Tech-Laden Cadillac CT5 Debuts at Detroit Show
Cadillac launches an improved CT5 sedan in 2024, to be followed by a Blackwing high-performance version.
DETROIT – Cadillac, like the rest of General Motors’ brands, is going all-electric by 2030. But before we get there, the automaker is poised to get more mileage out of its gas-powered models, such as the improved CT5 sedan premiering here at the North American International Auto Show.
The CT5 debuted in 2019 as the replacement for the CTS sedan, as GM’s luxury brand has long tinkered back and forth with its naming strategy.
“The CT5’s importance in Cadillac’s portfolio cannot be overstated,” says John Roth, vice president, Global Cadillac. “Globally, CT5 is having its best sales year ever. The 2025 CT5 stays true to what customers love about this vehicle, while bringing a revised look and the latest technology and safety features.”
Cadillac managers hope an improved interior and tech offerings can improve U.S. sales from a somewhat anemic 15,896 units sold in 2022, according to Wards Intelligence data. The big enhancements include:
A 33-in. (84-cm) LED color touchscreen display that has already been introduced in the Cadillac Lyriq and other models.
A lower and wider front grille with redesigned Cadillac signature vertical lighting and stacked LED headlamps.
Available 5G Wi-Fi hotspot capability.
Standard Blind Zone Steering Assist
Standard Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking
Available Traffic Sign Recognition and Intelligent Speed Assist.
Driver Attention Assist (incorporated with available Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology).
Built-in Google capabilities: Google Assistant6, Google Maps and Google Play.
Standard 2.0L turbo 4-cyl. with 237 hp and 258 lb.-ft. (350 Nm) of torque.
Available 3.0L twin-turbo 6-cyl. with 335 hp and 405 lb.-ft. (549 Nm) of torque
Available all-wheel drive.
The star of the refresh is the expansive touchscreen capable of a 9K resolution and curving toward the driver in a single, continuous screen.
GM has been waiting for Cadillac to gain real momentum in U.S. retail sales since Bill Clinton was in the White House, amid the rise of Asian luxury brands and the climb of German luxury brands during the dot-com era.
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Cadillac sold 134,703 units in the U.S. last year. The picture is improving this year, with sales up through August. The optimism around Cadillac, though, is very much centered in China. Cadillac in 2022 sold 194,100 units in China, topping the U.S. market by 59,397 units, or 44% percent, according to GM. That was actually a downturn from 2021 when Cadillac sold 231,800 units in China compared with the 118,032 units sold in the U.S. during the same timeframe, a spread of 113,768 units, or about 96%.
The CT5 is one of two sedans in the Cadillac showroom, the other being the CT4. Cadillac officials say a CT5 will go on sale in spring 2024, with a Blackwing performance version will follow at a later date.
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