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The first of several new utility vehicles to roll into Cadillac dealers won’t carry the name many expected.
Recent spy photos show a heavily camouflaged compact crossover due to launch next year, part of Cadillac’s bid to boost sales by going all-in on the SUV craze. The automaker has offered a name for this looming profit machine, and it doesn’t stray far from place-holder we’ve used for some time.
XT4. Okay, so it’s not the XT3 we were expecting, but that moniker — trademarked by General Motors in late 2014 — will likely find its way onto a smaller crossover in the near future.
“A new compact crossover called XT4 will debut in 2018 in the US and subsequently in Europe, with an entirely new series of efficient and powerful engines,” said Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac president, at the Geneva Motor Show. “Starting with the launch of XT4, a new Cadillac will be brought to market every six months, a total of five carlines in the space of two years.”
The XT4 is expected to land in mid-2018 as a 2019 model. The automaker also expects to fill the gap between the popular XT5 crossover, introduced last year, and the range-topping Escalade SUV.
A buying public increasingly enamored with utility vehicles has left the traditionally car-heavy automaker struggling in its home market. Not only has the brand’s ATS and CTS sedans languished amid sinking sales, but Cadillac never regained the U.S. sales strength of its pre-recession glory days. February sales were the worst since 2010, while January’s tally marked a five-year low for that month. New product can’t come soon enough.
While it churns out crossovers for a hungry America, plans are afoot to squeeze more sales out of its existing lineup. The aging XTS front-wheel-drive sedan was spared from execution thanks to its steady sales, and should receive a styling refresh. Meanwhile, the CT6 flagship is due to branch out. Last month, de Nysschen said Cadillac plans to offer “higher positioned derivatives” of the stately sedan.
[Image: General Motors]
It’s supposed to be called something like “Escalade Evoque”. What is wrong with these people?
My vote is for Utopian Turtletop.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel#Edsel.2C_a_difficult_name_to_place
I like Civique a lot, that could work. It reads like Evoque, sounds like Civic (probably) but is pronounced in some silly manner, it sounds faux upscale. I think it fits the bill nicely.
Just wait until Cadillac get’s a CUV based on the Trax/Encore!
They’ll have to give them away free with every Escalade. Call it the “lifeboat” option.
The rebadged Scion iQ that Aston (was it Aston?) used to give away was jokingly referred to as the “yacht tender”
The Cygnet, it was called. Just a gambit to raise their CAFE figures.
The reviews I’ve read of the Trax say it’s cheap and nasty. Will Cadillac’s version be cheap and nasty, but with a dollop (like that word?) of luxury on top?
Cheap and nasty with a dollop of luxury on top: That’s pretty much what the encore already is.
What drives me crazy about the encore is that stupid single middle armrest. It’s ridiculous to see in a car that’s otherwise pretty well equipped but GM couldn’t be bothered to either install a second armrest for the passenger seat or offer a center console. So of course people resort to installing European imported aftermarket Mokka consoles that have to be drilled into the existing car. Completely insane.
So, with an extra dollop!
Cadillac CrapXT?
I’ve called it XT4 for some time now, and as recently as yesterday:
“DeadWeight
March 8th, 2017 at 8:56 am
Cadillac:
Kill the ATS, CTS, and CT6, with haste (check out February Cadillac deliveries). Also, prevent the Cadillac XT4 (Cruze-based crossover) and the inevitable disaster that will be the CT4 (rebadged Cruze) from seeing the light of day. Cadillac will down to 3 models, being the rental/livery special XTS, Escalade and XT5, so let those duke it out until Cadillac eventually dies.”
It’s going to be based on the Cruze platform. Great idea!
Standard of the world!
It’s JUST like the Roger Smith rebadge era at GM (dressing up not one, but 4 Chevy models – 4, count them! – 4 Chevy models rebadged as Cadilacs) at General/Guangzhou Motors!!!
Not sure what the logic is behind your platform sharing butthurt…. back when Cadillac was the “standard of the world” its flagships were built on a massaged version of its bread and butter B-body large sedan platform. People loathe large sedans as their free-falling sales figures indicate, so Cadillac would be stupid to build them. The Epsilon is a world class platform worthy of a luxury vehicle, and the XT4 is literally no different from what successful/leading luxury brands are doing. You’ve beat this dead horse into mincemeat for the praise of equally misguided B&Bers.
“The Epsilon is a world class platform worthy of a luxury vehicle, and the XT4 is literally no different from what successful/leading luxury brands are doing.”
Holy Sh*t, dude,
I knew you were obtuse and a a hack, but this reads like it LITERALLY came directly from Cadillac HQ.
I realize you like to think you know all things Cadillac Deadthing….but its pretty common knowledge this new XT4 is Epsilon based not Delta based so try again.
I’m typically correct (approx 99.867% accuracy rate), but you appear to be correct on this one.
The Cadillac “Standard of the World” XT4 front-wheel drive architecture CUV will indeed be CHEVROLET MALIBU-BASED.
Cadillac. There is no substitute.
Yup the highly praised Chevy Malibu. Way better than the Scion /Toyota tC, Corolla, RAV4, Lexus CT and every other “New MC” based P-O-S that the competing Lexus NX is based upon.
LEXUS – THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF PERFECTION or whatever else they have laying around
Edit
…this isn’t Acura with no sedans. Aside note I saw a unicorn Acura RDX Hybrid in white west of Philly on the Turnpike.
“Not only has the brand’s ATS and CTS sedans languished amid sinking sales, but Cadillac never regained the U.S. sales strength of its pre-recession glory days. February sales were the worst since 2010, while January’s tally marked a five-year low for that month. New product can’t come soon enough.”
Johan “Price ‘Em Like BMWs” De Nysschen + Uwe “MontBlanc” Ellinghaus + Melody “We brand, not manufacturer; here’s what I wear to work!” Lee = DREAM TEAM
Great use of 12 billion dollars, Mary Barra!
Not!
There’s no market for Cadillac anymore, except for the Escalade (and maybe the XTS). The elderly people who would buy a Cadillac sedan are instead now buying cars like the Toyota Avalon or Lexus ES, and no one wants the ATS or CTS/CT6 – those customers are buying the German and Japanese luxury brands.
I see a fair number of older people in the CTS and XT5 but, yeah, the ATS and CT6 don’t seem to be very popular.
DW, you’re getting to be the resident “Don Rickles” wise guy to CoreyDL’s “Bob Newhart” funny one-liners.
Odd, but verified fact: those two opposite style comics are the best of friends, have been for years!
While China Cadillac Sales surpassed US sales last month.
“…boost sales by going all-in on the SUV craze. ”
Craze? SUV’s have been popular for 20 years, that’s not a craze.
I’m pretty sure that the animated ad campaign for the Catera sold more cars than Johann has at this point.
Might as well call it an Edsel early on…
You see, I would buy a 2013 CTS wagon and apply “F L E E T W O O D” right across the upper tailgate.
THAT name has cachet.
Stop copying the Europeans. Build something different and better, like you once did.
Make Oldsmobile Great Again . . .
Cadillac Désastre.
Fact: Audi is thriving w/o De Nysschen.
Fact: Audi would have thrived w/o De Nysschen. It did outside the US w/o him.
Fact: Cadillac was sinking before De Nysschen.
Fact Cadillac is sinking just as fast but more expensively w/ De Nysschen.
Fact: De Nysschen is vastly over-rated. And that’s an understatement.
Honda fan boy tell us who is going to bump Acura past Buick?
I know nothing about Cadillac and usually skip articles about them but I googled XT4 and except for the idiot dripping eyes I love it!
It looks like a male Encore.
XT4 could be another Cadillac Cinnarron in the making!
Cadillac Cinnabon?
Just don’t call it the XT6…
Mr/Ms Thornmark is SPOT-ON!
I could pick a random worker at the ATS/CTS plant in Lansing, Michigan, and they would have had a better pricing strategy for the ATS/CTS than the “Dutch dilettante”. Probably a better marketing scheme too!
Yes, Mr. D., Cadillac has too many dealers. Since state laws make them untouchable, deal with it.
Instead, the rubes at GM sent him and other overpriced marketing types to … Manhattan. Very expensive.
I swear, that naming scheme is as lame as they come. It’s very clear that they’re trying to emulate their more successful European and Asian counterparts. They figure if you give them similar traits, they’ll draw in people from BMW, Lexus, etc… Not going to happen, General Motors! See, your traditional Cadillac and Buick buyer is pushing up daisies one by one, and your traditional Asian or Europen buyer (like me and most of the world) wouldn’t be caught dead in an American, codger mobile.
Their only selling point is value (we have Genesis for that now), and “lower cost of ownership”. The only thing is, a Lexus is still going to cost less to keep on the road because they break as much in a 20 year period as a Cadillac does in a 6 month period. Don’t even get me started on their piss poor reliability. And this is for the short term. Can you imagine what they’ll be like in 7 or even 5 years? When even the European Luxury brands are doing better, there’s a huge problem.