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CADILLAC ESCALADE WILL BE LAST GAS-POWERED VEHICLE FROM BRAND: REPORT

It Will Stick Around Right Until The Brand’s 2030 Plans To Be Fully Electric

Photo copyright Matheus Pach, Muscle Cars & Trucks

When General Motors announced their plans to release 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025, the automaker made it known that Cadillac would lead the EV charge. In fact, Cadillac was chosen to be the automaker’s first fully-electric vehicle brand all the way back in 2019. This transition kicked off last week with the official debut of the new Cadillac Lyriq. Following the debut, Cadillac’s Global vice president Rory Harvey said that as things stand today, the brand will not sell any ICE-powered vehicles by 2030. Thanks to a new report from Automotive News, we have a bit of an idea as to what this means for the current crop of ICE-powered models, particularly the profit-driving Cadillac Escalade. In short, don’t expect the SUV to give up its V8 quite yet.

According to the report, Harvey noted that despite the plans to move towards electrification, Cadillac will still refresh their current gasoline-powered offerings, and may even move to add more performance-oriented V-Series models to the range. That said, the executive was clear that every next-generation Cadillac vehicle will undoubtedly be powered by batteries and an electric motor. This confirmation was more solid than what GM as a whole is willing to own up to at this time, as they just admitted that their 2035 EV goal is exactly that: a goal.

The Cadillac Lyric is the newest Electric Vehicle offering from GM.
Image Via GM.

Of all of Cadillac’s current offerings, none are currently slated to stick around as long as the Escalade. LMC Automotive currently projects that the XT4, XT5 and XT6 will be replaced by EV counterparts in 2025 or 2026, and that the CT4 and CT5 sedans will meet the same fate 2026 or 2027. The Cadillac Escalade on the other hand is currently projected to remain on sale until 2029, which bumps right up to the end of the brand’s timeline for gas engines. This would make the Cadillac Escalade the last ICE-powered offering from the American luxury brand.

We already know that General Motors is currently planning to roll out a Cadillac Escalade EV model for 2023, which will be built alongside the Hummer EV and Silverado EV at GM’s Factory Zero site. Based on this timeline, we will certainly see both variants of the SUV on sale. This isn’t a tactic that the brand plans to employ for any of their other products, and there is likely a simple reason for that. The Cadillac Escalade is a massive source of profit for the automaker, with the average example trading hands for $102,183. With that sort of money on the line, the brand likely doesn’t want to shoot themselves in the foot, especially with the success of their new EV products remaining up in the air at this point. So until 2030 rolls around, the brand will milk the classic American bruiser for everything it’s got.

2021 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury
Photo copyright Matheus Pach, Muscle Cars & Trucks

It is not surprising that GM wants Cadillac to be their first all-electric brand. The luxury segment appears to be a better fit for electric vehicles at the moment, particularly when you address the massive cost associated with larger battery packs. Furthermore, there is something to be said about the nature of EV drivetrains and their logical application in a vehicle centered around refinement and comfort. That said, GM knows where their bread is buttered, and the gasoline-powered Cadillac Escalade is here to stay for as long as the automaker can hold out.

2021 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury
Photo copyright Matheus Pach, Muscle Cars & Trucks

Written by Lucas Bell

Lucas holds a journalism degree from Wayne State University, and is a Automotive Press Association scholarship recipient. While an American muscle fan through and through, he once wrote a fascinating comparison review about eScooters.

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