Cadillac Reveals the All-Electric Escalade IQ

By default, everything related to the Escalade is big news, given the luxury SUV’s sheer size and over-the-top attitude. But today’s reveal is particularly massive. Earlier this morning, Cadillac pulled the sheet off of the Escalade IQ, the automaker’s first all-electric, full-sized SUV.

The Escalade IQ builds upon every aspect that makes the Escalade iconic, taking advantage of its Ultium EV platform to provide stellar performance, a luxurious ride and an expansive interior, all while delivering hundreds of emission-free miles. Given the new platform, Cadillac took a blank-slate approach to the SUV and gave the IQ a reimagined design that blends the Escalade’s characteristics with elements shared by the Lyriq and Celestiq EV.

Exterior of Cadillac Escalade IQ — Cadillac blends the Escalade’s characteristics with elements shared by the Lyriq and Celestiq EV

GM

Designers also took advantage of having fewer hardware components to design to create an airy and open cabin that can fit up to seven passengers comfortably. The centerpiece of the interior is certainly the IQ’s 55-inch pillar-to-pillar LED display that houses the driver information screens as well as infotainment functions and a passenger-side co-pilot interface.

As mentioned, the Escalade IQ is underpinned by General Motors’s Ultium architecture, the same used by the Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EV, among others. The 24-module battery pack provides more than 200kWh of energy that powers the two-motor all-wheel-drive system, giving the Escalade IQ an output of up to 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. All told, the system is estimated to provide up to 450 miles of range.

Cadillac Announces the Celestiq, a New Electric Show Car

Details on a production version are reportedly forthcoming

To maximize comfort, the Escalade IQ rides on adaptive air ride suspension and magnetic ride control dampers to smooth out any bumps in the road during a journey. When it’s time to speed things up, the air suspension can hunker down to hug the road for high-speed stability. Four-wheel steering is on hand to further stabilize the ride at speed or to make the SUV more maneuverable in tight spaces like narrow parking garages. If the IQ is truly sandwiched in place, drivers can utilize “arrival mode” to move the Escalade out diagonally, similar to its Hummer cousin’s “crab walk” trick.

Naturally, there’s a host of technology baked into the IQ, from convenience to safety systems. Notably, the IQ will have Super Cruise available as a standard option. This is GM’s fully hands-free driving assist that works on more than 400,000 miles of U.S. and Canadian highway, and Cadillac throws it in with the Escalade IQ for the first three years of ownership.

Prices for the all-electric SUV start at $130,000, with production kicking off next summer at GM’s Factory Zero in Detroit, a special facility that’s been retooled to be the launchpad for the manufacturer’s EV strategy.