So far, the Cadillac Escalade hasn’t been made available to buyers in the Chinese market, but that could change in the near future.
In March, Cadillac’s parent company, General Motors, indicated that it was “actively preparing to build a new high-end import business in the country [China], which will allow popular models unveiled at CIIE to enter the Chinese market.”
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a venue that Cadillac and GM have used to gauge interest in particular models and determine if selling them locally in China is a viable option.
The Cadillac Escalade has made appearances at the event, and there’s certainly a market for the full-size luxury SUV in China. Local Chinese dealers have imported previous generations of Escalades in the past independently of their franchise, indicating that there is at least some consumer interest. As such, Cadillac and GM’s new import business could mark the first time that the Escalade has been officially sold in China as opposed to being privately imported upon customer request.
In fact, back in 2020, Cadillac and GM announced that the fifth-generation 2021 Cadillac Escalade would be sold in China, but that notion was dropped a short time later as the luxury marque deemed that the current lineup available in the Asian country was enough to satisfy consumer interest. Now, though, it seems that Cadillac is reconsidering that decision.
It’s important to note that the Jinqiao Cadillac China plant, which is responsible for the production of all the models available in the country, is currently not capable of building body-on-frame vehicles, such as the Escalade. Instead, the Cadillac Arlington Assembly plant in Texas is the only plant to produce the Escalade as of this writing. While importing the Escalade to China is a possibility, vehicles that aren’t built in China are subject to hefty import tariffs, pricing them out of range of the average buyer. Luckily, the Escalade is not an “average” vehicle, so a $30,000 price increase due to the tariffs might not be a big deal for the wealthy target audience.
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Breamworthy
Why not bring it to South Africa. It will surely be a a success, unlike the SAAB based Sedan that was sold here in RSA. I was the opposite of what South Africans expected from Cadillac brand.
Chris Cummings
I wonder if the China model will be restricted to turbocharged four cylinder engines as with other China Cadillacs.
Quick Silver 1
They can’t supply the market in the US, so let’s go to China!? This makes no sense at all. My Cadillac dealer (who sold 700+ a year) has NO new Cadillacs on his lot. Great job Cadillac/GM.
How about bring us a full-sized luxury sedan like the 2nd generation CT6 that is being tested in the US now? And forget about the turbo 4-cylinder, it’s a dog and can barely get a CT4 out of its own way.
Anna May
China!!!! How about producing Escalades for people in America first!!!! People have lost their minds, everything is about China!!! I can’t even get my diesel Escalade I ordered back in august of 2021, so ridiculous!!!
Quick Silver 1
I recently took my 2020 CT6 Premium Luxury in for service and was offered $10K over the sticker price…not what I paid for it, but the sticker. The American car buyers are begging for cars like the CT6, the Escalade and all FULL-SIZED sedans and SUV’s. Not the little things that they are trying to pass off as luxury vehicles.
When I asked what I could BUY new in place of my CT6, he said, well I can try to find you something that you would drive. I have gotten 11 cars and 3 CUV’s from this dealer and he literally has NOTHING but pickup trucks on his lot. You would think with the price of gas and diesel escalating the way it is there would be something there.
No EV’s for me as we travel and cover over 400 miles a day and right now there is only a Tesla sedan. They are outrageous to maintain, and heaven help you if you run thru water or live in a snow belt. That causes a $20K+ repair.
GM/Cadillac, get off your a$$ and give us in the US the cars (not just SUV/CUV and mall crawlers) we want…and that is NOT a CT4 or CT5. I have driven both and they are crap.