Cadillac to Drop 3 Sedans, Add 2 Others: Report

CARS.COM — Cadillac reportedly plans to consolidate several sedans as it adds SUVs to its roster, and three nameplates are on the chopping block come 2019. Citing an interview with Johan de Nysschen, president of GM's luxury brand, Reuters reports Cadillac will replace the ATS, CTS and XTS sedans in a couple years with a single vehicle called the CT5. That's consistent with the brand's current naming strategy, which calls for cars and SUVs to eventually start with CT and XT, respectively. (The Escalade is reportedly exempt.)

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Reuters reports the ATS, CTS and XTS will run out their lifecycles in 2019, and Cadillac intends the CT5 to fit the bill for shoppers who want a sedan between $35,000 and $45,000. That's a rough bridge between the three models it succeeds: For 2018, the ATS starts around $36,000, while the CTS and XTS both start around $47,000. The higher-up CT6 sedan, meanwhile, starts around $55,000.

Reuters reports that GM will build the CT5 in Lansing, Mich., where it currently assembles the ATS and CTS, and Cadillac will offer more electrified cars at some point. Confirming earlier reports, Reuters says Cadillac will also build an entry-level luxury sedan to take on cars like the Audi A3. It will also add at least two more SUVs: a small model called the XT4 and a larger three-row model to take on the Volvo XC90. It's a safe bet Cadillac will call the smaller sedan the CT3 or CT4, while the three-row SUV could be the XT6 or XT7.

Cadillac spokesman J.L. Lavina confirmed no direct replacement for the ATS, CTS or XTS. Lavina called the CT5 a "sport sedan," writing in an email to Cars.com that it "will be one of the new products that Cadillac will be launching in the future, starting with the XT4 for the 2019 model year."

Cadillac sales fell 1.6 percent through the first six months of the year, but that outpaced the decline in overall new-vehicle sales — down 2.9 percent, per Automotive News. The SUV-heavy strategy should play into current shopping tastes given truck sales (which include SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans) are up 4.7 percent through June, according to the newspaper. Car sales, by contrast, are down 11.9 percent.