Big changes are afoot at General Motors as the automaker moves to transition to all-electric powertrains. Among the changes are plans to launch several new EV sub-brands, which, according to a recent report, may include a sub-brand taking leveraging the Cadillac Escalade nameplate.
Originally launched in the late ‘90s, the Cadillac Escalade is now considered an icon of the luxury SUV segment, with the latest fifth-generation model debuting for the 2021 model year. Looking ahead, however, a new report from Car and Driver indicates that GM may launch a new all-electric sub-brand under the Cadillac Escalade name.
Citing anonymous insider sources at GM, Car and Driver reports that if green-lighted, the Cadillac Escalade sub-brand may contain a variety of different vehicles hitting multiple different segments. Among these will be a new all-electric three-row crossover, which will slot in under the full-size Cadillac Escalade SUV in terms of exterior dimensions, while still seating seven passengers in the cabin. The new seven-seat crossover would line up with the upcoming, all-electric Porsche K1 three-row crossover, and could be sold in the U.S. and Chinese markets.
In addition, the new Cadillac Escalade sub-brand may introduce a new all-electric “carlike” crossover. This particular model would reportedly add a splash of off-road flair to the equation, taking on an “all-terrain” attitude for those customers who don’t mind playing with their luxury vehicle in the dirt.
Finally, the upcoming Cadillac Escalade sub-brand may also spawn a new luxury MPV, which, according to the report, may initially be sold as a Chinese-market exclusive.
All of this echoes GM’s plans for the Chevy Corvette nameplate, which, as GM Authority has covered numerous times in the past, is also set to launch as a new all-electric sub-brand in the near future, spawning GM Ultium-powered models in the sedan and crossover segments around the 2025 calendar year.
We’ll certainly keep an eye on this, so stay tuned. In the meantime, remember to subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac Escalade news, Cadillac news, GM electric vehicle news, GM business news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
The absolute last things the auto industry needs are more crossovers/CUV’s and EVs. WTF man?
This is what you get with woke women running the company.
uh-oh keyboard warrior ANGERY!!! 😡😡😡
Troll
Agreed. I’ll keep it even more simple. GM has tried “sub-brands” time and time again; they don’t work. Marquette, Viking, LaSalle, even Corvair. The only one that stuck around was Pontiac. As others have pointed, theyre all sold at the same dealerships as their parent brand, so its a “sub brand” on paper only. All you have to look at is today’s Avenir “sub brand”. Go ask 100 people on the street if they’ve heard of it….. BTW, I’m not a boomer either…
Won’t happen. I’m sure there’s some new wokie in marketing saying “we really need to get rid of these giant SUV’s to save the planet” but when the Escalade is the only reason Cadillac meets its quarterly earning goals, there’s no way this is any more than corporate board gossip.
Also, that prior article about the Camaro becoming an EV sub brand, I’m now writing that off as gossip because while that one was way more likely, this really goes to show that GMA’s insider source isn’t what I would call reliable. We actually saw a hellcat Pacifica concept that obviously never went to market. GM hasn’t even dumped a camaro EV concept yet.
FYI on Stella, anybody else see they closed down their 4XE line for the Cherokee over economic restraints???? Talk is cheap
I swear the upset boomer comments with the completely irrelevant mentions about woke-ness on this site always make me chuckle. It’s all so predictable, cringy, and flat-out uninformed. I realize you may not like to hear it, but GM isn’t trying to targeting you much anymore because your generation is quickly becoming irrelevant from a buying power standpoint (amongst others but that’s the one we’re talking about in this equation).
Truth is, people WANT CUVs (yes even people in your generation because they are much easier to get in and out of than sedans) and EVs. GM literally can’t make enough of either one of them. Sounds like extremely good business to me. Just because you PERSONALLY would like a CT6 with a V8, whitewalls, and a Landau roof doesn’t mean anyone else does. GM leaders don’t look at anecdotal evidence from crotchety people on the internet. They look at actual sales and forecasting data. I can’t believe I have to even type any of this out it’s all so obvious.
Let me know if you need directions to another void you can scream into.
I’m not a Boomer and won’t comment on the “woke” stuff, but will say you are right about Boomer women wanting CUVs. I’d say most Boomer men seem to drive a pickup truck, when not in their Corvette. At least that’s what I see on the road daily and when looking around at family, friends, and neighbors. Which gets back to my question. Just how many different options do old women need for all these CUVs?
I’m gen Z
Lol. Sure you are. The only people who use the word “woke” unironically are boomers and Gen-x.
GM is a business first and foremost and its primary goal is to make money and the company knows more about segment trends than you ever possibly could.
And people who are from the heartland and were in the workforce since 16 and relate more to boomers and Gen X then millennials. Pretty much all my coworkers are 20 years older than me. I’m fed up with the squishy nonsense from my generation. Rub some dirt on it and wake up wokies.
“GM leaders don’t look at anecdotal evidence from crotchety people on the internet.”
Not so fast Ope….they do seem to favor crotchety, deranged people on Twitter. Just have a look at their recent knee-jerk reaction to that paradise of well-educated, emotionally stable people…
This says on full blast that Cadillac is a dead man walking in the US unable to compete with the prestige of Porche and other upmarket brands.
Escalade is the only Cadillac to successfully compete so Barra is chopping it off and using the name plate as a halo to market prestige. This is similar to how FIAT amputated RAM from Dodge and now Wagoneer from Jeep and 500 from FIAT.
Cadillac became grandpa’s car forever associated with FWD Fleetwood and regardless of how well engineered CT6 it couldn’t gain traction.
In a open to market open to the World where over the past 30 years new brands have been introduced somehow Cadillac got lost in the mix. Escalade is the brands only stand out so I comprehend the effort. FCA/Stellantis sells every brand on the same lot like an auto mall so has more flexibility. A Corvette sub brand is silly on a Chevrolet only lot and Escalade is clearly a gimmick if only sold beside Cadillac.
Other than the Escalade, the LYRIQ is sold out for ’23 with a long wait list for ’24 and the ’24 CELESTIQ had been sold out and have a long wait list also. Even the Blackwings have a long wait list.
Also, market share is climbing on the regular CT and XT models.
I don’t need to say much about the CT6 but the interior was pathetic for a car costing $60K-$90K and the car was not 90% of a true flagship coming from the best from Germany. Yes, the chassis was exceptional but the interior was awful.
A lot of people seems to be excited and interested about the current and future Cadillac line-up, more so the latter.
The Escalade, the Camaro and Corvette are popular because of what the are and what they do well. In my opinion putting those badges on other types of vehicles just denigrates their prestige. I’d be embarrassed to tell my friends that I bought an Escalade only to have them see me driving a little fwd crossover!
Obviously never drove a CTS-V.
For sure. I had an LMR 900hp package on my 2012 Vagen. Loved the wagon but got tired of every person in a Mustang, Corvette, or Camaro wanting to race me.
The Escalade sub-brand makes more sense than the Camaro’s.
My concerns are that the styling of the three row & car-like crossover and minivan needs styling and aura like the IQ and IQL models to make it work whenever we see the BEV models which should be soon.
The LYRIQ does not resemble the Escalade but it has an aura around it that people want to buy unlike the current XT models. The current Escalade and LYRIQ has that it factor and the sub-brand needs that same magic to make it work.
The minivan don’t need to be exclusive to China only and I believe that there is a business case for a luxury minivan that soccer mom and dads would love to step into. Cadillac could revive the luxury minivan niche here in this market where the Mercedes R Class failed and left after that. The Chrysler Pacifica does not go far enough.
If this will be a true sub-brand, will it be called Escalade “whatever” instead or Cadillac Escalade “whatever” while being under the Cadillac name? A true sub-brand does not have a former brand in front of it unlike Ford Mustang and Bronco as a sub-brand. RAM separated from Dodge successfully and made it work and no one use dodge in front of RAM when you talk to people about the current line-up.
I don’t really know how I feel about this, I can’t say it’s terrible and I do think that people would buy these vehicles.
Damn it. Who’s the executive who came up with this stupid, horrible idea? He must be a spy for Toyota or Hyundai. Unless GM fires them immediately, GM’s future will be like a gutter.
GM will go out of business if they lose the profit from their ICE Yukons, Escalades, Tahoes and Suburbans. Most of these owners drive or tow with these rigs long distances and live in colder climates for the 4×4 . We drive to and from Florida from Michigan 3 times a year with some of those drives non stop except for fuel. A 20 hour trip will turn into a multi day charging nightmare. NO THANKS!!!!!!!
Was at the Chevy dealers last week with my grandson showing him what the car industry is all about. I’m from a family with over 150 years in the custom car industry as well as 4 generations of custom pinstripers. I want him to know what’s going on with cars and why we personalize them. At this dealer, there were two transporters loaded with Tahoes and Subs. The manager and staff were checking each vehicle for damage. I asked him if they are selling, and his reply… “we cannot keep up with demand”. Then I asked about the EV thing…He said…” not much interest right now but we’ll see. Everyone is buying Trucks, Subs, and Tahoes” This is Texas and we have all kinds of CUVs and SUVs on the road. Not many EVs around here but I am sure that will change in the coming years as long as people never see how the battery materials are mined and how they use petroleum to manufacture EVs directly and indirectly. I like all cars as long as they can be personalized to YOU.
@Mike H: I really need to start writing down the article and such when I read them, thus allowing me to share that info later. Anyhow, last week I read a very interesting article where they interviewed some guy who’s been studying climate change, EV’s, ICE and so on. This guy really dug deep into the effects of both ICE and EV and gave some quite harsh evaluations of EV when looked at from his viewpoint (research). He seemed (IMO) to be looking at this from a view not really seen by most of us. He spoke about the mining of the minerals for the EV’s and all, but he has also studied the same things from ICE. The way the article was going, I was expecting them to say that EV was NOT the way to be going. I would have been wrong. According to him, the EV’s need to find ways to become cleaner in the production of the vehicles and we are heading that way (which is good). But there are also many evils for the production of ICE and in the end, the ICE is worse for the earth than the EV. But keep in mind, the ICE has been around for over 100 years and there’s not much more room for improvement. On the other hand, EV’s are probably at their worst and will only get cleaner.
I agree. Good detailed info there. My daughter drives a Tesla and loves it but she loves her 400 HP 1963 Nova much better. It is more fun. Like most humans, I think we all can agree that EVs and ICE can exist together. Because I am not getting rid of my custom cars and hot rods. Yes, there are still issues with ICE and what they run on but oil drilling is much better for the environment than say Lithium mining. The larger issue which is never addressed in the media, the guys who work on drilling rigs are paid very well which cannot be said for areas of the world using cheap labor to mine EV battery resources. A major petroleum company just finished drilling and setting up production on our family property and when they finished I could barely tell they were even there. They really did some nice landscaping. But we’re in Texas, so…well, you know.
So how will the naming convention be under these. Will I eventually have a Cadillac Escalade GL8 Avenir 550T AWD? Haha.
Seems like a return to yesteryear to do this sort of thing. unless the drivetrain is designed specifically for the name plate then it seems unnecessary unless of course the parent company might want to consider unloading high value name plates to other companies. Jeep has for quite some time been considered an asset name that could be sold to another group at some point.