The resurgence of Cadillac as a direct rival to the world’s top luxury brands may happen without a great big sedan, according to a new report.

In a tweet Tuesday, Autoline reported the rumored CT8 luxury sedan, planned to be a competitor to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-series, had been shelved by Cadillac.

This leaves the recently launched CT6 sedan (pictured at the top) as the highest-ranking sedan in Cadillac’s lineup. Having just launched in March with three engines, it’s also scheduled to get a turbocharged V8 engine and a plug-in hybrid version.

Yet as recently as this winter, Cadillac officials had been careful not to label the CT6 as the flagship, insisting a more lavish Cadillac (and presumably longer) sedan was coming – even though a CT6 Platinum edition can push well past the $80,000 mark.

“Cadillac is continue to expand its product portfolio – including launches of some 11 new models between now and roughly 2020,” a Cadillac spokesman said Tuesday in an email to Carscoops. “The new CT6 prestige sedan and XT5 crossover are launching right now. It’s not the right time to address each one of the upcoming products in detail. Suffice it to say our plan is moving forward and gaining momentum steadily.”

This is interesting considering how long brand president Johan de Nysschen has been trying to align Cadillac with the top luxury rivals, but it makes sense considering how the sedan market – even among traditional, high-spending customers – has contracted in favor of SUVs. And for volume’s sake, Cadillac desperately needs resources to invest in crossovers other than the XT5.

Besides, Cadillac already has a successful flagship at the top of its line. It’s called the Cadillac Escalade and some brands can only dream of having such a big, brash banner to wave.

Photo Gallery