The Cadillac Escalade is going electric — and getting a new twist on its name for the EV version.
General Motors Co.’s luxury brand on Monday announced the full-size SUV is getting a battery-electric powertrain, which will be revealed “later this year,” without providing details. The vehicle will wear a “Escalade IQ” badge to match the nomenclature of Cadillac’s current EVs, the Lyriq crossover and Celestiq sedan.
Cadillac earlier this year said it plans globally to reveal three new products this year for launch in 2023 as it seeks to become an EV-only brand by 2030. The Escalade IQ is the first to be announced.
“The Cadillac ESCALADE IQ,” reads a news release, “will be revealed later this year and 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 IQ naming strategy, it adds, is meant to introduce a “different type of EV to the market — one that works in tandem with people’s daily lives and environments.”
GM sold 40,247 Escalades in 2022. It’s not alone in entering the three-row SUV EV space. Kia Corp. last month unveiled the EV9 at the New York International Auto Show.