While other luxury brands saw their prices drop, the Cadillac average transaction price rose to a new level. Does this mark a shift in the luxury market?
For decades, Cadillac was the luxury leader in America, but when the brand didn’t evolve fast enough, most foreign brands surpassed Cadillac in price, volume, demand, and quality. If the November numbers are any indication, Cadillac has found its spot in the market once again and is one of the top choices for luxury shoppers in America. Buyers were willing to drop more dough on GM’s luxury arm than for a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi vehicle.
Luxury SUV sales show Cadillac vs BMW pricing in favor of the American brand
Something interesting happened in November 2025 that nobody saw coming. Cadillac’s average transaction price jumped to $87,739, passing up BMW, Mercedes, and Audi, while those German brands actually saw their prices drop. The Escalade keeps selling like crazy, and people buying Cadillac’s new EVs are coming from luxury brands with serious money to spend. Turns out American luxury might be having its moment again. Will Cadillac be able to hold onto this momentum, or will it be nothing more than a blip on the radar?
The Cadillac average transaction price is pretty impressive
Cadillac may have hit the luxury vehicle market trends at just the right time to show they are serious about an American luxury cars comeback tour. This luxury brand has several models with starting prices under $50,000, which makes it even more impressive that the brand achieved such a high average transaction price. That price shows a 29% increase over the same month last year, and Cadillac achieved a higher average transaction price than all other luxury brands except Land Rover and Porsche.
While others declined, Cadillac rose
The most impressive aspect of the increased average transaction price is that other brands went in the opposite direction. Most luxury brands saw their November average transaction prices decrease, but Escalade sales numbers were through the roof, and Cadillac Lyriq conquest rates were much better than expected. This means enough high-end Cadillac models were sold to offset the more affordable models and drive the average price up to nearly $90,000, putting Cadillac in some high-end company while securing much more in profits than anticipated.
What about the Celestiq?
The Cadillac Celestiq might seem like a great vehicle to boost the Cadillac average transaction price, and it certainly can. At $400,000 each, this high-end EV can truly push that average price much higher, but the Celestiq is an ultra-low-volume model, which means it can’t bring the average price up on its own. With only 25 models of this vehicle being produced, it’s not likely that enough Celestiq EVs were sold, if any, in November to bring up the average, which makes reaching a high average ticket price even more impressive than if the Celestiq were carrying the load.
The inventory needed was present on dealer lots
While many car dealers try not to keep too much inventory in stock, Cadillac dealers posted an estimated 100 days of inventory and supply through November. Although this is down from the 103 days posted a year ago, it is an increase over the 92 days posted in October. Having the right inventory in place can often create a surge in sales. Customers looking for something specific found it at Cadillac dealerships, as suggested by the increased average transaction price and impressive Escalade sales, which would be the Cadillac SUV that carried the day in terms of the high average price.
High-end Cadillac models are thriving
The Q3 sales report showed that Cadillac EV models, including the Lyriq, Optiq, and Vistiq are doing very well with more than 7,300 Lyriq models sold during the quarter. As you would expect, the Escalade saw a surge in sales with a 29% increase in the full-size luxury SUV. Additionally, the electric version of the Escalade, called the Escalade IQ, experienced impressive sales at 2,200 units during the quarter. Considering the cheapest model costs $127,405, the electric Escalade could have been a big part of the increased average transaction price for the brand.
No matter how the Cadillac average transaction price increased, it’s something that the brand would love to duplicate every month going forward. Being on top of the luxury vehicle pile, especially when other brands are BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, sure makes Cadillac look and feel great. The air must be getting thin up there in that rarified territory.
