General Motors plans to position Cadillac as its lead electric-vehicle brand and a new report claims the strategy will even affect the Escalade luxury SUV.
Citing an anonymous source familiar with Cadillac product plans, Cadillac Society reported on Saturday that a 400-mile battery-electric version of the Escalade is in the pipeline. The source said to look for the Escalade EV further into the next-generation SUV's lifecycle. The all-electric Escalade likely won't bow alongside the standard vehicle, whenever that may be. All information points to the new luxury SUV launching for the 2021 model year. The next Escalade may debut later this year, but if not, likely in 2020.
2021 Cadillac Escalade spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Motor Authority friend and industry insider Manoli Katakis of Muscle Cars & Trucks told us the Escalade EV is set to be one of two bookends for the luxury SUV nameplate with the Camaro ZL1-powered model as the other bookend. Recall, the website first reported on a supercharged V-8-powered Escalade coming to tackle the high-performance end of the SUV segment.
While an electric Escalade would mark a major shift in the nameplate's history, it's perhaps the touted range that's most impressive. With 400 miles, that would make the Escalade one of the longest-range electric vehicles on the market. Currently, the Tesla Model X tops out at 325 miles of range and the Model S at 370 miles of range. A big, square vehicle like the Escalade would need a really big battery pack to get 400 miles of range.
2021 Cadillac Escalade spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
The Escalade EV may also give us our first look at how an electric powertrain packages into a full-size truck. GM has said it has an electric pickup in development, and if it's related to the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra, it will ride on the automaker's T1 platform. The next Escalade, Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon will also share the same architecture as GM's full-size trucks.
Motor Authority reached out to Cadillac for comment regarding an all-electric Escalade and will update this report should we hear back.
