The Cadillac XTS sedan and SRX crossover may be a couple of old-timers compared to the CT6 and XT5, but there’s little doubt the automaker is happy to still have them around right now.
Those were the only two Caddys whose global sales were up in January compared to the same month in 2015. XTS deliveries increased by 12.8 percent to 5.033; the boost in SRX sales – to a final tally of 7,876 – was almost double that: 24.1 percent. With the exception of the ATS, all of the other models in the Cadillac portfolio were down by double-digit percentages in January. The CTS was the weakest link. Dealers moved 33.9 percent fewer CTSs last month than they did in the first month of 2015. The ATS might have been a stronger performer, but it was still in the red. Its January sales were down 5.7 percent to 3,895 cars.
However, the boom in SRX and XTS sales and total Cadillac deliveries in areas such as Canada, where its sales shot up by 44.6 percent last month, and Mexico, where they increased by 21.2 percent, were enough to bump Cadillac’s net global January figures up by 2.2 percent to 20,625 vehicles.
Things also look a little rosier for the manufacturer when you consider Cadillacs are selling for their highest Average Transaction Prices (ATPs) ever at north of $55,000. We’ll have to wait until the flagship CT6 launches later this quarter and the XT5 luxury crossover hits dealerships in April to see if those models will continue that upward trend – and do anything to help Cadillac forget a less-than-ideal start to the year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
