It’s no big secret that Cadillac is gunning for the big (read: German) luxury marques. But to get there, it’s going to need a much larger product portfolio. Fortunately it has just such an expansion plan in place.
An Automobile report says that the all-American luxury automaker has plans for no less than eight new models in the pipeline – all of them to launch by 2021. And half of them are crossovers.
The highly profitable Escalade will continue as a truck-based, body-on-frame SUV – albeit with a more sophisticated suspension and more powerful engines. The rest of the sport-ute lineup, however, will all be based on car-like unibody construction.
There’s an XT1 (or XT2) set to arrive in 2020 to go after the likes of the BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA. Before that, though, we can expect an XT4 to go after the X3 and GLC. The next-generation XT5 will launch in 2021 to target the X5 and GLE. And there will be an XT7 (or XT8) flagship in 2019 positioned against BMW’s upcoming X7 and Benz’s GLS.
As if that’s not enough, Cadillac also plans a series of new passenger cars as well – most of them four-door sedans. 2021 is tipped to see a BMW 1 Series sedan competitor dubbed either CT1 or CT2, but only after the CT3 launches next year as a Mercedes CLA rival. Expect a CT5 to replace the current CTS in 2019 to slot below the CT6, and a CT8 flagship sedan to launch in 2021.
Expect styling cues for the new range to draw on recent concepts like the Escala (pictured above), Elmiraj, and Ciel. While there are no dedicated sports cars identified in these plans, there are sure to be coupe and possibly even convertible versions to follow. And if it’s serious about taking on the Germans, it’ll need more V-series performance models as well.
It’s a heck of an ambitious plan, hatched by Johan de Nysschen. The South African exec took over Cadillac in 2014 and moved its offices to New York, having previously transformed Audi of America and presided over Infiniti. Expect more programs like the new Book by Cadillac initiative to follow as well. But while electrified models (including hybrids and EVs) are in the cards, they’ll depend largely on GM’s initiative.