The Cadillac XT5 replaces the old SRX.

It’s a big year for Cadillac as the maker rolls out a procession of new and updated product, and in an unusual move, General Motors’ flagship brand has headed to the Middle East to introduce the replacement for its aging SRX crossover-utility vehicle.

Like other new models, the new XT5 unveiled at the Dubai Motor Show adopts a new alphanumeric naming strategy first launched with the big CT6 sedan. It slots into one of the most important niches in the utility vehicle segment, just beneath the full-size Escalade – the only Cadillac model that will retain its traditional name.

“The XT5 not only enters the most popular segment in the worldwide luxury auto market, it is the first of four new crossovers from Cadillac,” Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said in a statement. “It’s pivotal to our ongoing growth, which is why we’ve developed XT5 from the inside out to provide customers with more space, technology, luxury and efficiency.”

The new utility vehicle picks up on Caddy’s familiar Art & Science design language, notably the slatted grille and vertical head and taillights. Like the older SRX, the new Cadillac XT5 maintains a coupe-like roofline, though it adopts a more steeply raked windshield.

After its Dubai debut, Cadillac will show the XT5 off at the 2015 LA Auto Show.

The overall presence is a little more refined, as is the interior which is meant to give the new model a sophisticated and refined feel more in line with key German competitors.

As with the all-new Cadillac CT6, the XT5 adopts a unique rearview mirror system that allows a driver to switch from a conventional mirror – required by federal law – to a video display that projects a similar image, albeit without obstacles such as the vehicle’s pillars and the heads of backseat passengers.

The XT5 also offers the latest version of the Cadillac Cue infotainment system which, GM global product chief Mark Reuss notes, uses a faster processing system and improved software to make it more responsive to commands, both on its touchscreen and by voice.

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The Cadillac XT5 gets a more refined interior with an updated Caddy Cueon a pop-up screen.

The U.S. version of the XT5 will feature a new 3.6-liter V-6 making 310 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The system features a version of GM’s displacement on demand technology which saves fuel by shutting off two of the cylinders when demand for power is light.

In China, now Cadillac’s second-largest market, buyers will have a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four option.

While GM officials have not officially confirmed plans, the XT5 is eventually expected to have a new plug-in hybrid option, as well. That battery-based system was unveiled in the new CT6 sedan during the Beijing Motor Show earlier this year. A plug-based system would be particularly useful in the Chinese market where many cities now restrict the number of new vehicles that can be registered each month, rules that qualifying battery vehicles sidestep.

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The new Cadillac XT5 is part of a $12 billion program intended to help the brand regain its once lofty standing as the self-described “Standard of the World.” It follows the CT6 to market, as well as V-Series performance versions of the midsize CTS and compact ATS models.

Expect to see several other new Caddy utility vehicles follow close behind the new XT5.

Cadillac has plans to add a number of other all-new offerings in the next few years, de Nysschen has told TheDetroitBureau.com. These include two other crossovers, an entry sedan to tackle the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and several other new entries.

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The decision to debut the XT5 at the Dubai Motor Show reflects the strong demand for luxury utility vehicles in the Middle East. The new crossover will make its North American debut later this month at the Los Angeles Motor Show.