There's Finally Great News For Cadillac

Mar. 01, 2020 3:05 PM ET by Jay Traugott / 11 Comments

The timing couldn't be better.

Up until fairly recently, things weren't looking so good for Cadillac. GM's luxury brand was suffering an identity crisis and slowing sales. Its main problems were excellent but less relevant sedans such as the now-discontinued CT6 and crossovers that had difficulty competing against rivals. Fortunately, Cadillac has quickly gotten its act together. The all-new Cadillac XT4 is already a sales success and the XT5 recently received a mid-life refresh. The all-new Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sport sedans are now on sale, both featuring more dynamic styling inside out than their immediate predecessors, the ATS and CTS, respectively.

Because of all of this, GM has just announced it is adding an additional 1,200 jobs at its Lansing Grand River Assembly plant in order to satisfy a growing demand for its mid-size SUVs and to provide further assistance for the new sedans' launch.

Cadillac

In addition, the nearby Lansing Delta Township Assembly will add a third shift of approximately 800 employees to accommodate increased production of the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. But it's the Cadillac production news that's the big deal here. Thanks to the XT4 and XT5, the brand has received the boost it desperately needed.

The arrival of the three-row XT6 will also likely improve overall brand sales, as will the launch of the all-new 2021 Escalade, though that's still several months away. The big question, however, is how will customers take to CT4 and CT5. Both rear-wheel-drive sedans are built on the same assembly line as the Chevrolet Camaro.

Cadillac

Cadillac

We won't know the sales status for either for another couple of months, but early reviews have so far been quite solid. Cadillac is also slated to reveal its first-ever all-electric vehicle in the near future, too. All reports indicate it will be an SUV roughly the size of the midsize XT5. In other words, a direct Tesla Model X competitor.

We don't know yet when that reveal will take place, but it should happen before the end of the year.