Cadillac unveils electric Escalade IQ

Help, the dinos are back! Anyone who thought that GM would never again reach the mammoth proportions of the late 1950s, which were too lavish even for most US customers back then, hasn't accounted for the large Ultium models: The Escalade IQ looks at first glance like a 4.7-meter electric SUV, as the design cleverly conceals its true size.

The size? Jurassic Park-like!

But it is much bigger, as you can see from the diminutive people presenting it, who appear to be of normal height. It measures 5.70 meters in length, 2.39 meters in width (with exterior mirrors) and 1.93 meters in height. The wheelbase stretches to 3.46 meters. The ground clearance is a modest 17.5 centimeters. Thanks to air suspension, it can be lowered by up to 50 millimeters or raised by 25 millimeters. The turning circle is supposed to be around twelve meters, thanks to the all-wheel steering. At higher speeds, the system ensures better handling and more stability, especially when towing. The final towing capacity has not been specified yet, but it is estimated at 8,000 pounds, which is approximately 3.6 tons.

But there is more than enough space: The trunk holds between 670 and 3,374 liters, depending on the seat configuration, and the huge frunk (front trunk) accommodates another 345 liters. Cadillac does not mention the curb weight in the announcement, but it is likely to be just under three tons.

The giant is powered by two electric motors that deliver up to 559 kW. An even wilder variant could feature a three-motor all-wheel-drive system. In the GMC Hummer EV, this provides up to 735 kW. It is expected to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds and offer up to 1064 Nm of torque.

The battery is huge: Both the Hummer EV, Sierra EQ, and Escalade IQ share the same battery with more than 200 kWh of usable energy content. In the large and tall Ultium SUVs, two 100-kWh packs, each with 400 volts, can be stacked on top of each other and combined into an 800-volt system. In smaller models like the Cadillac Lyriq, however, there's only room for one pack. In the Escalade IQ, the 200 kWh are supposed to enable ranges of up to 450 miles (724 kilometers), which would mean a standard consumption of 27.6 kWh/100km.

Starting with bidirectional charging technology

From the 2026 model year, all Ultium models will come with the bidirectional charging technology “Vehicle-to-Home” (V2H). The Escalade IQ will offer this already at its premiere for the 2025 model year. When the car is combined with the appropriate “Ultium Home” products from GM Energy, customers can send power from the vehicle battery to a suitably equipped home.

Additionally, there will also be the option of offboard power supply Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) to power external devices. The announcement does not specify which connectors and what power this will be possible with in the Escalade IQ.