Just last September, Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen was adamant that the luxury brand would not back off its high(er) sticker prices or introduce incentives.

Well, that didn’t last long because on Wednesday, Cadillac sent a memo to dealers announcing price cuts ranging from $1.000 to $3,000 for most 2015 CTS sedans, effective immediately, while also adding content on select trim grades.

According to the paper obtained by Autonews, Cadillac told dealers that it reduced CTS prices “after receiving feedback from both dealers and customers” to “enhance its competitiveness in the marketplace and to help you sell more cars.”

The memo also mentioned that the new pricing “provides a more compelling price point for our returning CTS loyalists when moving up into a new, more sophisticated 2015 CTS.”

When Cadillac launched the new 2014 CTS in the fall of 2013, it increased pricing over the outgoing model from around $7,000 to $15,000, bringing the mid-size sedan closer to the German premium competition.

GM argued that the higher prices were justified because the new CTS was a bigger car  and offered much better performance and features than its predecessor, positioning it directly against the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell confirmed the price cuts: “We’re taking what we’ve seen are the more desirable optional features for customers and making them more readily available,” he told Autonews. “Once a car has been on the market for a while, it’s not unusual to look at the customer behavior and try to optimize for it.”

Cadillac’s sales dropped 7 percent last year, versus a 6 percent increase for the premium market overall. The CTS’ sales fell 4 percent to 31,115, compared to a 3 percent decline for the segment, with BMW’s 5-Series dropping 7 percent to 52,704 units and Mercedes’ E-Class by -5 percent to 66,500 cars. However (and despite what GM claimed), Cadillac’s dealers offered higher incentives than the competition at $9,213 versus the 5-series’ $6,831 and the E class’ $7,219.

According to the memo, while the base CTS and range-topping CTS V Sport (not to be confused with the upcoming 640hp CTS-V) keep the same prices as before at $46,340 and $71,880 respectively, other 2015 CTS models see their sticker prices lowered by up to $3,000. For example, the Premium Collection 3.6-liter V6 fell from $65,767 to $62,765, including destination, while the 2.0 Turbo Collection now costs $56,665, a $2,000 reduction.

Furthermore, the UltraView sunroof with navigation and a higher-end Bose sound system that were previously a $2,155 option, are now offered as standard on Luxury models.

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