GM to Axe Cadillac’s Best-Selling Vehicle in Canada
The bell is already tolling for the Cadillac XT4, which was launched six years ago and refreshed for 2024. The subcompact luxury crossover will not return following a short 2025 model year.
General Motors confirmed the news to some U.S. media outlets on Thursday.
- Also: 2024 Cadillac XT4: Here’s a Closer Look Including Pricing Details
- Also: Refreshed 2024 Cadillac XT4 Gets 33 Inches of Displays
The XT4 is built in Fairfax, Kansas. The plant has just ended production of the venerable Chevrolet Malibu and was supposed to halt the XT4 after January, allowing the automaker to prepare the site for the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV in late 2025. More than $500 million CAD will be spent for the installation of tooling and other plant modifications.
Employees will be laid off temporarily. When production resumes, the initial plan was to manufacture both the future Bolt EV and the XT4 on the same line. However, GM has now decided otherwise, citing “growth opportunities guided by customer demand.”
Sales of Cadillac’s cheapest SUV were down 12 percent in the U.S. and 2 percent in Canada after nine months in 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. North of the border, the XT4 is the luxury brand’s best-selling vehicle. For the 2025 model year, the base FWD model was eliminated, increasing the XT4’s entry price from around $45,000 to $52,000 (including freight, PDI and other fees).
Cadillac seems to be more focused on the launch of the all-new 2025 Optiq, a fully electric small crossover starting at an all-inclusive price of $63,298 (before incentives). The hope is for that model to kind of replicate the success of the closely related Chevrolet Equinox EV. Time will tell if the gamble pays off.
