Cadillac is one automaker that’s making a dramatic and aggressive push in beefing up its lineup. That pursuit includes a small sedan, called the CT3, that will compete against German rivals like the Mercedes CLA-Class and Audi A3. Cadillac chief, Johan de Nysschen, dropped a few tidbits about the compact sedan, including the fact that it will come standard with rear-wheel drive. More importantly, its range-topping version will be faster than its competitors around the Nurburgring.

In a conversation with Jalopnik, Caddy boss Johan de Nysschen didn’t mince words describing the CT3’s potential. In his mind, the sedan “will certainly lap the Nürburgring faster than anyone of our competitors in that category, if they care about that.” The big boss sounds confident about the sedan’s ability, and why wouldn’t he be? Cadillac has a strong reputation for building some surprisingly fast and powerful sedans that are aces in the handling department as well.

It’s certainly within Cadillac’s reach if it wants to develop a car that has the chops to beat its German rivals, but the more important question is whether the company should still focus on making sedans as opposed to beefing up its crossover and SUV lineup. It’s not a popular sentiment to adhere to growing automotive trends, but it is a fact that Cadillac still lags behind the field as far as its crossover and SUV offers are concerned. The arrival of the XT4 is going to help in that regard, but with the crossover in the fold, Caddy would still have just two models in a segment where its rivals are throwing out over five different crossover and SUV versions with multiple trims of their own.

If Cadillac wants to develop the CT3 as a segment-conquering sedan, it can do that without batting an eyelash. It has the know-how and the resources to make it happen. But is it going to sell as well as a crossover and SUV? I’d be surprised if it did. To his credit, de Nysschen understands that a CT3 isn’t going to move the needle as far as sales volume is concerned. But, if it means giving drivers an experience driving the sedan, then it seems that Caddy’s willing to make that compromise. “Some models are conceived specifically to generate broad volume, and others have a far more specific duty,” he said.

Care to venture a guess what category the CT3 lands in?

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Mercedes-AMG CLA45.

Read our full review on the 2018 Audi RS3 Sedan.

Read more Cadillac news.