The all-electric Cadillac Escalade SUV we expected, eventually, is actually happening, the luxury automaker announced today. The electric full-size luxury SUV will debut later in 2023, and might not share much mechanically with the old-school, gas-fed Escalade, given it likely will utilize GM’s Ultium EV platform, which also sits under the Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, and upcoming GMC Sierra EV. And it’ll also get a new name—sort of.
In fact, the biggest surprise in Cadillac’s announcement is the proposed name for the electric Escalade: “Escalade IQ.” Not only is that weirdly close to Mercedes-Benz’s EQ electric sub-brand—and the literal name of a onetime Scion microcar—but it’s a pretty half-assed bridge between Cadillac’s other current and upcoming EVs, the Lyriq and the Celestiq, and, well, the iconic Escalade nameplate. We get it, Cadillac couldn’t have named this thing the “Escaladiq” or whatever, but tacking the “-iq” part of the other EVs’ names onto the original’s moniker seems a bit forced.
Of course, to Cadillac, the IQ thing is serious. It notes “The IQ designation is Cadillac’s EV nomenclature and first debuted on the LYRIQ.” (Capitalization is Cadillac’s—it also shoutily refers to this new electric luxury SUV as the “ESCALADE IQ. “) But hey, let’s look at the positives—Cadillac is going to be an all-electric brand eventually, which means even its profit-center Escalade SUV is going to need to ditch electrification.
What isn’t clear at present is whether this IQ-ified Escalade will go on sale alongside the gas-fed models, or replace those outright. Cadillac says the EV “promises the same commitment to craftsmanship, technology and performance that has helped the Escalade nameplate dominate the large luxury SUV segment for the last 20 years” before noting how it’ll join the Lyriq and other models in electrifying the brand.
We wouldn’t worry too much about power. Even the mightiest current Escalade V model’s 668-hp supercharged V-8 is easily eclipsed by the Ultium electric powertrains coming up; heck, you can get the Hummer EV pickup with over 1,000 hp. The regular Escalade’s 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 will seem like a distant hiccup by comparison. Either way, we can’t wait to see how Cadillac transforms the Escalade into something electric.
Read the full article here