mmarshall

IMO a good move on Cadillac's part, especially if they don't raise the base price. I never thought that having a turbo 4 in a car of the CT6's flagship status did its image any good, although, admittedly, a number of other larger upscale sedans also have turbo 4s. Anyhow, assuming the CT6 survives at all (it's on a list of several large GM sedans that, due to low sales, are marked for possible discontinuation), It will now, IMO, be in a better position to go head-to-head with its arch-rival Lincoln Continental, which also has a standard V6....the Continental itself, I might add, is not selling very well, either.

2019 Cadillacs: CT6 Drops Entry-level Engine, and Is the ATS Going Coupe-only?

By Steph Willems on December 15, 2017

After a relative lull in product introductions, Cadillac has a pipeline of new vehicles ready to boost the brand’s fortunes. Or so the General Motors division hopes.

In early 2016 Cadillac launched the XT5 crossover and CT6 sedan, following it up with a refreshed XTS in late 2017. Next year brings bigger news in the form of the XT4 compact crossover, with at least one other crossover waiting to plug another hole in the brand’s utility lineup.

But what about Cadillac’s older sedan lineup — the one that’s not bringing in anywhere near the passenger car volume the brand once enjoyed? There’s a long-range plan to deal with that, but first the company has some careful surgery planned.

Going by GM VIN code documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the 2019 model year, it appears changes are afoot for both the ATS and CT6. The smallest Cadillac offering, the ATS, is listed as a coupe-only proposition for 2019. Powertrains carry over from the previous year, but there’s no sedan in sight.



The CT6 line drops its entry-level 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder for 2019, with the 3.6-liter V6 serving as the powertrain floor. The 2.0-liter remains in the higher-end plug-in hybrid model. With the exception of that variant, all-wheel drive is standard across the range.

Both the CTS and XTS carry over from 2018 unchanged.

When asked to comment on the ATS sedan elimination (or potential omission), Cadillac wasn’t in the mood to talk. The company wouldn’t comment on future products, though Cadillac product communications representative Donny Nordlicht was happy to focus our attention on the XT4 bowing in 2018. (Interested in the XT4? Here’s a peek at your XT4.)



The ATS coupe appeared for the 2015 model year, offering a buyers a handsome vehicle in a bodystyle whose popularity is shrinking faster than George at the pool. Actually, the same can be said for the ATS line overall. U.S. sales have fallen each year since 2013, the model’s first full year on the market. Over the first 11 months of 2017, ATS sales are down 37.5 percent compared to last year. In November, just 831 ATS models moved off dealer lots — the lowest number since the model’s first month on the market, September 2012.

Under NHTSA rules, an automaker can submit information on upcoming models until 60 days before the start of production, so it’s possible Cadillac’s 2019 lineup isn’t yet set in stone.

Should the changes occur, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The ATS, CTS, and XTS are due to disappear after that model year. This past summer, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen described the brand’s plan to “rebalance its sedan portfolio,” stating that a CT5 sedan will target buyers in the $35,000 to $45,000 range, with a smaller sedan arriving later to fill a lower price bracket. The remaining CT6, he implied, would go further upscale — and potentially further downscale.

After seeing the changes to the 2019 CT6, the latter possibility doesn’t seem as likely anymore.

[Images: General Motors, NHTSA]

Fizzboy7

It doesn't bode well when armchair people, such as myself, make better marketing decisions than top executives. We mostly all said this car should never have had that engine as the base. Now, like always, they come around. This GM catch up game, decade after decade, gets old.

Johnhav430

Isn't this like the Wells Fargo conundrum? Put unrealistic goals upon people making $12/hr., then implode. Meaning, those folks have nothing to offer their customers, yet, have to push products they don't need, upon them. When they don't want them, in order to keep their jobs, they sign customers up for things with the customer unaware. As far as I know, the CT6 is not successful. So GM has to try to make it successful. Try a smaller motor, try a larger motor, something. They are not the first nor the only ones, Infiniti made a 4 cyl. version of the G37. Since most vehicles are leased, I suppose the leasing cos. of the world got hurt. But if one were to purchase those vehicles, I suppose it would stink. Again, no car co. is immune. Even BMW had a E series 325/330 for only one model year, 2006. In 2007 when the 335 came out, the list price barely moved up, yet the car had like 80 ft. lbs. more torque. 330 owners were livid. CT6 4 cyl. owners should be as well. my .02

geko29

I'm fine with a turbo 4 being the base engine in the executive saloon (mid-sized luxury) class, such as the A6, 5-series CTS, etc, as long as more potent engines are available for those who want them. But it has no place whatsoever in something that the manufacturer wants to market in the flagship class. Even an NA 6-cylinder is pushing it at the flagship level.

Toys4RJill

Wow, General Motors is such a poorly done company. I like a lot of their products, I really do, but they seem to fail so much. Glad to see some of these CT6 models are not imported from China

Johnhav430

Why do I feel anything for GM....because my grandfather liked Buicks. It seems like this loyalty thing is not anything that the modern marketer even bothers with today, it's just take the money and run. List price $60k, sell price $47k, all day long. So I still like Buicks, but there's nothing necessarily objectively speaking to like about them. When I daydream about the LT1 Roadmasters, my buddy says dude, you've never driven one, they're terrible. The car co. is not going to fail, however, it was already implied late 2016 that was going to be the case.

pbm317

The CT6's 2.0T was not intended to be a large portion of U.S. sales, it exists for China with its ultra strict engine displacement regulations. So all the engineering/tuning/development was done, there's literally minimal cost to offer it up in America. It wasn't popular, so they can pull it from the U.S., no problem. It's still part of the CT6 plug in drivetrain.

mmarshall

Part of this business of small turbo engines in larger vehicles, of course, was brought on by government CAFE and emission regs. That might (?) make more sense if the vehicle actually sells in numbers large enough for the MPG averages of those small engines to make a significant difference in the automaker's fleet-average. But the basic problem is that nobody is buying the CT6.....or most of its American-badged competitors.

Yes....good point. It would also make more sense with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, where the electric motor provides a good part of the power, and the primary function of the gas engine is to keep the battery-pack charged.

pbm317

That's not how the CT6's PHEV system operates. It's not a range extender function. It's EV and then a more traditional parallel hybrid.

mmarshall

As most of you here already know, I liked Buicks ever since I was a teen....and Cadillacs before that LOL. Problem is.....along with the other GM divisions, the quality tanked, starting with the full-size 1971 models and 1973 for mid-sizers, and stayed in the tank for decades, with the exception of the reliable 90s-vintage Century and Regal.....and, on the Century and Regal, the interiors were junk, as wth the larger LeSabre. The 2012 Verano, a re-badged Opel, was the first Buick in 40 years that I thought was (one again) worth buying.

Did you actually own a Roadmaster? The LT1 version you mention, of course, had a Corvette engine in it. I test-drove a standard-spec Roadmaster, and, while I liked the ride, I found it plowed too much and had too much body roll in corners for even my conservative tastes.....and that's saying something LOL.

mmarshall

Yes, but my point was, by the very definition of a hybrid, the gas engine has to do at least some of the battery-charging. If not, then, by definition, it's not a hybrid, but a pure-electric.

pbm317

You said it was the primary function of the gasoline engine to charge the plug in battery pack and that is definitely not the case for the CT6 Plug In. With most plug ins (again not looking at Range Extended EVs), it's actually not the case. Only the Porsche E-Hybrids and the Sonata Plug In, that I can think of off the top of my head, allowed for a plug in battery pack recharge mode (beyond whatever small amounts through regenerative braking efforts) but at a pretty big fuel efficiency penalty as the engine is driving the wheels and generating power back to the battery pack.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Sad to hear about the ATS sedan possibly going away. I think it's a real looker on the exterior. Not really a fan of the interior. The ATS-V is pretty bad***!

LH1

I really like the CT6. I haven't driven one but I see a dark green one driving around weekly and it looks great.
4 cylinders don't belong in cars like this.


Yea I like the ATS sedan. They really should have updated the gauges though during the mid cycle refresh for the 2016 model year.

Caddy has to nail it with the CT5. They can't screw it up.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

no they don't, they just need another uv.