Something New From Cadillac
By Jim Taylor
General Manager, Cadillac
Exciting news from Cadillac at the Miami Auto Show: the reveals of the 2008 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Escalade Platinum models. The Escalade long ago made its mark as a sales and image leader in the large luxury SUV segment, but we've come up with some improvements that we believe will continue to distinguish it as a forward-thinking leader in the category.
Going green is an important issue for Americans, and the Escalade Hybrid helps make our vehicles environmentally friendly without sacrificing the luxury and quality that we are known for. GM's two-mode hybrid system is now available in the Escalade Hybrid, giving it a 50% overall increase in city fuel economy. The two-mode system uses a variety of methods to intelligently manage the electric energy for maximum fuel savings. The Escalade will, however, still have the capabilities of a full-size, V8 powered SUV; you will still be able to tow up to 5,800 lbs and seat eight people comfortably in the vehicle.
The Escalade Platinum also raises the bar on interior refinement. It rounds out a full series of Cadillac platinum models that are characterized by handcrafted details and advanced technology. Also in the series are the XLR Roadster, DTS luxury sedan, and STS performance sedan. We bring an element of personal attention to each vehicle by wrapping and stitching the instrument panel, door trim, and center storage console by hand. The final effect is elegant and has a specially tailored look.
A whole slew of advanced technological features complement the luxurious interior of the Escalade Platinum. It will be the first SUV to offer Light Emitting Diode (LED) headlamps, which use much less power than typical halogen bulbs and last up to 20 times longer, making them more practical and environmentally friendly. In addition, the Platinum edition will be the first SUV in the world to feature Cadillac's Magnetic Ride Control technology. This is the world's fastest reacting suspension system and gives the vehicle very precise body control.
I personally see the Escalade as a proud representative of our values at Cadillac. We are making strides toward continued refinement in material luxury as well as advanced technology. The new Escalade models combine these elements seamlessly while also looking to the future. Rest assured that Cadillac will continue to innovate and work hard to produce vehicles that respond to our drivers' every need.
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The two-mode hybrid system is really impressive. I’d like to see it expand further to even more GM models.
Will I be able to get a Platinum edition with the 2-Mode Hybrid system? Myself as well as a few other Escalade owners I’ve talked to would love if this was made available. I’ll put a deposit on one tomorrow if I can order one that way. Job well done on that Platinum edition’s interior, it’s beautiful! Thanks!
Mr Taylor,
My concern is the effect LED headlights have on oncoming drivers. I hope better than the high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps that are very much like staring into an arc welder when you meet one on the road.
HIDs are particularly bad when the oncoming driver is in a regular car, and the HIDs are in an SUV with headlamps at close to the same level as the eyes of drivers in normal cars.
I’ve had temporary flash blindness more than once after meeting an SUV with HID headlamps at night. Will the LED headlamps present the same problem?
You mention a 50% increase, but you failed to mention the actual number. What is the fuel economy rating for city driving with an Escalade hybrid?
Is city driving actually the best use of large, heavy SUV such as this?
Respectfully,
Gary Dikkers
It might have 50% better city fuel economy, but I think finding parking in the city for something that size would be pretty impossible.
When, if ever, will this two-mode system ever make into something that I’d have a chance of finding a parking spot for on my street? (Like an Astra!)
Jim,
Is the new Cadillac Magnetic ride control really the revolutionary suspension system that Bose developed? Ever since the announcement with numerous write-ups, I’ve been hoping that Cadillac would be the first to adopt this system.
At the price and prestige of a truck like the Platinum Escalade, it should have the best technology that is available. I truly hope that this is not just market hype with a warmed over, renamed Stabilitrack system. Can you comment on if this is really the Bose suspension system?
This is a joke, right? Putting a hybrid on an oversized SUV (not exactly a “green” vehicle to begin with) is a bit like putting pearls on swine. A 50% increase on 12 miles to the gallon in the first place gets you to a grand total of 18 miles to the gallon. Um, uh, that’s not particularly “green” is it?
Y’all might be proud that you’ve grafted a hybrid on the Escalade, but like the saying goes, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. The Escalade is pretty much a pig when it comes to gas mileage. Just another attempt at obfuscation, this time on a grander (and far more expensive) scale.
Congratulations Jim and GM and I would like to welcome you to the top of the pack when it comes to hybrid technology. Hopefully this is just the beginning and I hope this technology cascades down to all of Cadillac’s vehicles very quickly.
I am also impressed with Mr. Wagoner’s commitment to taking all of GM’s contract savings and putting it into drive train technology. There are a lot of firsts that are going to happen very quickly over the next decade.
And what brand and/or automaker will be the first to
1. Have all their vehicles capable of running on E85?
2. Who will be first to have their entire lineup available in hybrid?
3. Who will be the first to have a hydrogen vehicle ready for the mass market?
4. Who will be the first to have a bona fide and successful electric car?
5. And who will be the first to brag about these accomplishments for the next decade?
The time is ripe now for any one of these feathers in a brand’s cap to be plucked and, well I heard that Rick is quite competitive.
So I challenge Cadillac and any of GM’s brands to pick up on one of these and run with it.
michael,
This is no joke. Why wouldnt you try to save fuel on the most thirsty vehicles? Toyota gets credit for making a 35mpg car get 45mpg with hybrid technology but people think is stupid to give a large SUV the same City mileage as a V6 Camry that weighs over a ton less. What good is having 35mpg cars if a company does nothing to improve the efficiency of its large SUVs and pickups?
Jim,
Excellent job on the interior of the Platinum. It looks much better with the new wood trim. Now you need a power telescoping wheel. This should’ve been standard long ago.
R. Tyler,
Magneride has been on Cadillacs since the 2003 STS had it. It has nothing to do with stabilitrak and is also offered on Lucerne, STS and Vette. Few, if any, other models for sale in the US have this technology.
Yea… but will it keep transmissions? Now that I am fully aware of GM’s massive transfer case and transmission SPRAG GEAR problem, I am reluctant to trust these new vehicles.
While it’s nice to have a more fuel efficient gigantic SUV, I’d also say that you will need to make it’s fuel efficiency the TOP advertising focus of the Escalade. Why? because at the rate that fuel prices are rising, what seemed like good fuel economy will last year will seem outright abysmal in the future of not now already.
I know a great deal of effort has been put into making GM full sized vehicles fuel efficient, as in 20MPG, which was certainly better than the 14-16MPG they used to get. But the truth is that 20MPG might as well be as bad as 14MPG since we’re looking at $4 a gallon gas.
I’m sure you’re well aware of this and will hopefully apply the hybrid system to the smaller Cadillac models.
lastly, I get a bad feeling that if fuel prices continue to soar, big SUVs and trucks are going to eventually scare buyers away over the prospects of their expensive liabilities in terms of keeping the tanks filled. Plan ahead and anticipate this change in public perception. Again- this model’s fuel economy will need to be the primary focus.
They should have the same milage as the Tahoe/Surburban hybrids. 20 in city/23 highway.
gary dikkers,do not stare directly at these new headlights,look to slightly your right when one is coming towards you. my 2005 and 2008 C-6 corvettes have these type headlight and they are the best improvement over the C-5s. i have the same problem being a corvette even sets lower than most cars.
Gas prices will come down in the near future. The governement just opened up the colorado/wyoming oil fields to six companies. 1.6 trillion barrels worth the government has been sitting on since the 1930’s. Almost 3 times the size of the entire middle east.
Motorman,
I do know how to handle them, sometimes I even close one eye to preserve the night vision in at least one of my eyes.
But even so, sometimes an SUV with HIDs can still catch me by surprise rounding a corner, or especially when cresting a hill. The optics that control the HID beam are of no help when meeting a car with HIDs just as they crest a hill and you have to look into the headlamps at a low angle.
The point is, we shouldn’t have to divert our eyes from the road ahead of us or close one eye, just because some yahoo in an SUV thinks s/he needs HID headlamps to light the way.
In my opinion, people who use HIDs are being grossly inconsiderate of the oncoming drivers they must share the road with.
I hope LED headlamps don’t create the same problem. I know LEDs use some complicated and expensive optics to control the dispersal of the light. I hope that complexity and expense means they also control the amount of glare they project into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
Yes, The government opened up oil fields in Colorado and Wyoming. But unfortunately the vast majority of that oil is actually held within oil sands and rock, which in order to be extracted requires the oil containing rock and sand to be heated. This will naturally be much more expensive than typical oil drilling, hence the prices will either be as high or higher than they are now. Once again, fossil fuels are not the answer to the problem of Americans and the world continually using the stuff up.
gary i think from reading your post you are just anti SUV and it has nothing to do with the headlights. i drive a 2008 corvette,#11 new one,04 impala,#30 new car and a ext cab 3/4 ton silverado,# 6 truck, so i am doing my part to keep GM going and maintaining my lifestyle plus saving fuel as the impala and corvette get 20+ every day and 28+ on trips. i need the truck to pull my trailer for my quads,snowmobiles and race car.
Motorman,
No, my problem is with the headlamps being mounted three feet or more above the ground which means they shine directly in my eyes.
I’ve often thought the Feds should have a regulation that the headlamps of SUVs and trucks be mounted no higher than the headlamps of regular cars to prevent the problem of high-mounted headlamps shining into the eyes of car drivers.
If you are using your SUV as it was intended (and it sounds as though you are), and not as a cry for attention or to fill some emotional need, you’re welcome to it.
I do have a problem with people who buy SUVs and abuse how they use them. For example: Those who use SUVs for driver-only, urban commuting.
A few days ago in a response to BWright in another thread, I observed the following:
This morning while walking to work, I counted the number of SUVs that passed me and noted how many people were inside each.
Results
167 SUVs, and 161 had only a driver inside. Using 167 heavy vehicles to move 174 people is a misuse of resources.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
Gary
You can submit your vehicle lighting concerns to the NHTSA.
In my opinion, mandatory headlamp aim checks are the first step in reducing driver discomfort.
James N,
Edvard is correct. Those oil shale fields were in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, and it will take a tremendous amount of energy (and water in what is a very dry region) to separate the oil from the shale.
Oil shale is nothing more than “unfinished oil” that is in an intermediate stage in the slow transformation process that converts biomass from millions of years ago into petroleum.
If we let Mother Nature do her thing, she would finish turning that oil shale into liquid oil with another 50 million years or so of free heat and pressure.
Of course, we don’t have time to wait. But someone will have to pay dearly to accelerate what is a natural process.
Regards,
Gary Dikkers
Does GM’s committment to “green” include making the hybrid system available as an option in all price levels of these SUvs or just in the more expensive trim levels?