Cadillac is being positioned to be the all-electric brand in General Motors’ portfolio, including the immensely popular Escalade full-size SUV, which the company revealed will be shown to the world in New York City Aug. 9.
The luxury brand released a preview video of the all-new Escalade IQ Tuesday to help generate some buzz ahead of the portfolio’s newest all-electric entry. The development of the new model came to light in May.
“The debut of Escalade IQ marks the next step in Cadillac’s commitment to offering a fully electric portfolio by the end of the decade,” the brand said in a statement. “The Escalade IQ will be produced at Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, which was renovated and retooled with a $2.2 billion investment to serve as the launchpad for GM’s EV strategy.”
Making the change
GM officials noted months ago the luxury brand will eventually feature only battery-electric models, which the new versions being phased in during the next several years. The Escalade IQ will be the third all-electric vehicle following the Lyriq and Celestiq.
The Lyriq is currently on sale while the Celestiq, which was unveiled as a concept last summer, will be built by hand at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. Expected to cost more than $300,000, the high-priced flagship supercar will benefit from a variety of cutting edge production techniques.
As many as 100 parts will be produced using additive manufacturing. Otherwise known as 3D printing, the process has been used to a limited degree with several existing Cadillac products — providing transmission components, climate control ducts and shifter emblems for the CT4-V and CT5-V performance sedans. With Celestiq, the process will be used for structural, as well as cosmetic parts, the automaker revealed.
More GM junk.