CadillacCT6

Cadillac dumps letters for letters and numbers; LTS to become CT6

Cadillac has decided to name its new top-of-the-range BMW 7-Series/Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival CT6, and in the process it will ditch its current naming structure for a slightly different one.

Credit: Cadillac, Derek Fung


It’s been a busy week or so for Cadillac. New boss Johan de Nysschen, formerly worldwide head of Infiniti and before that CEO of Audi USA, has brought about a week of change and reportable news.

Firstly, the company announced that it would be producing its new top-of-the-line sedan at GM’s factory in Hamtramck, Detroit from the end of 2015.

Next, he denied plans were afoot to reduce Cadillac’s pricing, which many blame for stifling its sales, especially of the ATS and CTS sedans.

Thirdly, Cadillac would move its HQ to the Soho area of New York City and become its own business unit with more autonomy than GM’s other domestic brands.

And now, the company has revealed that the range-topping sedan will not be known as LTS, as many had speculated, but will be badged as the CT6. Along with it, the rest of the Cadillac sedan range will be renamed, with the final number specifying the car’s relative size and cost within the overall range.

Many believe this means that the CTS replacement will be called CT5 and the ATS successor will be named CT3. Although, quite why there would be so little separation between the mid-range CT5 and the top-end CT6 is beyond us. Wouldn’t it be better to have a CT2, CT4 and CT6 or CT3, CT5 and CT7?

So far there’s no word on what will happen to the SRX, or indeed what other Caddy SUVs will be called.

Unlike de Nysschen’s renaming of the entire of Infiniti range, the Cadillac renaming will be done gradually, with models rebadged only as they’re redesigned.