Quick Highlights:
- Cadillac will pull the plug on the CT4 and CT5 sedans after the 2026 model year.
- A new generation of the CT5 is already being readied, and it’ll stay firmly gasoline-powered.
- Production of the upcoming model will continue at Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan.
- The Blackwing legacy isn’t over—there’s still a chance a V8 finds its way into the next performance sedan.
The time is running out in the two most interesting cars of Cadillac. The brand has affirmed that the CT4 and the CT5 both will jump into the sunset following the 2026 model year, putting an end to a chapter that has been silently loved by fanatics. These vehicles did not sell well, but to drivers who are concerned with steering senses and car audio, they were cult stars.
Nevertheless, this is not a funeral, this is rather a break between the acts. The foot is already in the door in the internal combustion department, with Cadillac already underway on a new gasoline-powered successor to the CT5. The manufacturing will remain within home area in Lansing Grand River Assembly, Michigan where all the CT sedans have been assembled since the commencement.
The news came by the way of a letter written by John Roth, Global Vice President of Cadillac as it was originally reported on the Cadillac V-Series Club web site before being substantiated by Cadillac itself. The memo has provided a clear schedule where CT4 manufacturing terminates in June 2026, and CT5 continues to the end of the year. This is followed by the next chapter.
The End of Two Great Sedans
For enthusiasts, this news cuts deep. The CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing have been hailed as some of the finest performance sedans on sale—manual gearboxes, rear-wheel drive, and genuine American muscle dressed in tailored suits. Both models have earned a place on Car and Driver’s 10Best list four years in a row, a feat rarely achieved in today’s SUV-saturated market.
Unfortunately, the CT4’s story ends here. Cadillac made no mention of a replacement for its compact sports sedan. The CT5, however, will live on in spirit through an all-new, next-generation internal combustion model, designed to carry forward the performance DNA that’s defined Cadillac’s V-Series lineup.
Gasoline Lives On
Even as Cadillac leans deeper into its electric future—with models like the Lyriq, Escalade IQ, and the hand-built Celestiq—the brand isn’t ready to unplug from gasoline just yet. The next chapter of the CT5 will stay true to its roots with a combustion engine under the hood, a move that fits neatly into Cadillac’s “luxury of choice” approach: letting buyers decide between volts or octane.
What’s hiding beneath that hood is still a mystery, but the tea leaves are easy to read. Earlier this year, General Motors poured $888 million into its Tonawanda Propulsion Plant in New York to develop a next-generation small-block V8. Officially, it’s destined for trucks and SUVs—but history shows that Cadillac doesn’t ignore an engine with potential. A slightly reworked version could easily make its way into a future CT5-V Blackwing, keeping that unmistakable V8 thunder alive.
Of course, the more accessible trims will likely stick with four- and six-cylinder options, but enthusiasts are quietly hoping Cadillac saves room for something wilder—a true successor to today’s 668-horsepower super sedan that refuses to go quietly into the electric night.
Lansing Grand River: The Legacy Continues
For more than two decades, Lansing Grand River Assembly has been Cadillac’s performance heartland. From the thunderous CTS-V to the precision-honed CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing, every great driver’s Cadillac of recent memory has rolled out of this Michigan plant. That tradition isn’t ending anytime soon. Cadillac has confirmed that the next-generation CT5 will be built there too, ensuring both American jobs and a continuation of its performance DNA well into the next chapter.
What remains a mystery is the badge that new model will wear. Cadillac hasn’t said whether it’ll keep the CT5 name or move to something fresh—possibly a sleeker evolution that blends sedan elegance with fastback proportions. Whatever shape it takes, the expectation is clear: it will carry forward the balance, craftsmanship, and mechanical soul that made the CT5-V Blackwing one of the best driver’s cars of its era.
Why It Still Matters
In a time and age of silence and software dominating the driving experience, the decision of Cadillac to continue with a heartbeat, powered by gasoline, is almost rebellious. The move to drop the CT4 and the CT5 can be interpreted as a goodbye to internal combustion, though it is really more of a redesign, an opportunity to polish, rather than scrap, whatever made these cars unique.
As competitors have long since buried their manual gearboxes and reduced the size of their engines to anonymity, Cadillac still defies the digital onslaught by being the brand that glorifies the analogue tradition the company has established. It serves as a reminder that performance does not need to be digitised to be modern, or toned down to be responsible.
The clock is ticking to anyone who has ever struggled to envision a garage house with a CT4-V or CT5-V Blackwing parked in it. When they cease production in 2026, such cars will be the final true American sports sedans, manual, unapologetic, and purely alive. They could increase in value but their importance will grow even higher.
The Bottom Line
The CT4 and CT5 are being curtained, but the performance sedans of Cadillac are not over. A gasoline-powered CT5 of its fifth generation exists already, demonstrating that the brand can pay tribute to its legacy and nonetheless find its way in a fast-changing market.
The future of cars could be electric cars, but until this day, the roar of a V8 is worthy of attention. There will be still that roar echoing through the assembly lines at Lansing–a warning that Cadillac isn’t losing its love of driving yet. That is a heritage worth glorifying to the enthusiasts.
Source: Car And Driver
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