Even though the first model to adhere to Cadillac's new nomenclature is more than a year away, the strategy is gaining cohesion. Last week, the brand officially announced that its upcoming rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan, which is due to hit the streets in late 2015, will bear the CT6 moniker. In the statement, the brand emphasized that "CT"—which stands for "Cadillac Touring" and draws directly from the CTS, the model which on which the brand built its ongoing renaissance—would be specifically applied to cars.
Now Cadillac marketing chief Uwe Ellinghaus has lifted the secret on what its SUV and crossover models would be called. "Future SUVs and crossovers will have an 'XT' " and be followed by a number, he said in a story posted to Forbes.com. The executive recently told us that he could envision further SUV models positioned both below and above the SRX, so we expect to see several XT-badged Cadillacs in the future. The Escalade is expected to remain the solitary exception to the naming rule given its ridiculously strong brand equity.
The new nomenclature is not the work of Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen, as has been reported in various outlets, although confusion is understandable given that he changed every model designation at his former employee Infiniti. The idea was, in fact, hatched by Ellinghaus, who was assigned by Mary Barra to come up with a more logical system than the current one, and who put special emphasis on the hierarchical nature of the new nomenclature.
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While we grow weary of letter- and alphanumeric-based badges in general, the CT and XT framework makes some sense. It is contemporary, logical, and far easier to comprehend that the current system. Coincidentally, Cadillac just modified its logo and got rid of the wreath in order to project a more modern image. While the brand's history is littered with evocative names we love like Fleetwood and Eldorado, it also encompasses Catera and Cimarron, and constantly harkening to the past isn't often a solid strategy for moving forward.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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