Cadillac shuffles SUV production to favor smaller model; adds new EV at Tennessee plant
Cadillac is ending production of the gas-powered, three-row SUV XT6 sooner than planned and will extend production of its smaller XT5 model through 2026 due to strong customer demand, according to an internal memo sent to employees of General Motors' Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee.
Production of the XT6 at the Spring Hill plant will be replaced by the Cadillac Vistiq, the new all-electric six-row SUV, GM confirmed.
The memo obtained by the Detroit Free Press also said Spring Hill will undergo planned downtime the week of May 12, and anyone required to work during that time would be notified by a supervisor.
'This is a testament to our team's commitment to building vehicles that our customers love and our overall manufacturing flexibility,' the memo said.
In a statement emailed to the Free Press, a GM spokesperson said the company introduced six new products in less than a year that represent the future of the brand: Escalade IQ, Escalade MCM, Optiq, Vistiq, Lyriq-V and Cadillac CT5.
'We will continue to make the necessary adjustments to the portfolio to maintain growth in critical luxury segments,' the statement said.
The XT6, introduced in 2020, is a three-row SUV with target demographics similar to the Escalade, meaning an annual household income of at least $200,000.
The XT5 is a smaller, five-seat SUV that was slated to end production in August 2025, but that will continue into 2026, a GM spokesman confirmed.
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Opened in 1990, the Spring Hill plant is 11 million square feet and rests on 2,100 acres — enough space to produce both electric vehicles and internal combustion-powered cars. The all-electric Cadillac Lyriq is also produced at Spring Hill.
Both vehicles contain three rows but have a large price difference. The XT6 starts at around $52,590, while the Vistiq starts at $78,790, including a $1,395 destination charge.
Cadillac is continuing its plan to convert XT6 buyers to the Vistiq, but not all dealers are happy with the shift.
A Cadillac dealer told the Free Press that he was concerned about the change, particularly because demand for electric vehicles in his market is not catching up to internal combustion.
The average lease payment for the XT6 is about $600, the dealer said, compared with about $1,100 to $1,200 for the Vistiq. While the brand courts a luxury buyer, the competitive nature of the segment makes a price increase of nearly $500 per month harder to swallow. The dealer, who is not authorized to disclose product plans but agreed to speak anonymously to protect his relationship with GM, said he is concerned that his XT6 customers may defect to another brand.
'People still feel more comfortable with gas-powered cars,' he said. 'I do believe it's going to hurt us.'
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com. This story has been updated to correct the number of seat rows in the XT6.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cadillac ends production of XT6
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