Cadillac planning eight new models by 2022

Company boss de Nysschen wants to make sure \"Cadillacs are parked in the right driveways again.\"

Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen has outlined how he plans to take on the biggest players in the luxury segment.

The former Audi executive is facing a Herculean task. In his own words, his team needs to "reinstate exclusivity, reinvent luxury, and add crossovers to make sure that Cadillacs are parked in the right driveways again."

Building more desirable products is key to achieving those goals, de Nysschen told Automobile Magazine. The product offensive will primarily focus on crossovers, which are in hot demand all around the globe. By 2022, Cadillac's lineup will include an entry-level soft-roader named XT1, a bigger model named XT3, the existing XT5, and a range-topping crossover dubbed either XT7 or XT8. The Escalade will presumably fill the void between the XT5 and and the XT7.

The aforementioned XTs will be aimed at the BMW X1, X3, X5, and X7, respectively. They'll collectively represent a majority of Cadillac sales in the United States and abroad, but General Motors' flagship brand isn't giving up on sedans.

An entry-level model named CT1 will arrive in 2021, according to Automobile. The ATS will be replaced by the CT3, which will be about the same size as the next Mercedes-Benz CLA. The CT5 will succeed the CTS, and a flagship named CT8 will join the CT6 (pictured) to battle against the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

All of the aforementioned cars will be developed with the United States and China in mind. Cadillac will continue to sell cars in Europe, but de Nysschen expects the brand will remain a niche player in the luxury segment because it's not shooting for all-out volume.

"We are consciously going down different avenues from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes," summed up the executive.