Cadillac President Promises New Halo Model Will "Stun The World"

We've been here before.

Cadillac has been promising a new halo car for years now after the XLR and ELR failed to captivate consumers. It’s a topic that was once again addressed at the 2018 Automotive Forum in New York by Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen. According to Wards Auto, Nysschen reiterated his desire to bring out a new Cadillac range-topper. "We are going to produce a halo vehicle for Cadillac. When it comes, it will stun the world," he teased. “I do not think the world needs yet another large, three box conventional sedan.” We’ve been here before, though.

Talks about a Cadillac halo car have been going on for years. Concepts such as the Ciel, Elmiraj and Escala have previewed potential range-topping models, but none have entered production. Why the long delay? While the company president recently blamed millennials and poor infrastructure for declining sedan sales, Nysschen says that European cars are preventing a Cadillac halo car from entering production. Cadillac was once the top luxury car brand in the US, but Nysschen believes the company’s decline is due to a “sustained attack” by European and Asian luxury brands since the luxury sedan market is dominated by the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class.

He added that Cadillac’s “lack of access to global markets prevented us from generating enough revenue to invest in new product.” Cadillac wants to become a bigger player in Europe, but this isn’t likely to happen until after 2025. Right now, the company is focusing on its operations in the US and China. If we want to go to Europe, we better make sure we have the financial wherewithal and the products," he told Automotive News, though its strategy will include electric vehicles but no diesels. "It's going to be a tough battle and we better be ready to fight it." Looking ahead, Nysschen teased that “things are about to get very interesting at Cadillac.”

The recently-unveiled CT6 V-Sport marks the start of a new chapter in Cadillac’s performance car history, so let’s hope it paves the way for a production version of the elegant Escala.