Cadillac plays waiting game

Cadillac and its dealers have a painfully long wait as a slew of new models grind their way through GM development. Nothing is on the horizon until mid-2018, when a new compact crossover should arrive, the first of at least three new nameplates.

CT3: Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen has referred repeatedly to an entry-level sedan that would be slotted below the ATS as the answer to the Mercedes-Benz CLA, Audi A3 and other rivals. But given the shrinking sedan market, Cadillac is no longer eager to add to that part of its lineup, especially given the catch-up job it has on crossovers. The ATS and its eventual replacement will be the brand's lone small-car entry for the foreseeable future.

ATS/CT4: For the '17 model year, Cadillac is dropping the ATS' 2.5-liter engine, making the 2.0-liter turbo the base powerplant. Under Cadillac's evolving nomenclature, the CT4 nameplate is expected to be used for all variants of its compact car -- sedan, coupe and convertible. 

A redesigned ATS sedan should get the CT4 tag in the second half of 2018. A coupe should arrive soon after. A convertible remains in the plans, but its timing is unclear. 

CTS/CT5: A redesigned CT5 sedan should replace the current CTS in the first half of 2019. A coupe should arrive a year later. 

XTS: The front-wheel-drive sedan popular with Cadillac loyalists has become redundant in the brand's lineup with the arrival of the CT6. It's expected to be phased out in 2019. 

CT6: Cadillac began selling the lightweight large sedan in the spring. 

A plug-in hybrid version is scheduled to go on sale in the first half of 2017. A freshening is scheduled for 2019. A diesel engine could appear by 2020. 

CT8: De Nysschen has talked about a range-topping car to go above the CT6 that would appear around 2020. That future Mercedes S-class fighter is sure to slide past that date -- perhaps far past it, given Cadillac's other priorities, including several new crossovers, plug-in hybrids and straightening out its sedan lineup. A big-boy flagship has no definitive timeline.

XT2: A subcompact luxury crossover -- think Mercedes GLA or BMW X1 -- is on track to debut by 2020. 

XT3: The compact crossover is expected to go on sale in mid-2018 as a '19 model. The BMW X3 and Audi Q3 fighter is slated for production at GM's assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan.

XT5: The replacement for Cadillac's outgoing SRX midsize crossover -- the brand's top-selling U.S. nameplate -- went on sale this spring. A freshening is likely by 2018, which could include the addition of a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine to join the 3.6-liter V-6. 

XT7: The large crossover will be built on a long-wheelbase version of the XT5. Look for it in showrooms by late 2019. 

Escalade: The big SUV should get a new 10-speed transmission in 2017. A freshening should come a year later, followed by a redesign around 2020. 

Sports car: Part of the business case for a midengine Corvette is that it could be shared with Cadillac. Some industry forecasters now include a midengine Cadillac sports car in GM's development plans in the 2021 time frame.