de Nysschen: XTS to Be Discontinued by 2019
2015 Cadillac XTS
Photo: © General Motors
With the announcement of the Cadillac CT6 at the end of last year, it seemed all but a foregone conclusion that the brand’s current line-topper, the XTS, would soon see its last sunset. When the CT6 was revealed this week at the 2015 New York International Auto Show, Cadillac President John de Nysschen made it clear that the XTS will soon be no more.
“Ultimately, a car like XTS when it reaches the end of its lifecycle will not be replaced,” de Nysschen told GM Inside News.
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The XTS has always been a niche model—it’s a big front-wheel drive sedan that carries a $44,660 starting price (for the 2015 model), so it’s never really pulled down blockbuster numbers since its 2012 launch.
A larger impact of the inevitable demise of the XTS will be the disappearance of Cadillac vehicles as coachbuilders for hearses and limousines.
“We will not have a car that will lend itself to these kind of modifications and we will probably withdrawal from those markets,” de Nysschen added.
The current presidential limo is the $1.5 million “Cadillac One,” and Cadillac vehicles have intermittently served as the president’s primary source of transportation as far back as 1928. While it’s possible that an older Cadillac or a modified XTS could serve as Hilary’s limousine in 2016, it’s quite unlikely that a Cadillac will be the presidential ride of choice in 2020.
Ultimately, given Cadillac’s quest to reinvent its brand completely, the presidential prestige may just be a casualty in the march to a new beginning.
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News Source: GM Inside News
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