Cadillac XT5 platform to underpin three-row crossover

Hot on the heels of launching the XT5 crossover, Cadillac is planning a larger, three-row version. Make way for the new Cadillac XT7.

By Noah Joseph
The first-ever 2017 Cadillac XT5 is a comprehensively upgraded luxury crossover and the cornerstone of a new series of crossovers in the brand’s ongoing expansion. The XT5 further builds on Cadillac’s trademark attributes of distinctive, sophisticated and agile vehicles. Pictured: 2017 Cadillac XT5 Platinum; Exterior paint shown in in Red Passion Tintcoat; Interior environment shown in Maple Sugar with Jet Black accents and Satin Rosewood wood trim.
The first-ever 2017 Cadillac XT5 is a comprehensively upgraded luxury crossover and the cornerstone of a new series of crossovers in the brand’s ongoing expansion. The XT5 further builds on Cadillac’s trademark attributes of distinctive, sophisticated and agile vehicles. Pictured: 2017 Cadillac XT5 Platinum; Exterior paint shown in in Red Passion Tintcoat; Interior environment shown in Maple Sugar with Jet Black accents and Satin Rosewood wood trim.
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Cadillac just launched the XT5 crossover to replace the SRX. But that’s only the start. Speaking with Automotive News, Caddy president Johan de Nysschen confirmed that a new three-row crossover is also on the way.

The seven-seater is based on a stretched version of the flexible platform underpinning the XT5, which we just drove recently. Taking that approach will give the luxury brand a larger crossover to pit against the likes of the Infiniti QX60, Audi Q7, and Volvo XC90 without having to develop one from scratch. It will also give buyers a more car-like alternative to the larger, truck-based Escalade.

“It’s one of the benefits of having this very flexible architecture. We can expand it, make it longer and wider. That gives us the ability to develop the car very quickly, as opposed to starting from scratch,” de Nysschen told AN. “It’s not running yet. It is a program request that we initiated with the engineers only last year. They are working at remarkable, record-breaking speed to get us the car.”

The new model would likely be called the XT7 and offer similar levels of equipment to the existing, smaller XT5. The existing mid-size model packs a 3.6-liter V6 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and comes in four trim levels.

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