Cadillac would 'love' to sell $200,000-plus Escalade IQ electric SUV in Australia
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The door for Cadillac’s iconic Escalade SUV remains open for Australia with the brand’s local boss saying she would “love” to sell the electric Escalade IQ here.
The Cadillac Escalade full-size SUV could come to Australia in all-electric ‘IQ’ form, if the wishes of the local team come true.
General Motors Australia managing director Jess Bala said she would “love” to offer the Cadillac Escalade IQ – which starts from $US130,000 ($AU200,000) in the US – in local showrooms to join the Optiq, Lyriq and Vistiq electric SUVs.
“We’re constantly looking at what the right portfolio is to bring here to Australia and New Zealand,” Bala said.
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“There are some challenges with that particular vehicle [Escalade IQ] specifically that we would need to work through here, but we are working very closely with the team to see in the US to see what is possible.”
“I would love to have that vehicle here. It’s one of my personal favourites, so we’re going to keep pushing on that one, but right now it is not currently part of the plan.
The Escalade IQ measures 5697mm in length, 2389mm in width and 1934mm tall with a 3460mm wheelbase – 475mm, 186mm, 130mm and 365mm more, respectively, than the seven-seat Cadillac Vistiq which is on track to become the largest electric SUV sold in Australia when it arrives in 2026.
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Cadillac revealed the even-larger 2026 Escalade IQL this week, with a 106-millimetre length extension to 5803mm – about the same as a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 full-size ute and half-a-metre more than the Vistiq – for increased third-row legroom, taking it to almost one metre, and more luggage capacity.
As standard, the Escalade IQ has a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup delivering 505kW and 834Nm – or 560kW and 1064Nm in ‘Velocity Max’ mode – with a 200kWh battery pack for an estimated 740-kilometre driving range in the standard-length model.
A 0-97km/h acceleration of less than five seconds is claimed with the vehicle in its Velocity Max mode, while it offers a towing capacity between 3.4 and 3.6 tonnes in the US.
Available features include a “pillar-to-pillar” 55-inch combined display for the instrument, infotainment and passenger screens, second-row captain’s chairs with heated, ventilated and massaging seats and rear displays, a 36-speaker AKG Studio Reference audio system, 24-inch alloy wheels, and Super Cruise hands-free highway driving support.
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Cadillac global vice-president John Roth said “technical certifications and other aspects” are currently restricting the Escalade IQ from launching in right-hand drive markets such as Australia.
“Everything has to be done in the right order for things to come together appropriately,” he said.
The Escalade is built on General Motors’ Ultium electric-car architecture, which is offered with a right-hand drive application in the smaller Cadillac Optiq, Lyriq and Vistiq – rather than the truck-based ladder-frame underpinnings of the combustion-engined Escalade, which do not support right-hand drive at factory level.
GM also builds several Chevrolet and GMC models on its Ultium electric-car platform – including electric versions of the Chevrolet Silverado ute and GMC Hummer off-roader – however these models are not currently under consideration for sale in right-hand drive markets.
MORE: Cadillac Escalade V8 off the cards for Australia in favour of electric cars – for now
“We’re super proud of having the four vehicles, including Lyriq-V, in the marketplace now and that’s where our focus is,” Roth added.
“[Cadillac is] building momentum and energy around these great offerings in the marketplace.
“I think we have a real opportunity to demonstrate what a great car culture Australia and New Zealand has and really grow and develop the Cadillac brand and that may open doors in the future for other things to happen.”
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