84% | 5,506 | 9,467 | 14% | 21% | +2.39% | 24,852 | 24,273 |
| CADILLAC XT6 | -26.69% | 4,581 | 6,249 | 12% | 14% | +14.68% | 17,722 | 15,454 |
| TOTAL | -13.76% | 38,068 | 44,141 | +20.02% | 127,199 | 105,978 |
Doing so gives Cadillac 10,087 sales, which is still 17,894 fewer than the RX family.
Cadillac XT5 sales decreased significantly during the third quarter of 2021. The steep decrease is the result of razor-thin inventory caused by idled production of the crossover at the Spring Hill plant in Tennessee as a result of the ongoing microchip shortage, which Cadillac is navigating by allocating the limited amount of chips to higher-margin vehicles like the Escalade.
As of this writing, XT5 production is scheduled to resume the week of December 6th, after which point inventory will start to improve. An uptick in sales should follow, but we only expect to see the fruits of resumed production in the first quarter of 2022, since there likely won’t be enough lead time for the newly-produced vehicles to hit dealer lots en masse before year’s end.
In addition, Cadillac is facing stiff competition in the space, which has quickly become one of the most highly-contested segments among both new and established rivals. In fact, the segment recently got even more competitive with the launch of the 2022 Genesis GV70, an all-new entry from Hyundai’s luxury arm, while Honda Motor Company’s Acura launched the all-new Acura MDX. For its part, Cadillac is planning to overhaul XT5 on the current model’s C1 platform, as Cadillac Society exclusively reported earlier this year. A fresher model should certainly help the XT5 compete more favorably.
One of four new colors for the 2025 model year.
And it now represents the best value in its segment.
A curious sighting from a video of the Cadillac design studio.