Cadillac is on the cusp of its all-electric future, with plans to debut three new battery electric models by the end of the 2023 calendar year. One of these new electric Cadillac models will be the Cadillac Escalade IQ – the all-electric version of the luxury marque’s most iconic, and most popular, nameplate, the Escalade.
Early this morning, the luxury marque announced that the forthcoming electric Escalade IQ will promise “the same commitment to craftsmanship, technology and performance that has helped the Escalade nameplate dominate the large luxury SUV segment for the past 20 years.” The luxury marque also confirmed that the “IQ” suffix allows Cadillac to continue to wield the Escalade name while aligning with its “IQ” naming strategy for its EVs, joining the Cadillac Lyriq and Cadillac Celestiq.
The advent of the Escalade IQ was inevitable. In fact, back in late 2021, Cadillac Society uncovered the trademark filing for the Escalade IQ name, confirming that the full-size luxury model has been in the works for quite some time. We’ve kept a close eye on its development, reporting on exclusive details as far back as 2020. The Cadillac Escalade IQ will ride on the new BT1 platform that’s completely different from the T1 architecture that underpins the current, fifth-gen Escalade. Additionally, the electric luxury SUV will likely be built at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Michigan rather than at Arlington Assembly in Texas, where the current ICE-powered Escalade is assembled.
The large electric luxury SUV is expected to deliver plenty of power and range, with an 800-volt battery providing up to 400 miles of range on a single charge. The Escalade EV will also use Ultium batteries and Ultium Drive electric motors, as is the case with the Lyriq and Celestiq. Though not yet confirmed, the Escalade IQ is expected to receive an extended-length variant, likely dubbed the Escalade IQL as suggested by another trademark filing.
So far, the luxury marque itself hasn’t released any images of the Escalade IQ, but to satisfy your curiosity (and our own), we rendered what the forthcoming electric luxury SUV could look like, borrowing elements from the Lyriq and the current Escalade to create our rendition.
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One of four new colors for the 2025 model year.
And it now represents the best value in its segment.
A curious sighting from a video of the Cadillac design studio.