Cadillac CT5 sales decreased dramatically in the United States and Canada during Q3 2021.
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT5 | -79.73% | 811 | 4,001 | -20.26% | 7,636 | 9,576 |
| MODEL | Q3 2021 / Q3 2020 | Q3 2021 | Q3 2020 | YTD 2021 / YTD 2020 | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT5 | -19.82% | 186 | 232 | +46.15% | 779 | 533 |
Cadillac CT5 sales ranked the luxury sedan near the bottom of its segment, with sales down nearly 80 percent to 811 units.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW 3 SERIES | +30.76% | 13,591 | 10,394 | 22% | 18% | +30.11% | 37,367 | 28,720 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS | +56.47% | 11,289 | 7,215 | 18% | 12% | +41.21% | 29,084 | 20,597 |
| ACURA TLX | +31.77% | 7,520 | 5,707 | 12% | 10% | +51.66% | 22,932 | 15,121 |
| LEXUS IS | +104.73% | 6,767 | 3,305 | 11% | 6% | +131.17% | 20,160 | 8,721 |
| BMW 4 SERIES | +125.06% | 3,772 | 1,676 | 6% | 3% | +189.45% | 16,305 | 5,633 |
| AUDI A5 | -14.42% | 3,182 | 3,718 | 5% | 6% | +2.98% | 14,447 | 14,029 |
| GENESIS G70 | +7.25% | 2,930 | 2,732 | 5% | 5% | +8.35% | 7,719 | 7,124 |
| INFINITI Q50 | -24.97% | 2,902 | 3,868 | 5% | 7% | -13.01% | 11,384 | 13,086 |
| AUDI A4 | -60.99% | 2,324 | 5,958 | 4% | 10% | +1.42% | 14,525 | 14,322 |
| VOLVO S60 | -36.70% | 2,297 | 3,629 | 4% | 6% | -6.88% | 7,848 | 8,428 |
| ALFA ROMEO GIULIA | -16.51% | 1,830 | 2,192 | 3% | 4% | +8.35% | 6,114 | 5,643 |
| LEXUS RC | -5.36% | 1,018 | 1,076 | 2% | 2% | +3.07% | 2,720 | 2,639 |
| CADILLAC CT5 | -79.73% | 811 | 4,001 | 1% | 7% | -20.26% | 7,636 | 9,576 |
| VOLVO V60 CC | -48.87% | 702 | 1,373 | 1% | 2% | -25.70% | 2,157 | 2,903 |
| INFINITI Q60 | +14.77% | 676 | 589 | 1% | 1% | -3.67% | 2,202 | 2,286 |
| VOLVO V60 | -93.63% | 43 | 675 | 0% | 1% | -62.27% | 409 | 1,084 |
| TOTAL | +6.10% | 61,654 | 58,108 | +26.95% | 203,009 | 159,912 |
The top-five selling luxury sedans all experienced an uptick in sales year-over-year, with nearly all remaining rivals in the red. The segment was dominated by BMW, with its 3 Series range outselling second place Mercedes-Benz C-Class by over 2,000 units. The Acura TLX took third, followed by the Lexus IS in fourth and the BMW 4 Series range in fifth. The Cadillac CT5 was ranked 13th, right behind the Lexus IS in 12th, and ahead of the Volvo V60 Cross Country, Infiniti Q60, and the Volvo V60.
BMW was the undisputed leader in the segment, with its 3 Series and 4 Series ranges combining for a cumulative 17,363 units, up nearly 44 percent year-over-year.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW 3 SERIES | +30.76% | 13,591 | 10,394 | 78% | 86% | +30.11% | 37,367 | 28,720 |
| BMW 4 SERIES | +125.06% | 3,772 | 1,676 | 22% | 14% | +189.45% | 16,305 | 5,633 |
| TOTAL | +43.85% | 17,363 | 12,070 | +56.24% | 53,672 | 34,353 |
Mercedes-Benz took second, with its C-Class range garnering 11,289 deliveries during the quarter, up 56 percent year-over-year.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS | +56.47% | 11,289 | 7,215 | 100% | 100% | +41.21% | 29,084 | 20,597 |
| TOTAL | +56.47% | 11,289 | 7,215 | +41.21% | 29,084 | 20,597 |
Cumulative sales of the two Lexus entries – the IS Sedan and its RC Coupe derivative – increased 78 percent to 7,785 units.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEXUS IS | +104.73% | 6,767 | 3,305 | 87% | 75% | +131.17% | 20,160 | 8,721 |
| LEXUS RC | -5.36% | 1,018 | 1,076 | 13% | 25% | +3.07% | 2,720 | 2,639 |
| TOTAL | +77.70% | 7,785 | 4,381 | +101.41% | 22,880 | 11,360 |
Both of Audi’s D-segment offerings suffered in Q3 2021, with cumulative deliveries down 43 percent to 5,506 units.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUDI A4 | -60.99% | 2,324 | 5,958 | 42% | 62% | +1.42% | 14,525 | 14,322 |
| AUDI A5 | -14.42% | 3,182 | 3,718 | 58% | 38% | +2.98% | 14,447 | 14,029 |
| TOTAL | -43.10% | 5,506 | 9,676 | +2.19% | 28,972 | 28,351 |
Cumulative D-segment Infiniti sales, consisting of the Q50 and Q60 – fell 20 percent to 3,578 units – nearly double the sales of the CT5.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INFINITI Q50 | -24.97% | 2,902 | 3,868 | 81% | 87% | -13.01% | 11,384 | 13,086 |
| INFINITI Q60 | +14.77% | 676 | 589 | 19% | 13% | -3.67% | 2,202 | 2,286 |
| TOTAL | -19.72% | 3,578 | 4,457 | -11.62% | 13,586 | 15,372 |
The Volvo S60/V60 range experienced a 46 percent drop in sales volume to 3,042 units, with all three entires in the red.
| MODEL | Q3 21 / Q3 20 | Q3 21 | Q3 20 | Q3 21 SHARE | Q3 20 SHARE | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOLVO S60 | -36.70% | 2,297 | 3,629 | 76% | 64% | -6.88% | 7,848 | 8,428 |
| VOLVO V60 | -93.63% | 43 | 675 | 1% | 12% | -62.27% | 409 | 1,084 |
| VOLVO V60 CC | -48.87% | 702 | 1,373 | 23% | 24% | -25.70% | 2,157 | 2,903 |
| TOTAL | -46.42% | 3,042 | 5,677 | -16.12% | 10,414 | 12,415 |
The luxury car D-segment saw cumulative sales expand 6 percent to 61,654 units during the third quarter of 2021, meaning that the 80 percent drop in CT5 sales severely underperformed the segment average.
The significant downturn in Cadillac CT5 sales during the third quarter of 2021 is the result of a lack of inventory of the luxury sedan at the retail level. The circumstance was caused, in turn, by idled production of the luxury sedan at the Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan for the better part of the 2021 calendar year.
CT5 production was stopped on May 10th as the luxury marque opted to instead allocate its limited semiconductor supply to the continued assembly of the more lucrative Escalade. Production of the CT5 resumed in full only recently, firing up again on October 4th for the 2022 model year. In addition, a few units of the ultra-high-performance CT5-V Blackwing variant were assembled during the time that production of the “regular” CT5 and CT5-V was idled.
To sum things up, CT5 sales fell victim to an extreme lack of supply in Q3 2021, with very few units available to buy at dealers. We expect the numbers to change for the better in the fourth quarter of 2021 and well into 2022, so long as production and supply allow. In addition, we expect sales to be bolstered by the new 2022 CT5-V Blackwing.
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.
