Cadillac XT5 Plug-In Hybrid Currently Under Development

A next-generation Cadillac XT5 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is under development, according to a report by GM Authority.

Before we go any further, we should first note that the second-generation XT5 is currently on sale in China, but not in North America – something that will change in the coming months as Cadillac introduces the second-generation XT5 in its home continent. It’s exactly this second-gen model that is set for the PHEV treatment in China.

The Cadillac XT5 PHEV will reportedly utilize a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a 165 kW electric motor. The big question now is whether the plug-in model will end up Stateside.

Since Cadillac sells more vehicles in China than it does in other markets, including the U.S., the product portfolio strategies it implements there are not always carried over to its home market.

For instance, the Cadillac XT5 wasn’t exactly a booming sales success in the U.S., with the Lexus RX, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC Class outselling it by a wide margin. Comparatively, the SAIC-GM plant in Shanghai is already running double shifts to meet demand for the second-gen XT5. This is precisely why the second-gen XT5 is already sold in China and not yet in the U.S., and if it weren’t for a slowing in the marque’s electrification strategy, we may not have ever been granted the new XT5 in the U.S. to begin with.

In addition, the Chinese market currently favors new energy vehicles (NEVs), which saw nearly 1.9 million sales last year. American shoppers fall on the other end of the spectrum, with the gasoline-powered Escalade being the marque’s best seller in the States.

If the Cadillac XT5 Plug-In Hybrid were to be sold in the U.S., it would become the marque’s first PHEV SUV.