2016 Cadillac CT6 Launches the $12 Billion Comeback

It’s wrong to call Cadillac's attempt to break into the top echelon of European luxury brands “Sisyphean.” In the Greek myth, the tricky king cursed to roll a boulder up a hill forever finds it slipping away just as it reaches the crest. In its case, Cadillac has kept the rock rolling — it's just the hill that's grown steeper.

Proof of that arrived tonight in the shape of the 2016 Cadillac CT6, a new flagship sedan for General Motors’ luxury arm and the tip of a $12 billion flurry of eight models arriving by 2020. Billed as the most advanced vehicle ever bolted — or in its case, laser-welded and glued together — by GM, the new sedan will sport up to 400 hp and new technology like four-wheel steering and a 34-speaker stereo system.

In a realm where Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi dominate, Cadillac has made some gains, but not as much as GM has hoped. Starting from the original CTS sedan unveiled in 2002, a car meant to atone for engineering crimes like the Cimarron, Cadillac has steadily built a stable of dynamically accomplished sedans and popular full-size SUVs. What it hasn’t built is an audience; sales in 2014 were down 6.5 percent to in a growing market, as those German automakers threw a parade of new models at American buyers. More importantly, Cadillac’s efforts to charge near-German prices rather than the discount many buyers demanded ran into static from dealers.