What to make of the Cadillac Escala? First we had crossovers – car-based SUVs that transformed the business; think Lexus LX 300 and hundreds of subsequent followers, no matter how late, including – gasp, God Save the Queen – the Bentley Bentayga. We also had premium minivans ala Chrysler Pacifica eventually sold (sort of) as crossovers / SUVs, even though they were in the market first as mom/dad-mobiles
Now here comes Cadillac Escala, a four-door hatchback large sedan that GM hopes to peddle at premium prices. That is if and when it goes into production. Yes, a four-door large-car luxury hatchback. It would a bold bet for a conservative regional brand that is also working on two new SUVSand some sort of alternative vehicle.
Escala is Spanish for scale, but in our view – given its size – grande en Espanol, will be displayed this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Cadillac’s press materials did not include a picture of the opened hatch – the front end was prominently played up along along with a decidedly un-hatchback-like Gulfstream jet. This leads AutoInformed to speculate that the jury is still out on Escala customer clinics. If they go badly, the hatch is dead on its concept car arrival. However, Cadillac’s bold new grille is prominently on display in gushing media releases. This is the new front-end look of Cadillac.
This large car hatchback is simply, rather complexly, the latest example of the industries’ desperate attempts to find so called “white space” in an ultra-competitive market. What’s clear to AutoInformed is that traditional body configurations are doomed. The winners emerging are part station wagon, part minivan, part crossover – but above all – vehicles with usable space and expressive style as the driver switch to crossovers and SUVs continues unabated.
It’s a tightrope walk for automakers. Customers, the majority of whom are leasing, can simply change flavors – and above all brands and body styles – with little consequence.
“Depending on the development of the market segment for large luxury sedans, Escala is a potential addition to our existing product plan,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of the misleadingly named Global Cadillac. (Cadillac Hires another Head as Johan de Nysschen Bolts Infiniti)
In a North American market that is increasingly rejecting cars, this offering – “a more elite and expressive companion” to the recently launched, top of the car line 2016 model Cadillac CT6 is an attempt to see if there is more money to squeeze out of dwindling luxury car buyers. At 210.5 inches in overall length, Escala is ~6 inches longer than today’s CT6.
One thing is certain about what could be a one-off concept: Escala uses a new 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, a prototype of a new system in development for future Cadillac models. The engine has Active Fuel Management technology, enabling 4-cylinder operation.
Escala it’s claimed has a “dual personality” interior crafted with distinctly different zones: The front is about intensely focused modern technology, while the rear delivers relaxation. Ideal for the Chinese market, which is Cadillac’s only significant one outside of North America?
Cadillac calling itself global is a marketing exaggeration that is an absurdity. The United States and China account for 92% total. In the EU – home of global luxury powerhouses Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, Cadillac sells – in a good month a couple of hundred cars.
Escala is third in a series of concepts Cadillac has debuted at Pebble Beach in recent years, following the Ciel convertible (2011) Retro Cadillac Ciel Convertible Unveiled ahead of Pebble Beach and Elmiraj coupe (2013).
