Escalade

Make
Cadillac
Segment
SUV

The all-new 2015 Cadillac Escalade has just had its debut. By all indications, it's going to be a huge success for GM's luxury brand, with top-of-line trim models fetching about $90,000. Cadillac is so proud of its latest model that, according to a new report, it may even apply the Escalade name to future models. According to Caddie chief Bob Ferguson, "There's a lot of equity in Escalade and I'd like to explore the notion of other vehicles that would carry that brand name."

What exactly does he mean here? Well, in the future we could see an Escalade crossover sold alongside its name-sharing SUV sibling. So why is Cadillac considering this move? Because the Escalade is facing stiff competition from car-based CUVs that achieve better fuel mileage. In addition, luxury brands like Maserati, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will soon be launching premium SUVs of their own. In other words, Cadillac will no longer own the uber-luxury SUV segment. By expanding the Escalade brand name to a new CUV, it could further capitalize on the SUV's good name while still staying competitive in premium SUV/CUV segment.