This is Cadillac's new BMW X5-fighting XT5

If you’ve been wondering why Cadillac, which is defined almost solely by the Escalade, has not added more SUVs and CUVs to its range, you can stop now.

Cadillac has pulled the wraps off the new XT5, its replacement for the SRX. The BMW X5 and Volvo XC60 competitor is the first of four new crossovers to appear from the rapidly evolving US luxury brand.

The other three crossovers are slated to be a sub-compact and compact beneath the XT5. And another model between the XT5 and the Escalade.

We haven’t yet had the chance to drive the XT5, but the spec sheet looks promising.

Subscribing to the same lightweighting philosophy as the new Chevys, the all-new XT5 is a full 126kg lighter than the outgoing SRX.

The base engine will be the 3.6-litre 310bhp V6 used in the CTS and ATS saloons, mated to an eight-speed transmission, which is electronically controlled for the first time on a Cadillac.

The XT5 will be available with an all-wheel drive system which can be disengaged to save fuel. No big news on the interior other than that the CUE infotainment system has been treated to a most welcome upgrade.

Production of the XT5 starts in Spring 2016, so expect to see it on the roads - in the US and China - shortly thereafter.