Escalade

Make
Cadillac
Segment
SUV

Cadillac is fully aware it needs to continue launching new vehicles that are not only relevant for the times but also offer something new. That something is - big surprise - electrification. At the moment, GM's luxury brand does not sell an EV and its only hybrid model, the Cadillac CT6 Hybrid, is about to be discontinued. Eventually, the just-revealed 2021 Cadillac Escalade will likely offer a plug-in hybrid variant and, perhaps, an all-electric one as well. Thing is, Cadillac can't wait that long for an Escalade EV, but it turns out an alternative is coming very soon.

GM President Mark Reuss announced last week at the automaker's Capital Markets Day presentation the brand's first-ever EV will debut this April. And yes, it will be a crossover, a fact that was announced a year ago at the Detroit Auto Show. Oddly, Cadillac did not preview this vehicle with a concept in the Motor City.

However, the company specifically mentioned it will be the first production model to ride on its new flexible EV architecture. Also happening this April is the annual New York Auto Show, so it's possible this will be the chosen debut venue. Reuss offered some additional details about this platform at last week's event.

"It allows us to use as many battery packs as the vehicle specifications call for," he said. "Six for a smaller EV, or we can go up to 8, 10, 12, or even 24 [battery modules] stacked on top of each other. It allows for significant improvements over the previous generations, including larger footprint [vehicles] with lower height, higher energy density, a flexible modular design, and DC fast charging."

Design-wise, expect something along the lines of last year's EV concept. Cadillac remains committed to an almost entirely EV future, with Reuss adding that it "will offer mostly electric vehicles by the end of this decade," and restated that "the brand's EVs will have names that are words - not alpha-numeric designations."

The launch of the new Cadillac Escalade was a big deal but something tells us this April's reveal will be an even bigger event.