Cadillac will launch an all-electric version of its flagship SUV, to be called the Escalade IQ, later this year, one of three battery-powered models the luxury brand previously said it would unveil in 2023.
The automaker offered few details about the Cadillac Escalade IQ, but several sources indicated the big SUV will go into production sometime in 2024, likely as a 2025 model.
Set to join the previously announced Cadillac Celestiq, as well as the brand’s first EV, the Lyriq, a statement by the automaker said it “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.”
Multiple versions likely
The Escalade nameplate first appeared in 1998 as a 1999 model. It was then little more than a badge-engineered take on the less luxurious GMC Yukon Denali. A second, more distinctive version debuted three years later. It quickly caught up to its primary competitor, the Lincoln Navigator, and has largely dominated the full-size luxury SUV segment ever since.
Over the years, a number of variant models have been introduced and, today, the fifth-generation Cadillac Escalade is sold in both standard and long-wheelbase versions. There’s also an Escalade-V, part of Caddy’s high-performance V-Series line.
Expect to see both a standard-length version of the all-electric Escalade IQ, said Sam Fiorani, chief analyst with AutoForecast Solutions, as well as a stretched Escalade IQL.
ICE model to remain in production — for now
While he expects to see the electric version of the luxury SUV reach showrooms sometime next year, Fiorani said his production chart shows the current gas-powered Escalade — launched in 2021 — to remain in production through at least 2027.
That reflects the fact that many luxury buyers still aren’t ready to go electric. And the Escalade IQ will likely undergo improvements to range, as well as performance and other features, over the next few years.
The electric model will be based on one of the “Ultium” platforms being developed by Caddy parent General Motors. Known internally as the Ultim BT1 architecture, it will be shared with other large SUVs built by sibling brands such as Chevrolet and GMC. But it will feature unique, luxury-oriented upgrades for Cadillac.
Cadillac’s all-electric shift
The high-line marque launched its first all-electric model in 2022, though production of the rear-wheel-drive Lyriq has been running at a snail’s pace. GM officials have not explained the reason behind the inordinately slow ramp-up, leading observers to spotlight possible issues with the Ultium battery technology or its controlling software system.
Lyriq production is expected to accelerate this year as the automaker adds an all-wheel-drive version.
Caddy is also working on a new flagship model, the Celestiq. An exotic grand tourer, it will be priced in the $300,000 range, the automaker has indicated. That will put it up against supercar brands such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, even Bentley.
At least two more EVs coming this year
Cadillac has yet to offer any details about the other two EVs it will reveal this year — but Fiorani’s playbook indicates at least one of them will be the all-electric alternative to the current, gas-powered Cadillac XT4. That would position the EV below the Lyriq within the Cadillac line-up.
It’s expected that model will adopt a name using the IQ designation. It is, a statement, “Cadillac’s (new) EV nomenclature and first debuted on the Lyriq.”
New Mercedes-Benz EVs are using the EQ designation to distinguish them from the brand’s gas models. Volkswagen is taking a similar approach with its new ID badge.
Ending ICE
In April 2021, Rory Harvey, then the newly named head of Cadillac, told journalists that “we will not be selling ICE (or internal combustion engine) vehicles by 2030.”
A number of other luxury brands, such as Volvo, Jaguar and Polestar, have announced similar plans. Others, such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, are heading in that direction.