Cadillac Escalade Won’t Be Sold In China After All

The Cadillac Escalade is arguably the most iconic Caddy on sale today, with a sumptuous, luxury-laden cabin space and huge road presence. Unfortunately, all that goodness won’t be directly available to customers to China.

During a press conference held for the 2020 China International Import Expo (CIIE), Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors, previously indicated that the Cadillac Escalade could be sold in China directly, marking the first instance that the SUV nameplate would be officially sold in the market.

Now, however, that no longer seems to be the case.

“We used the CIIE event last year to promote GM’s capability in building a variety of products for diversified demand in the market,” said Cadillac China spokesperson, David Ni, in a statement to Cadillac Society. “Currently there is no plan to import the Escalade to China. The Cadillac products we sell in China (CT4, CT5, CT6, XT4, XT5, XT6) are all localized.”

Although the Cadillac Escalade will not be sold in China through official channels, demand for the SUV in the market has been so strong that dealers have previously imported units directly at the request of wealthy Chinese customers. Production takes place in Arlington, Texas.

It’s possible that trend will continue with the latest 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Ushering in an all-new fifth generation, the 2021 Escalade features a brand-new design, which includes a bold, upright front fascia with a broad grille and squared headlamps, plus characteristic upright tail lights in back.

The cabin space was also redesigned for 2021, and now features an industry-first curved Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) infotainment screen, as well as the the first automotive audio system produced by AKG, and the semi-autonomous Super Cruise driver assist system. Super Cruise is only available on roads located in North America and China.

Although the Cadillac Escalade won’t be directly sold in China, the luxury marque continues to post solid sales growth, with figures jumping 56 percent in Q4 of 2020.

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