The End of the CT4 and Current CT5 Isn’t the End of Gas Power at Cadillac
Written by admin on October 19, 2025
The Cadillac CT4 and CT5 are the last of their breed, Cadillac luxury sedans powered exclusively by internal combustion engines (ICE). Not to mention the super versions of each model, the CT4 and CT5-V Blackwings, which have terrorized roads for years thanks to their twin-turbo V-6 and supercharged V-8 powerplants. Everything else Cadillac sells at present is either an SUV, an electric vehicle (EV), or both. Now comes word that Cadillac is halting production of the CT4 and current version of the CT5 in 2026. It has also said that a next-generation Cadillac CT5 is in the works with ICE power, although there is no timeline for when we’ll see it.
In a post on the CadillacVClub.com forum that has been confirmed by Cadillac to be authentic, John Roth—the global vice president of the brand—stated that the present versions of the CT4 and CT5 will be “retired” after the 2026 model year.
Roth and Cadillac stated that the 2026 CT4 will continue production until June 2026 and the CT5 will continue until “the end of 2026.” When asked for comment on the end of its only two ICE powered luxury sedans, Cadillac stated: “As Cadillac evolves, we will continue to make necessary adjustments to our portfolio to meet customer demand. We are thrilled to confirm that the legacy of the CT5 will continue with a next-generation ICE vehicle, proudly manufactured at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly plant, of U.S. and globally sourced parts.” It added that additional details and features of the next-generation CT5 “will be shared at a later date.”
What that means for the fate of the CT5 V Blackwing’s insane 668-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 is anyone’s guess (our guess is that it’s going to be discontinued). But the good news for fans of both sedans and internal combustion power is that Cadillac has made a commitment to a new CT5 with a gas engine, although it remains to be seen how it will all shake out.
History of the CT4 and CT5
Debuting in 2019 as 2020 model year vehicles, the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 were de facto replacements for the ATS and CTS, respectively. All four were built on the Alpha 2 platform, one that came about after GM realized it needed a smaller luxury car to compete against the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, and it only had the larger CTS to offer to those buyers prior to 2012. That’s when GM began development of ATS, but quickly realized there was a problem.
The second-generation Cadillac CTS was built on the Sigma II platform, but GM found that downsizing it to fit the ATS would end up making it far too heavy. GM scrapped that idea and focused on updating the Zeta platform, which eventually led to the creation of the Alpha series. It was better suited as it was designed to scale from the start and would be used on the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro as well as the Cadillac ATS and CTS sedans.
In less than a decade, Cadillac changed its naming convention to better reflect model positioning, and this resulted in the ATS and CTS being changed to the CT4 and CT5 we know today. After only six model years, both will be dropped entirely and will leave American luxury sedan buyers with three options: wait for the new CT5 if they want an ICE powertrain; bite the bullet and buy an EV luxury sedan; or give in and embrace the luxury SUV life.
The end of the CT4 and CT5 is a shame as both were wonderful examples of GM doing luxury sedans (mostly) right. Here’s hoping that the next-generation CT5 will rectify some of the current version’s downsides, and that it will also continue to offer a high-performance version along the lines of the Blackwing. But we also can’t help but wonder if GM is making a mistake by not creating a new generation of the CT4 at the same time.
