Cadillac has revealed that it will call its new flagship sedan the CT6, signifying the beginning of a complete overhaul of the brand’s naming conventions. The sedan will be built at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, which was announced earlier this month.
“The Cadillac CT6 continues our brand’s elevation and global growth,” Cadillac chief marketing officer Uwe Ellinghaus said recently. “CT6 will constitute an entirely new approach to the prestige sedan, emphasizing a dynamic driving experience and advanced technology.”
Following the CT6’s example, every Cadillac vehicle will follow the “CT#” naming structure that will indicate the size and position of the model in the hierarchy.
Cadillac announces this new naming strategy shortly after the company brought on Johnan de Nyssechen over from Infiniti as its new CEO. While under his leadership, Infiniti had also introduced a new naming structure, with the Q50 replacing the G37 sedan and the rest of the lineup following virtually overnight.
The naming overhaul will happen as more of an evolutionary process for Cadillac than in the case of Infiniti. Vehicle will only get a name change once they undergo a complete redesign or an altogether-new vehicle is introduced, such as the CT6. This means that recently-upgraded model names, such as the CTS and ATS, will stick around for a while yet.
There are also some automotive historians that would prefer throwback names to the Cadillac’s golden age, such as the Fleetwood and Eldorado.
However, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell seems to disagree. “They want us to have a passionate, emotional name and we do,” he said. “It’s called Cadillac.”
