Redesigned Cadillac CTS to debut at New York auto show

Cadillac will debut the redesigned CTS sedan at the New York auto show in late March and put the car on sale this fall. The redesigned Escalade SUV is set to arrive in early 2014.

The brand is targeting a retail sales jump of about 35 percent this year, General Motors executives told dealers Sunday at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Orlando, Fla.

Cadillac marketing chief confirmed the rollout plan for the CTS before the meeting.

Cadillac is expecting a slew of new and redesigned vehicles to sharply boost sales this year, after losing market share in each of the last two years. In 2012, overall sales slipped 2 percent, to 149,782, versus industry growth of 13 percent.

"Our sales growth needs to be in double-digits percentage increases, month over month," Butler said, declining to specify a target. "We've got the product, and now we need sales growth commensurate with that product."

Dealers who attended the meeting said Cadillac is targeting retail sales of 190,000, which would mark a 35 percent gain from the roughly 140,000 retail units it sold last year. GM told dealers it plans to cap fleet sales at 5 percent.

Cadillac expects its reloaded portfolio to drive growth, including the ATS compact and XTS large sedan, which arrived in showrooms last summer.

Butler said Cadillac's marketing budget would grow this year with the launch of the redesigned CTS and continued support for the ATS and XTS. He said the next-generation Escalade will be unveiled later this year. Dealers at the meeting were told that the SUV would arrive in early 2014.

Butler addressed the dealers along with Bob Ferguson, Cadillac's global vice president, and Chase Hawkins, vice president of sales and service.

Ferguson said that recent accolades for the ATS, including its pick as North American Car of the Year, have fueled buyer consideration for the sports sedan. He said more than 70 percent of ATS buyers are new to Cadillac.

Dealers expect to get their first look at the CTS and other future models during a meeting in Las Vegas in April.

By Mike Colias- Automotive News