Cadillac Considers Lambda Based Unibody Crossover to Extend Escalade Brand

by TTAC Staff

Updated: February 18th, 2014 Published: October 8th, 2013

As Cadillac introduces the all-new 2015 Escalade body-on-frame SUV, the luxury marque is considering extending the Escalade brand to include a large crossover that would slot in between the full size ‘Slade and the midsize SRX CUV. “I think there’s a lot of equity in Escalade,” Bob Ferguson, senior vice president of global Cadillac, told Automotive News at the NYC reveal of the revamped SUV, “I’d like to explore the notion of other vehicles that would carry that brand name.”

Ferguson said that GM planners “are still looking at” a unibody crossover larger than the SRX to complement the Escalade SUV, which is based on a GM truck platform. There is a segment of consumers that are looking for a large utility vehicle but one that’s more car-like. Of course with similar construction and layouts there’s no reason why an Escalade shouldn’t ride just as smoothly as a 1960s era BOF Cadillac sedan, but perception isn’t always the same as reality, and crossovers are a fast growing market segment. Since GM already makes the large Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse CUVs on the unibody “Lambda” platform, it seems likely that the next generation Lambdas will include a Cadillac.

#BobFerguson #Cadillac #Crossovers #Cuvs #Escalade #LambdaPlatform

TTAC Staff

More by TTAC Staff

Comments

Join the conversation

12 of 107 comments

Sparc on Oct 08, 2013

Why does GM need 4 largely cloned versions of the same SUV? This seems like a move backwards. One fantastic SUV is better than 4 mediocre one's.

Like Reply
- Hummer on Oct 08, 2013
  
  4? You mean 3? Or rather 2 sets of 3 Although I agree that they are much to similar I believe the better answer is in different packaging, give the chevy version its cajones back by making it a functional SUV similar to SUVs of yore, the other two are fine.
  
  Like
PrincipalDan on Oct 08, 2013

Call it the XTCUV... Oy Cadillac how much time have you spent trying to get people to forget the debasement of your name that happened during the 70s, 80s, and 90s? But hey let's introduce a tiny little Cadillac (ATS) and a big old Lambda Cadillac so we have 3 Cadillac CUV/SUVs...

Like Reply
- See 6 previous
- Dal20402 on Oct 08, 2013
  
  Why not? Benz has 4 CUVs and a SUV (GLA, GLK, ML, GL, G). BMW has 4 CUVs (X1, X3, X5, X6), and considered and rejected a fifth. Lexus has a CUV and 2 SUVs (RX, GX, LX). Infiniti has 3 CUVs and a SUV (EX, FX, JX, QX). Why shouldn't Cadillac have just 2 CUVs and a SUV in 2 lengths? (Theta+, Lambda, K2XX SWB + LWB)? That's where the heart of the market is these days.
  
  Like
- Billfrombuckhead on Oct 08, 2013
  
  @dal20402 Don't forget Audi, Porsche, Acura. Land Rover, all have several CUV's/SUV's
  
  Like
- Ryoku75 on Oct 08, 2013
  
  @billfrombuckhead This is why I'm surprised that any "prestigious brands" mean anything to enthusiasts, they all have so many CUVs\SUVs its ridiculous. At the same time though CAFE's partially to blame too.
  
  Like
- Kyree on Oct 08, 2013
  
  @dal20402 The thing is that at least a couple of the SUVs for those brands are on premium platforms or are based on premium products. The Cayenne and Q7, for example, may share their platform with the Touareg, but that is a very capable vehicle that is a cut or two above most unibody CUVs. Same with the Lexus LX and its Land Cruiser-based BOF platform. Cadillac already has two strikes against it for the SRX (which, despite being on the "Theta Premium" platform, isn't at all premium under the skin), and for the Escalade, which is a blinged-out Tahoe/Suburban. Adding a Lambda-based crossover would (a) probably result in dimensions that weren't very flattering for a Cadillac, and (b) not lend Cadillac any credibility for having a structurally-premium vehicle. The first-gen SRX was nice because it was one of the first true luxury three-row crossovers and because it was on the Sigma platform (basically making it a lifted STS wagon). A customer may not care that his Lexus RX is pretty much a reshaped Camry, or that his Infiniti JX/QX60 is basically rooted to the plebeian Altima, but lots of people do care about these things. And when Cadillac is on its way to becoming the Standard of the World, it doesn't do the brand any good to have a lineup of SUVs that are ultimately gussied up versions of cheaper cars (especially in the case of the Lambdas, where it'll be quite obvious). Cadillac needs at least one SUV that is decidedly above the rest of the GM portfolio. Can't they modify the Alpha platform and build an X5 fighter or something?
  
  Like
- Dal20402 on Oct 08, 2013
  
  @Kyree In the context of a CUV, a RWD-based platform (what you seem to be defining as "premium") just means poor packaging. 95% of CUV buyers, asked to compare an X5 and a Caddy Lambda, would notice two things: 1) The X5 is a BMW. Cool! 2) The X5 has a tiny interior. Hmmm... Cadillac found that out the hard way when it sold the Sigma-based SRX, which was as much of a sales flop as the Theta+ SRX has been a success. A squared-off, macho, Lambda-based Caddy (think blinged-out Acadia Denali with two snails under the hood and XTS-like interior quality) would compete just fine with the Q7s and GLs of the world. The X5 and FX buyer is a different, much rarer beast.
  
  Like
- Kyree on Oct 08, 2013
  
  @dal20402 All very good points, though never said anything about a premium platform having to be RWD-based. It so happens that (besides Audi cars) all of them basically are, but that's beside the point. You're right in saying that a Lambda-based CUV would do just fine (just as the Camry-based Lexus RX does just fine), but I think that it's time for Cadillac to move upmarket. That means that they should take the time to develop an SUV that's actually special. At the same time, now that I really think about it, there *is* room for a three-row Cadillac that isn't as large and ostentatious as the actual Escalade (just as there was apparently room for the Murano-baed Infiniti JX to slot underneath the giant QX). And it *could* be based on the next-gen Lambda platform...as long as the next-gen becomes less of a compromised minivan in terms of styling and dimensions. GM has already stated that the current Lambda platform has too many hard-points that won't support Cadillac styling, especially this new squared-off school of design. The Caddy Lambda would also need to be quite a bit nicer than the Enclave, if there is to be another one. But you know who *really* needs a three-row crossover? Lexus. They should have turned the GX into a large crossover after the end of the first generation, and the demise of midsized BOF SUVs. I suspect the slow-selling GX is only economical to produce because it's a gussied up Land Cruiser Prado.
  
  Like
- Bd2 on Oct 10, 2013
  
  @dal20402 And Lexus is going to add another CUV. A RWD Alpha-based compact CUV is almost a certainty from Cadillac. The question is whether to switch the SRX back to RWD - no longer would compete against the Lexus RX and instead compete against the X5 (so higher price making up for lower sales volume). When it comes to a full-size CUV which really has no sporting pretense - FWD is the way to go (when it comes to CUVs - buyers really don't care about FWD vs. RWD - big reason why Acura CUVs sell so well while their sedan offerings struggle).
  
  Like
Kyree on Oct 08, 2013

This isn't even remotely wise. You couldn't compare this to the Denali lineup (as some aficionados are trying to do), because there *is* no Denali lineup. It's just a trim for top-of-the-line GMCs that happens to have an oft-used name, but whose individual models ultimately have nothing in common in terms of metrics or niche. The most successful implementation that I've seen of what GM is actually trying to do would be the Range Rover sub-brand, which over the last eight years has spawned two additional models....BUT Range Rovers have distinct styling and unique traits between them, and they are also internationally desirable. The fact that the only Escalades to date have always shared their bodyshells with Chevrolets and GMCs already makes the nameplate not unique enough to become a bona-fide sub-brand. If Cadillac is going to push another crossover, it shouldn't also be called an Escalade...and it shouldn't be on the current Lambda platform, because the Lambda CUVs are basically minivans without sliding doors and wouldn't wear Cadillac styling very well. A next-generation Lambda platform...maybe...

Like Reply
Spartan on Oct 09, 2013

Range Rover makes the Evoque, no one says a word. Cadillac thinking about making an Escalade crossover, everyone throws a fit. The same people who say this isn't a good idea are the same people who said the Porsche Cayenne wasn't a good idea. Financially, this is an outstanding idea that will make money for Cadillac, which is exactly what they need so they can continue to bring us great products. You purists need to pipe down because much of your analysis is flawed because it doesn't take into account the $$$$ that will be made from such a project.

Like Reply