The new Cadillac Escalade IQ to be unveiled in 2023.
The SUV should use the same Ultium EV platform.
Expect the Escalade IQ to be heavy.
It was bound to happen, but now it’s finally confirmed: the Cadillac Escalade will go electric in a few months. The new model, to be called Escalade IQ, has been confirmed by General Motors’ most prestigious division, the pure electric full-size SUV that will join the Lyriq crossover and the Celestiq sedan in the brand’s lineup.
By the way, we should expect two versions of the famous SUV, as GM had already registered the names Escalade IQ and Escalade IQL, which shows the brand’s interest in offering a long version of the massive vehicle.
For now, Cadillac is only announcing that the Escalade IQ will be introduced later this year, most likely as a 2024 model. These are the only details the brand has released, though we can expect the same Ultium platform to be used under the Escalade’s electric body.
And since it’s a prestigious model, it’s quite likely that engineers have integrated a third engine as is currently the case in the GMC Hummer EV pickup. The power of this future Cadillac Escalade IQ should therefore, in principle, surpass the 800-horsepower mark.
On the other hand, this new Escalade of the electric era will not be a lightweight. With the astronomical weight of the first two GMC Hummer SUVs, the Escalade IQ lineup is likely to be as heavy as the other big vehicles planned on this Ultium platform (Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, etc.).
Now it remains to be seen whether the automaker will be tempted to add a pickup version to the Escalade IQ, as Cadillac has marketed the EXT version in the past, though this strategy would certainly cannibalize sales of the Hummer pickup.
And we can expect more electric unveilings from Cadillac this year, according to information obtained by the American magazine Car and Driver.
