AMERICA'S FAILED LUXURY CARS ARE STILL EVOLVING IN CHINA

A few years ago, General Motors made the decision to banish sedans from its showrooms, and it's been making good on that promise ever since. GM's sedans are iconic; names like Impala, Regal, and Seville are just a few that have dominated American roads over the past few decades. However, all of these cars are dead today, and the only sedans GM still sells in the US are the Cadillac CT5 and CT4, and their futures aren't looking very bright either.

So, where do sedans go when they die in the US? China, of course. The world's biggest auto market has been bucking the trends worldwide, with sedan sales continuing to grow despite the voracious consumer appetite for crossovers and SUVs. Two GM models have found a second life over there — the Cadillac CT6 and Buick LaCrosse — and both have been quietly turned into tech-filled flagships that have us looking longingly from afar. Will they ever return to our shores?

Cadillac’s Forgotten Flagship Refuses To Die

The Cadillac CT6 almost feels like a distant memory now, but at one point, it was GM's ambitious attempt to take on the dominant luxury flagships that had been eating Cadillac's lunch for decades. It debuted in 2016 to take on the likes of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and Lexus LS, and it did so with sharp looks and ample performance afforded by the athletic Omega platform and a myriad of powerful engines.

But it never caught on with customers. Even the introduction of the supremely underrated CT6-V wasn't enough to save it, and production for the US market ended in 2020 as the rest of the world fell apart. In China, however, it continued to evolve until an all-new generation debuted in 2024 that brought Escala-inspired styling and a comprehensive interior overhaul with the latest and greatest technology.

Under the hood sits the same turbocharged inline four from the previous CT6, a unit we're aware of thanks to its inclusion as the base powertrain in models like the XT4, CT5, and CT4. We guess Chinese consumers don't really care about power, because 237 horsepower in something that weighs nearly two tons is going to deliver leisurely acceleration times at best, but at least the CT6 comes in as the lightest car in its class, and it sports Magnetic Ride Control as standard.

This vehicle is all about soaking up the miles, and, in this respect, it really excels. It boasts a 122-inch wheelbase, which is the same wheelbase we received in our CT6, so that means one can expect about 46 inches of legroom in the front, and 40 inches in the rear. The interior is full of fine quilted leather and brushed aluminum surfaces, with the front dominated by a 33-inch 9k curved screen, the same one that recently debuted as an option on our CT5.

Other features include the available Super Cruise hands-free driving system and a 19-speaker AKG sound system, because you can't offer a flagship luxury car without the requisite bells and whistles. Besides the paltry powertrain, the car looks as enticing as ever, and that's before you get to its ¥289,900 starting price. This equates to roughly $40,769, or about $8,000 less than the starting price of our 2026 Cadillac CT5. This is shockingly affordable, almost too affordable, but we'll get to that more in a minute.

The Buick LaCrosse’s Quiet Second Life

The Buick LaCrosse follows a very similar path. The last generation sold in the US was the first to feel compelling in any real way. The same can be said for the contemporary Regal, yet GM still decided that Buick would become a crossover-only brand in the US starting in 2019. Of course, it survived in China with a facelift before receiving a comprehensive new generation in 2024. As many Buick products have done in recent years, it adopted the new corporate face inspired by the Wildcat concept and also improved the luxury and technology for the aspirational commuter.

This "PURE" design language is very hit-or-miss in our opinion, and here we can't decide which one it is. Regardless, it's long and tech-packed, with LED adaptive lighting elements on the top trims, loads of interior space, and the same powertrain found in the Cadillac, but with one less gear.

On the inside, it sports the Virtual Cockpit System with a 30-inch curved 6K display, which combines infotainment and gauges into one screen, and it offers wireless charging and advanced driver assistant aids, too. The Avenir trim brings upgraded materials with nicer leather and even acoustic glass, and the exterior is also offered in unique two-tone paint schemes that appear to be big hits with buyers.

Just like in the US, this Buick also comes in quite a bit cheaper than the Cadillac, starting at ¥159,900, or approximately $22,490, for the base Platinum trim. Even half of these features for that price is a strikingly great deal, and, once again, there's good reason for this.

Why These Cars Thrive In China

Both of these vehicles share a common theme: they're flagship luxury models from two storied American brands packed with technology, luxury, and comfort at great prices. This has been GM's M.O. in China for nearly three decades now, and its success stems from a focus on what buyers want and how the Chinese auto industry functions as a whole.

GM first entered the Chinese automotive market in 1997 with Buick, a smart move since the brand was seen as an aspirational one going back to the 1930s. The only way for an outside automaker to sell its products in China is through a partnership with a government-owned subsidiary, and, in this case, it was a 50:50 deal with SAIC. This gave GM a foothold in the country with direct government support, and soon sales exploded, as it rushed to bring other brands like Chevy and Cadillac to the country in the coming years.

We're not here to judge the merits of such a partnership, as we acknowledge there's plenty of valid criticism regarding them. However, it gave GM access to resources it wouldn't have had on its own, and an intimate look at what consumers wanted. Pretty soon, GM realized that what they wanted wasn't what the rest of the world wanted, namely crossovers, SUVs, and hatchbacks, with many buyers gravitating towards long-wheelbase sedans with luxury badges, or ones that merely punched above their weight.

While it is true that during the Chinese auto industry boom of the early 2000s, long-wheelbase sedans from American brands were seen as status symbols, and that's why buyers wanted them, this isn't necessarily the case anymore. The country's own brands have caught up in recent years, dulling the luster of American models that once succeeded substantially on their reputation (where have we seen this one before?)

This is why recent updates have been much more substantial, and government investment has allowed the brands to keep the costs of the models down in comparison with our own vehicles. We'd kill to be able to purchase a car like the current CT6 for $40,000, especially one with a 33-inch 9K screen. Buyers in China want the most room for the most value, and they'd rather have it in something long, sleek, and low, as opposed to something unnecessarily large, like a crossover or SUV.

These models also act as technology incubators, allowing these brands to fine-tune platforms and even explore future advanced EV tech that, hopefully, one day we'll see here.

Could GM’s Big Sedans Ever Return To America?

So, is there any chance we'll see either of these cars back on our shores anytime soon? While we can't say for sure, our best guess would land somewhere between highly unlikely and most certainly not, but you figured that, right?

GM is beyond the point of caring about sedans because you, the consumer, are past caring about sedans. We have proven time and time again that, unless the sedan sports the right badge, looks, performance, and set of features, we don't want it, and even then, sales for those models are slipping as crossovers improve in each of these areas. In a world where most families can barely afford a single vehicle, the idea of buying one that's inherently limited in space simply isn't reasonable for most buyers.

Additionally, both of these cars have now reached new generations in China, meaning they were designed and engineered for that market, and bringing over the necessary tooling and expertise to build them here wouldn't make any financial sense. GM could produce them there and ship them to the US, but given the recent Tariff war, this idea would simply be laughed out of the room.

However, all of this plays second fiddle to the biggest roadblock in the way: current sales figures. Both nameplates have seen their sales drop dramatically over the past few years, and even the introduction of the new generations has done little to halt the skids. As we said, both of these brands aren't as highly regarded as they once were, especially in a market with a voracious appetite for new electric products, and increasingly competitive, and often superior, Chinese offerings. Even with recent price cuts on the models, if they aren't selling well in China, why would they do any better here?

If we ever do see these nameplates return to our soil, they'll likely be something completely different. Crossovers are an easy guess, but, at the very least, they're likely to be electrified in some way, either wholly or partially. They'll be forced to evolve with the times, just like they've done in China, and in doing so, hopefully they'll survive long enough for consumer tastes to come back around on sedans once again.

Sources:The Drive, Motor1, ChinaCarHistory

2025-11-04T04:09:44Z