A Cruze-Based Cadillac? Automaker Says 'No Way'

It looks like Cadillac doesn’t think the Chevrolet Cruze is a suitable platform for a new luxury model.

A source in a story we ran yesterday claimed an internal program code that popped up at General Motors points to a new Cadillac model based on the Cruze’s front-wheel-drive Delta platform, but the automaker is now refuting the claim.

The “D2JL” code seemed to indicate a Delta-based hatchback Cadillac model, with another source claiming the model would likely contain a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

This is not correct, said Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell in an email to TTAC.

Caldwell wouldn’t go into specific detail about products currently under development, but said the brand’s near-future direction remains intact.

Cadillac is planning “a series of cars (bearing the ‘CT’ designation) and a series of luxury crossovers (much like the new XT5) underneath the iconic Escalade,” said Caldwell, placing emphasis on the current lineup’s rear-wheel-drive setup and shared architecture.

The new CT6 and XT5 sets the pattern for future cars and SUVs, he said, with a focus on “more sophisticated, lighter and more efficient” vehicles being Cadillac’s guiding principles.

We know more products are coming down the Cadillac pipe, but this sure decreases the likelihood of one of them being significantly downmarket.

Earlier this month, we reported on a new small Cadillac destined for GM’s Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, which bumped Buick LaCrosse production to Orion Assembly near Detroit to make room. The automaker didn’t disclose details on what form the vehicle would take, but said it would be due in about three years.

[Image: General Motors]