Cadillac on Monday announced plans to create a fully electric iteration of its biggest SUV, the Escalade, plus a tease of the timeline: The electric version, called Escalade IQ, will bow later this year.
According to Cadillac, the Escalade IQ “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.”
The Escalade IQ, which slots in next to the Cadillac Lyriq crossover and upcoming Cadillac Celestiq as all-electric, continues the brand’s EV nomenclature, with a twist. “The IQ naming strategy celebrates Cadillac introducing a different type of EV to the market—one that works in tandem with people’s daily lives and environments,” explained Cadillac.
Teaser for Cadillac Escalade IQ debuting in 2023
Those environments likely won’t include compact parking spaces or tight city streets. As it stands, the gasoline (or diesel) Escalade ESV measures almost 19 feet long, with a width of 81.1 inches and a garage-door-challenging height of 76.7 inches. That’s neither as high nor as wide as the GMC Hummer EV, though the electric Escalade is likely to weigh far more than the gasoline models’ approximately 6,000 pounds.
EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2023 Escalade range from 23 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive and the turbo-diesel down to just 13 mpg combined for the performance-oriented Escalade V. In range, the GMC Hummer EV SUV will go an EPA-cycle 314 miles on a 170-kwh battery pack, according to the company.
Cadillac has said that three new Cadillac EVs will bow in 2023, with all three due to go into production in 2024.
An Escalade EV has been long in the works. In late 2019 the brand’s then-president Steve Carlisle confirmed the electric Escalade project, although the company hasn’t provided updates.
2023 Cadillac Lyriq
Cadillac’s shift to being a fully electric brand by 2030 is well underway. The plan was essentially set in motion when GM announced in January 2019 that Cadillac would become the “lead electric vehicle brand” for GM, and the first GM brand to introduce a vehicle built on the so-called BEV3 platform that later became known as Ultium.
The first Cadillac EV didn’t arrive until last year, with the Lyriq, but it did also last decade sell the plug-in hybrid Cadillac ELR, a well-conceived but poorly marketed luxury coupe built on Chevy Volt bones.
