It’s only now that Chinese buyers are getting the full lowdown on the XT4 for their market as Cadillac launches the Volvo XC40 rival alongside a sport GT4 and the CT6 sedan in a major product offensive. And for the most part, the Chinese XT4 package mirrors what was revealed to North American audiences a few months back. The exterior gets a major makeover via slimline vertically-mounted, boomerang-shaped LEDs and hidden, stacked LED headlights, and a more modern grille.
But while base-spec U.S. cars feature
modest 18-inch wheels with 20s as an option, Cadillac only mentions 20-inch
rims for the Chinese version. Things flip the other way when it comes to
powertrains, however. North American XT4s are only available with one engine, a
2.0-liter turbo-four making 235 hp and 349 Nm of
torque connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission, and optionally
available with all-wheel drive. Chinese buyers can have a mild-hybrid 2.0 motor
producing the same power, but they can also downgrade to a smaller 1.5-liter
engine.
Inside, there’s a Lyriq-inspired dashboard
complete with a 33-inch screen, just like on U.S. cars, and powered by the same
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and offering 5G connectivity and over-air
updates. Cadillac China seems particularly pleased with its voice command
operation of major car controls and claims the dialog between car and driver is
now more similar to natural human conversation.
Caddy’s Chinese arm also thinks the XT4
will prove particularly appealing to youthful luxury buyers who might be new to
the Cadillac brand, which probably isn’t something you could say of the U.S.
version. That U.S. version, by the way, starts at US$ 36,295 plus US$ 1,195 of
destination charges, while the three Chinese trim grades cost between RMB
229,700-275,700 (US$ 32,475-38,978).
