Latest news with #XT6
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Driven: 2026 Cadillac Vistiq Three-Row Electric SUV Makes a Name for Itself
Cadillac's marketers have informally christened the 2026 Vistiq electric three-row SUV the "baby Escalade," consigning it from birth to live in the shadow of its more aspirational sibling. Talk about throwing shade on a new product. Then again, the $129,795 Escalade IQ is the size of a small pole barn, so it makes plenty of shade, even for something grander than the brand's two-row Lyriq but not as grandiose as its headlining SUV. This fresh EV cast member will upstage Caddy's soon-to-be-departed XT6 without hogging the spotlight. In such a role, the Vistiq gives a solid performance as a posh yet reserved people mover. The Vistiq's scene opens with two trim levels, the $79,090 Luxury and the $79,590 Sport, followed by the more technologically advanced $93,590 Premium Luxury and $98,190 Platinum. Its familial resemblance to the Escalade IQ is clear, yet its more reasonable proportions and contoured flanks play better on the eyes without reducing it to a wallflower. The Vistiq's handsome envelope stretches a substantial 205.6 inches in length and 79.8 inches in width. The optional 23-inch wheels, shod with meaty 305-section-width tires no less, look perfectly at home under its haunches (21-inchers are mandatory on lower trims; 22s are standard on the Premium Luxury and Platinum). The theater continues inside with generous amounts of space, an attractive architectural design, and a pleasant mix of materials for a mainstream Cadillac. Of the versions we sampled, the Sport featured carbon-fiber-like accents with copper-colored inlays, while the Premium Luxury brandished fetching open-pore wood trim that nicely offset its brushed-aluminum speaker grilles (a booming 23-speaker AKG stereo with Dolby Atmos tuning is standard on all models). Smudge-prone piano-black trim is scarce yet hard to avoid on the steering wheel and center console. The overall layout is a good middle ground between the Lyriq's and the Escalade IQ's, incorporating the former's curved 33.0-inch touchscreen for driver information and Google-based infotainment. A spacious center console as in the latter includes a secondary touchscreen for climate settings, as well as Cadillac's flimsy rotary knob that can manipulate the main display. Luxury amenities abound, from standard soft-close doors to five-zone automatic climate control with nicely detailed vents even in the aft quarters. Night vision and a head-up display with helpful augmented-reality navigation overlays (a first for Cadillac) come on higher trims. Elevated front seats with comfortable side bolsters provide good support and a commanding view out the front. In the second row—a standard three-seat bench or optional captain's chairs—there's slightly more legroom than in both the Lyriq and the outgoing XT6. Your long-legged author could easily sit behind his own driving position without his knees touching the front seat, and his head was nowhere near the standard panoramic moonroof. A second, fixed skylight sits above the power-folding third row, which thanks to the second row's tilt-and-slide feature, is easy to access even if you're not a contortionist. Legroom in the way back also increases over the XT6. Adults should find the low-slung bottom cushions and decent headroom acceptable for at least short outings. All Vistiqs come with front and rear permanent-magnet motors that in their sportiest Velocity Max setting combine for 615 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque—familiar figures if you've scanned the specs of the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, as well as the Cadillac Optiq V and Lyriq V models. It's also more electronic firepower than you'll get in similarly priced competitors such as the Volvo EX90 (402 to 510 horsepower), though less than what's available in pricier alternatives from Lucid, Rivian, and Tesla. Despite the Vistiq's estimated three-plus-ton girth, we have little reason to doubt Cadillac's claimed 3.7-second 60-mph time—another midpack metric. Likewise, its 102-kWh battery should return around 300 miles of range once the EPA gets around to verifying it. Capable of drawing electrons at up to 190 kilowatts, the Vistiq is said to pack on about 80 miles of range in 10 minutes at a DC fast-charger; an 11.5-kW onboard AC charger is standard, but a 19.2-kW unit is available. As with all GM EVs, there are numerous regen settings, including one-pedal operation and a convenient on-demand paddle on the steering wheel. Though undeniably quick, the Vistiq's defining road manners are its quiet comfort and confident capability. Generous sound insulation and road noise–canceling acoustics pumped through the audio speakers hush its cabin at speed. Adaptive dampers are standard and firm up slightly in Sport mode, which also adds a tad more weight to the steering and sharpens the accelerator response. But the ride is always well managed and compliant, especially with the height-adjustable air springs (on the Premium Luxury and Platinum only) that also can drop the vehicle nearly two inches for easier entry. With rear-axle steering (again, top trims only) that can swivel the rear wheels up to 3.5 degrees, the Vistiq exhibits a refined nimbleness that belies its size. Step up to the Platinum and you also get bigger brakes with Brembo six-piston front calipers. Given the Vistiq's bulk, we wish they were standard across the board. Steering that's largely devoid of feel despite being responsive to inputs erodes the Vistiq's entertainment when driven spiritedly. But Cadillac has done well to tame the mass of the big wheels and tires, which only returned some background ride frequencies on the rougher sections of our drive route. Elsewhere, this Caddy glided along smoothly, maintaining disciplined composure as we plied it around corners. Those who enjoy driving may find a better fit in the lesser two trims, which ride on coil springs and smaller wheels and do without rear steering. Though our time in a such-equipped Sport model was limited, it felt noticeably lighter on its feet than the more indulgent Premium Luxury trim, with little sacrifice in ride comfort or maneuverability. Less keen drivers may appreciate the standard fitment of GM's latest Super Cruise hands-free assistant, which gains additional driver-selectable functions: automatic lane changes based on navigation route guidance, such as when you're approaching a highway interchange, plus the ability to adjust the vehicle's speed based on posted limits. For example, if you're going 60 mph in a 55-mph zone and the limit changes to 70 mph, the system will automatically maintain that delta and bump you up to 75 mph. Factor in its excellent lane tracking and general situational awareness, and this remains the benchmark of hands-free tech. While it wasn't long ago that a new entry like the Vistiq would've had little in the way of competition, the field of three-row EVs is rapidly expanding with compelling entries such as the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Lucid Gravity. The Cadillac Vistiq essentially sits smack in the middle of this growing gaggle, trading on respectable power, range, and accommodations, combined with a luxurious aura and not-quite-nosebleed pricing. As supporting actors go, the Escalade could have much worse. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
The Drive
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
2026 Cadillac Vistiq First Drive Review: Escalade Dreams on Midsize Means
The latest car news, reviews, and features. After years of fanfare and slow-drip rollout, GM's lineup of electric vehicles built on the platform formerly known as Ultium has finally come together. The three-row, seven-seat 2026 Cadillac Vistiq is the final piece of the puzzle, giving GM an electric luxury family hauler slotting beneath the uber-expensive Escalade IQ. And that's how Cadillac is pitching it—a scaled-down flagship, not just a three-row Lyriq. So does it deliver, or is this yet another performative electric car engineered to appease regulators rather than attract buyers? Cadillac invited us to a quiet little corner of rural southeast Michigan to see for ourselves. In a weird way, the Vistiq replaces the XT6. Remember that car? Cadillac only recently confirmed its discontinuation, but it was apparently discontinued in the hearts and minds of most buyers before it even hit showrooms. That's not entirely Cadillac's fault; the XT6 was a decent-enough crossover whose design aged commendably well. Its crime? Being launched at the same time as Lincoln's show-stealing 2020 Aviator. Tough break, Caddy. While Cadillac clearly tried to Escalade-ify (Escalate?) the XT6's lines, the midsize crossover's front-wheel-drive platform gave them only so much leeway. The Vistiq's all-electric architecture imposes no such constraints. We saw it with the Escalade IQ, which looks every bit the part of its gas-burning namesake. Vistiq just scales that formula down. Starting at $79,090, it will eventually come in four flavors: Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury, and Platinum. I spent the entirety of my time with the Vistiq behind the wheel of a mid-tier Premium Luxury ($93,290 before options). It lacks the bells and whistles of the Platinum model (which is not yet in production), but it's hard to describe it as anything short of 'loaded.' Every Vistiq gets Super Cruise standard, for example, and when you step up to the Premium Luxury, you get adaptive air suspension, rear-axle steering and a fancier head-up display with augmented reality features, among a smattering of other upgrades. The only individual options on our build sheet were the 23-inch wheels ($1,000) and the Opulent Blue Metallic paint ($625). All in? $94,915. Cadillac If you're not a Cadillac fan, that may elicit a low whistle. But remember, the gasoline Escalade is the company's volume model, and it starts at nearly $95,000. Want another fun fact? The second best-selling Cadillac last year was the Lyriq, which rocketed past the XT5 in just its second year on the market. But that's where any notion of the Vistiq merely being a three-row Lyriq hits a brick wall. In reality, they look and feel like very different machines. Next to the elephantine Escalade IQ, the midsize Vistiq is borderline sensible, and that's essentially how Cadillac is pitching it. It's an Escalade for people who lack either the space or necessity for something that large but still want the looks and the interior comforts—and the Vistiq has both in spades. Where the XT6 was guilty of austerity, the Vistiq is anything but. While it's not as ostentatious inside as its larger and far more expensive sibling, it borrows a lot of stylistic elements. The Vistiq's ultra-wide 33-inch screen covers nearly as much real estate as the Escalade's primary displays, but lacks the passenger-side add-on. No big loss there, ultimately, but it's nonetheless a visual cue that you bought the 'baby' Escalade. That's a line Cadillac went to some lengths to blur. After all, the Escalade is the upsell, and Cadillac benefits from some degree of FOMO. On the other hand, there's something to be said for getting eight or nine tenths of the experience for two thirds of the price. The catch, of course, is that it also feels like it's about two thirds the size. Escalade IQ on top, Vistiq on bottom. Scale is approximate! Cadillac | The Drive Chris Tsui While it may share the Escalade IQ's proportions in photos, the illusion breaks immediately when you see the Vistiq in person. With the air suspension at ingress/egress height, the midsizer looks conspicuously wagon-like. Even at its listed spec, the Vistiq is only five feet, 11 inches tall. Meanwhile, at six foot four and change, even the Escalade IQ (the more hunkered-down of the two) towers over most of its potential mortal masters. It's also a foot and a half longer than the Vistiq, and that translates to a massive difference in cabin volumes. But let's not lose sight of the bigger picture. With 30.6 inches of legroom, the Vistiq's third row is a bit tighter than that of its competitors' in the Rivian R1S, Tesla Model X, and Volvo EX90, but they all sacrifice second-row legroom for those third-row advantages. The Mercedes EQS SUV is the outlier of the bunch; its third row is tiny (and optional). This feels like a good opportunity to point out that, base vs base, the EQS costs $25,000 more than the Vistiq with essentially half the horsepower. Cadillac helped bolster the Vistiq's perceived stature by giving it a nice, high seating position. This confers excellent visibility, which is more for confidence than anything else, since the Vistiq's sleek but sculpted body is also peppered with all of the necessary optics and sensors for the aforementioned Super Cruise and all the rest of its standard driver aids and safety features. Even if you're not paying attention, the Vistiq is. If you're like me, you'll often find gadgetry of that caliber to be intrusive. I grew up believing in computers, but very few of them can drive well enough to impart the confidence I need to relax and let them do their thing. While Super Cruise may not be the most robust self-driving suite on the road, it's one of the few I trust to do the job with minimal intervention. Several long stretches of both two-lane country roads and divided highways already been mapped out for Super Cruise allowed the Vistiq to show off its new party trick: automatic route-following lane changes. Super Cruise was already capable of automatically passing slower traffic for you; now it will automatically change lanes for you when your exit approaches if you're using the Google built-in navigation. This feature only works if the next leg of your route is also mapped for Super Cruise; otherwise, the system can't automatically connect the dots. Early in the drive, we were presented with a left exit to continue onto another local highway. The Vistiq signaled correctly, changed into one of the exit lanes, and then proceeded to pass another vehicle going well under the limit on the flyover, happily rocketing back up to my cruise control preset midway through the onramp—precisely what I would have done had I been in control. Cadillac And 'rocket' is an apt term. Cadillac isn't selling the Vistiq as a performance model, but its 615 hp is more than enough to get its considerable heft up to speed. Like the Chevy Blazer EV SS, the Vistiq has both standard and full-output throttle modes; Chevy calls it WOW, for 'Wide Open Watts;' Cadillac calls it V-Max. I kind of like that. With it, the Vistiq will hit 60 mph in 3.7 seconds—All. Day. Long. Well, until you need to charge it, anyway. To give this big Caddy enough juice to cover 305 miles on a charge (or 300, if you opt for equipment that includes the upgraded 19.2-kW charger), it needed a massive, 102-kWh battery pack. It weighs 6,300 pounds altogether as a result—almost as much as the supercharged Escalade-V. And while at times the Vistiq seems to accelerate and turn like a car weighing half as much, there's no hiding that heft under braking. Cadillac The Vistiq's grace can be attributed to the combination of solid chassis tuning, an excellent adaptive air suspension and the rear-axle steering. Dual motors spur you along with a gentle electronic thrum that comes and goes with throttle application. I have mixed feelings about synthetic throttle noises; this one's better than most. The same is true of the Vistiq's throttle calibration. Press your foot down and the torque rolls on in perfect proportion to pedal travel. It feels substantial and linear, though I'm sure that the actual mapping has a steeper curve than my internal accelerometer suggests. Still, this is one of those little things the Vistiq does that make it feel like it's worthy of the price tag. The latest car news, reviews, and features. But maybe what's most impressive about the Cadillac is what you don't hear. It's ridiculously quiet inside, partially due to another bit of electronic wizardry: active road noise cancellation. While digital sound erasers have been canceling out unwanted internal-combustion frequencies for years now, active cancellation of outside noise is still fairly fresh tech. And it's stunningly effective. Apart from just a whisper of wind noise, the cabin is dead quiet at 80 mph. In virtually every way one could possibly measure it, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq is a massive improvement over the XT6. It's more impressive to look at, more spacious inside, and offers a far more interesting powertrain. It can even tow more than that old gasoline-powered three-row. This all comes at a price, of course, and a significant one: the cheapest Vistiq is $30,000 more expensive than a base XT6. But as the Escalade has proven, Cadillac can command big money when the product is up to snuff. And since Cadillac last overhauled the Escalade, we've seen the company put a larger priority on making its cabins feel genuinely special. That approach paid dividends with Lyriq, and the trend continues here. Cadillac 2025 Cadillac Vistiq Specs Base Price (Premium Luxury as tested) $79,090 ($94,915) Powertrain dual-motor all-wheel drive | 102-kWh battery Horsepower 615 Torque 650 lb-ft Seating Capacity 7 Cargo Volume 15.2 cubic feet behind third row | 43 cubic feet behind second row | 80.2 cubic feet behind first row Curb Weight 6,326 pounds 0-60 mph 3.7 seconds Max Towing 5,000 pounds EPA Range 305 miles Max DC Charging Speed 190 kW Score 9/10 Packing style, tech, and passing power galore, the 'baby Escalade' is expensive but feels like it. Got a tip? Send it in to: tips@ Byron is one of those weird car people who has never owned an automatic transmission. Born in the DMV but Midwestern at heart, he lives outside of Detroit with his wife, two cats, a Miata, a Wrangler, and a Blackwing.
Globe and Mail
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Globe and Mail
'Structural Uncertainty' Means Downgrade at Deutsche Bank for GM Stock (NYSE:GM)
Normally, when an analyst takes aim at a stock and does not like its trajectory, that puts a damper on the stock's performance as a whole. But for legacy automaker General Motors (GM), a downgrade at Deutsche Bank did very little to turn GM on its ear. In fact, GM shares surged nearly 4% in Monday afternoon's trading despite the pan. Stay Ahead of the Market: Discover outperforming stocks and invest smarter with Top Smart Score Stocks. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities using Tipranks' Stock Screener. Deutsche Bank, via analyst Edison Yu, pivoted his recommendation from Buy to Hold, and also cut the price target down substantially as well. The share target price slid from $58 per share to a new target of $43. That is down 1% against the Friday close, reports noted. The biggest reason? 'Structural uncertainty,' reports noted, all stemming from tariffs. If the tariffs turn out to last for years, becoming 'truly permanent,' then GM will run into those structural challenges. Its responses feature two bits of bad news. If GM 'onshores,' bringing production back to the United States, that means higher capital expense (capex) and, of course, lower profit. Pivoting to robotics to save money will send it afoul of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and politicians as well. But incorporating foreign products in its supply chain will leave it a tariff target. Big Cadillac, Heading for the Sunset Meanwhile, if you were hoping to pick up a huge new Cadillac as a daily driver, your chances are in rapid decline. GM is phasing out the Cadillac XT6 later this year, reports note, as it moves to retool the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant which makes them. The XT6, as it turns out, was an under-performing vehicle. That made for an excellent opportunity for GM to pivot Spring Hill to electric vehicles. Reports noted that the XT6—designed as Cadillac's entry in the 'upscale family hauler' business—never really caught on, with fewer than 20,000 units sold annually since 2019, on average. Some might think that five years is not exactly a lot of time for a car to catch on in the market—especially given how much of those five years were spent under pandemic restrictions—but GM was not taking chances. Taking over for the XT6 at Spring Hill, reports note, will be crossover electric vehicles the Vistiq and the Lyriq. Is GM a Good Stock to Buy Now? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on GM stock based on nine Buys, four Holds and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 6.96% rally in its share price over the past year, the average GM price target of $58.10 per share implies 27.97% upside potential. See more GM analyst ratings Disclosure
USA Today
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Cadillac ends XT6 early to extend XT5 model, adds new EV at Tennessee plant
Cadillac ends XT6 early to extend XT5 model, adds new EV at Tennessee plant Show Caption Hide Caption Video: 2025 Cadillac Optiq compact electric SUV pack with tech, style All-wheel drive Optiq clings to curves and rocks the house with standard AKG audio and Dolby Atmos. A Cadillac dealer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he learned on a call with GM representatives that the XT6 will be replaced by the Vistiq, the pricier all-electric version. The XT5 a smaller, five-seat SUV, was slated to end production in August 2025, but that will continue into 2026. 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. Luxury concept cars: Can a breathtaking convertible concept restore Cadillac to greatness? Time's running out. '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. Full-size electric SUVs: See the 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL priced at $132,000 to start 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. 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@
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GM to end production of Cadillac XT6 SUV at Tennessee facility in US
General Motors (GM) is planning to suspend the Cadillac XT6 crossover production at its Spring Hill assembly plant in Tennessee, US by the end of this year, reported CNBC. Concurrently, GM confirmed the extension of the smaller gasoline-powered XT5 crossover production at the facility until at least the end of 2026, reported the news agency citing an internal memo sent to plant employees. The XT6, a three-row crossover introduced in 2019, has seen modest sales, averaging around 19,000 units annually. A company spokesman said that the shift in production aligns with Cadillac's electrification strategy and is not tariff-related. The move to end the XT6 production is part of Cadillac's broader strategy to transition to an all-electric lineup, encompassing cars, crossovers, and SUVs. Despite pulling back from an earlier goal to exclusively sell EVs by 2030, Cadillac has launched six new or revised models — both electric and petrol-powered — over the past year. GM was cited by Reuters as saying in a statement: 'Cadillac has introduced six new products in less than a year that represent the future of the brand. 'We will continue to make the necessary adjustments to the portfolio to maintain growth in critical luxury segments.' The Spring Hill plant has been instrumental in Cadillac's foray into the EV market, having started the production of the Cadillac Lyriq, the brand's inaugural EV, in 2022. Additionally, the plant recently commenced the production of the Vistiq, a three-row crossover that serves as a successor to the XT6. According to the internal memo, the continuation of the XT5 model is attributed to "strong customer demand". The XT5 ranked as Cadillac's third best-selling vehicle in the previous year, trailing behind the Escalade SUV and the Lyriq. The memo also highlighted a scheduled downtime for the Spring Hill plant during the week of 12 May 2025. GM confirmed the pause in production and accompanying temporary layoffs, citing a need to balance vehicle output with market demand. GM reportedly plans to increase production of its light-duty trucks at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the US. "GM to end production of Cadillac XT6 SUV at Tennessee facility in US – report" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
