LOS ANGELES -- Cadillac is billing the XT5 unveiled here as the first of four new crossovers planned for its lineup. But the next one is more than two years away.
A compact crossover that would fit just below the midsize XT5 in the lineup is next, Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said on the sidelines of the auto show here. It will arrive in 2018, he said.
That vehicle could be named XT4 and is a priority because of the size and rapid growth of the compact luxury crossover market, which includes the BMW X3 and Lexus NX. The segment's sales shot up 49 percent through October this year, to 217,663 vehicles.
De Nysschen also sees an "obvious gap" between the XT5 and the Escalade large SUV, which eventually will be filled by a large crossover that would compete with the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.
"I think a very well-executed, three-row crossover could fit in quite nicely," he said. "It's an important segment with a lot of volume." That would come after the compact, probably in the second half of 2018 or early 2019.
The third crossover under development for Cadillac is thought to be a subcompact that would compete with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
