Escalade EQ Vitals
| Feature | Escalade IQ spec |
|---|---|
| Starting Price | $130,000 |
| Battery Capacity | 212.7 kWh |
| Range | 450 miles (estimated) |
| Power | 750 horsepower 785 lb-ft of torque |
| 0-60 MPH | Under 5 seconds |
Too Much: Is there such a thing?
Cadillac ESCALADE IQ
Cadillac previewed the all-new EV extension of their Escalade model line with the Escalade IQ, a three-row SUV with behemoth proportions and massively upgraded luxury and technology features. It features ornate front lighting, a 55-inch screen that stretches across the entire dashboard and dominates the interior, and enormous 24-inch wheels. Every detail has been upgraded, embiggened, and embellished.
From a marketing standpoint, this SUV seems like a no-brainer for GM. The Escalade is hugely successful and very profitable. Now, Cadillac is bringing it into the EV era utilizing GM’s Ultium platform and battery technology, and will be pricing it accordingly. Starting at $130,000 (much higher with options), it’s easy to imagine the revenue potential. On the other hand, the market for vehicles in that price and size range is not huge. Yes, Range Rover exists, and high-end Mercedes and Rivian SUVs sell in decent volume, as does the existing Escalade. But in this rarified air, Escalade IQ isn’t likely to be a common sighting. But whatever the market potential, the big IQ seems to be a styling and technological tour de force from Cadillac.
On the other hand, since late 2022 GM has announced more than a half-dozen Ultium models – 2 Hummers, 3 Chevrolets, and 2 Cadillacs – and yet in the first half of 2023 they sold only about 1500 of these vehicles (mostly the Lyriq). So despite the handsome designs and potentially compelling products (the low-cost Chevy Equinox comes to mind), the reality is that while big on announcements, GM has yet to bring any of these cars to production at any substantial scale. And with yet another all-new model as complicated and resource-hungry as the 212 kWhAt 212 kWh, this battery equivalent in size to three Tesla Model 3 Long Range batteries. Escalade IQ, one has to expect the ramp-up for this showpiece to be equally slow, if not even slower. So while this beast has some impressive stats, we’ll wait until they’re on the way to more than a few customers before we start pondering whether GM has a hit on their hands.
