Although its global reveal won’t take place until October 7th at an event in New York City, the first official teaser images of the all-new 2015 Cadillac Escalade have surfaced on the division’s corporate website. While less than fully revealing, they do indicate that the fourth generation of the automaker’s full-size luxury SUV will introduce a new sense of elegant edge to what has proven to be a wildly successful basic formula when it goes on sale next year.
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Save for confirming that it had hired indie rock photographer and movie director Autumn de Wilde to chronicle the Escalade’s development process in a behind-the-scenes film and a series of artistic images that will be presented at the official unveiling ceremony, Cadillac provided no additional details about its upcoming full-size luxury SUV. However, we do know the 2015 Escalade will share a bespoke version of the same body-on-frame platform architecture that underpins the also new-for-2015 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon/Denali. While standard and long-wheelbase Escalade ESV variants are believed to be in the 2015 mix, the same can’t be said for the little-loved EXT pickup configuration. Likely motivation for rear- and all-wheel drive Escalades will be GM’s new EcoTec3 6.2-liter V8 engine matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission although rumors persist this new Cadillac could be the first of the General’s SUV set to introduce a new 8-speed autoshifter.
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Based on disguised spy shots, the new Escalade’s basic exterior styling won’t be stepping too far out of the conventional SUV "box." However, it almost certainly will expand the boundaries of the division’s Art & Science design themes with respect to various detail elements, particularly the griller and front/rear lighting treatments that display even bolder LED-infused interpretations of the signature vertical format. In keeping with Cadillac’s stated intent to further elevate the brand’s overall market positioning, the recast passenger compartment of the 2015 Escalade also promises a far greater degree of premium differentiation to set it apart from its Chevy and GMC cousins. We’ll know all in two weeks.
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