Cadillac has been quite clear about its intention to completely transition to a lineup of battery electric vehicles by 2030. However, Cadillac recently scaled back its ambition to achieve full electrification by the end of the decade, opting for a softer approach to the transition.
According to a recent report from The Detroit Free Press, Global Cadillac Vice President John Roth said that the luxury marque is still on track to offer a full line of EVs by 2030. However, it will continue to produce and market internal combustion engine (ICE) based vehicles for some time.
“EVs and ICE, we want to be clear, will coexist for a number of years,” Roth said in a media event on May 1st, 2024. “We want to make sure that we have that luxury of choice in the marketplace and both will have an opportunity to meet the customer needs as we look forward.”
Roth’s statement contradicts those made by several prior Cadillac leaders over the last five years. In 2019, former Cadillac President Steve Carlisle said, “None of us knows how long this transition will take. We will be there with internal combustion engines, as well as electric… but the majority, if not all, Cadillacs will be electric by 2030.” He also cited the end of the decade as “the end of the ICE age for Cadillac.”
Then, in 2021, former Cadillac Global Vice President, Rory Harvey – who succeeded Roth – reaffirmed Carlisle’s outlook, saying, “We will be leaving this decade as an EV brand, as things stand today, which means that we will not be selling ICE vehicles by 2030.”
However, demand for EVs has significantly cooled off over the past year, prompting Cadillac to reconsider its all-electric strategy. When asked about Harvey’s quote from 2021, Roth said, “We are always listening to the customer. We are still on strategy of offering an all-EV portfolio by the end of the decade and we’re going to listen to the customer and let them be our guide. That’s our answer.”
In short, Cadillac sounded very confident about being an all-EV brand as recently as 2021, but the luxury marque now seems to hold its past EV plans as a “mission statement” rather than a timeline-specific roadmap.
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Russ
Then listen to your customers and bring the GT4, refreshed XT6, and 3rd gen CT6 back to America…WHERE THEY BELONG!
Russell
Then listen to your customers and bring the GT4, refreshed XT6, and 3rd gen CT6 back to America…WHERE THEY BELONG!
Frank Ricciardi
I’m glad Cadillac Management has come to its collective senses…I’ve been a Cadillac owner and enthusiast for 44 years. I’ve bought or leased 20 new Cadillacs. I have loved them all and hope to lease a few more before I die, but I’m not ready for an all-electric car. I would however consider a hybrid. Are you listening Mr. Roth???
Tim Jackson
Same here. I would love a Plug-In Hybrid CT6. Get some pure electric city miles, but also be ready for a road trip. I’d buy that puppy in a heartbeat.
Hugh C Jones
Love the idea that Cadillac will “let the customer be our guide.” Does this mean that Cadillac will be bringing the 2025 ICE XT5 to the US and NOT just to China ?
Bill Howland
Oh. They’re actually going to listen to the customer? I’m sure that hurt their pride. When the Lyriq was shown in person at my big local dealership, the hoary headed self-appointed big expert seemed as though he was allocating them as opposed to trying to sell them, and that if I didn’t care for something that was just too darn bad.
Another thing that gets me is the RUSH to switch over to Tesla plugs, when version3 and later Tesla chargers have CCS1 adapters. Tesla keeps going down hill. For instance most rental firms are replacing them with other EVs since Elon’s are kinda junk and are way too expensive to fix. I ran into that somewhat with my Roadster, but thankfully most of the car was built by Lotus.
GM’s websites are also pretty lousy. I wonder what happens now that GM has fired their IT departments?
Dennis V Brooks Sr
So very pleased, to hear that Cadillac is listening to their Customer base 👍
I have been around long enough, to Remember when the Heads of GM had the mindset, that the Customer would Buy whatever they built, because their GM…
I drove only GM product for many years, starting with a Pontiac as my first car, and stayed with GM until the mid 1980’s, primarily full size, big block Pontiacs and Buicks, along with a couple of Cadillacs.
My stable included Company furnished drivers, from the mid 70’s, thru the mid 80’s,
mostly GM full size cars, and during that time I started buying Mercedes Benz diesel automobile’s, as daily drivers…and as a life long Car guy, I collected significant American automobiles, from the 50’s thru the mid 70’s, most all were GM, and were automobiles from my past, that gave great memories…and yes, even with the great Mercedes diesels, and a 560 SL, in my stable, I still loved my big block Pontiacs, Buicks and Cadillacs, and memories and joy they provided.
Looking at the all new, and gorgeous, built with American pride and craftsmanship, right here in Arlington, Texas, I am ecstatic to see Cadillac building memorable, built to please their Customers wants and desires, built to last for the long haul, and designed with high end, luxurious , detailed finishes and materials…but more than that, Cadillac’s are once again, ‘the Car’ you park in your driveway, when you drive it home for the first time, for everyone to see, and admire, like buyers of days gone by, instead of putting it in garage that first night…Cadillac: Is fast becoming The Standard of Our World 🇺🇸 , with many, proudly built in Texas…
Janet
Good plan. Listen to your customers. Bring the ICE 2025 XT5 to the US market as well as the Chinese. In the meantime I’m looking at the VolvoXC60 and the Audi line starting with the A6. Please hurry, a lost customer is hard to replace.
Shane
Glad to hear that. GM already screwed up discontinuing all sedans except the ct4,ct5 and malibu as well discontinuing the Camaro to build cuv crossover crap and worse make them evs when the majority of people don’t want an ev and not everyone wants some tiny toy crossover. Bring the ct6 back and not make the car hideous like the Celestiq or Lyric both are even more hideous in the back than a bangle butt Era BMW or the eyesore backside of the hunchback Seville. I have 3 Suburbans and 2 Magnum wagons and want a black ct6 or current Charger v8 for a daily driver as I love having the choice to drive an ice vehicle . I will not buy or lease an ev at all, I like them even less than a useless 4 cylinder turbo Silverado or Camaro
Jess
Because of Cadillac’s ambiguity with regard to the 2025 XT5 (is it really only for China or will it also be for the North American market?) I decided not to lease a third XT5 for my wife. This really pained me as I am a Cadillac guy and have had about 12 so far. I decided to go with a 2024 Lincoln Nautilus with the hybrid engine. The Nautilus is an incredibly compelling vehicle and truly blows away the XT5 if one is being fair. Cadillac badly needs to update the XT5/XT6 at this point in the production cycle; these vehicles are simply not as nice as they need to be, especially considering the competition in this space. While I also struggled with the fact that the Nautilus is built in China, I must acknowledge that, like it or not, today it is a world economy. I suspect that Cadillac will likely sell the next generation XT5 in the US, and will also likely import it from China (just as Buick currently does with the handsome Envision). I still have a Cadillac, a beautiful black 2024 CT5-V, which I leased after enjoying two CT6s (and which I continue to be VERY angry that Cadillac dropped for the US market). Cadillac really does need to listen to it’s customers … I didn’t really walk away from Cadillac with the Nautilus … Cadillac pushed me away … and I suspect I’m not the only guy feeling this way.