Cadillac will unviel its first electric vehicle this April, taking the fight to Tesla’s Model X with a crossover steeped in modern luxury.
Sitting upon an all-new electric vehicle architecture, internally dubbed “BEV3,” the yet-to-be-named EV will allow Cadillac to shape its future with a clean-slate design. The modularity of the chassis will allow for a wide range of battery capacities as well as drivetrain layouts, with rear- and all-wheel-drive models expected.
“The architectural design will allow the battery packs to fit into the vehicle like ice cubes in an ice cube tray, you can put in as much water as you want to make as many cubes as you need – the tray still takes up the same space in the freezer,” said Steve Carlisle, president of the Cadillac brand.
Will it have gull-wing doors like the Tesla Model X? Probably not, as Cadillac is keen to deliver what its customers really want – which is no nonsense luxury in a practical, user friendly package. Most Cadillacs await their owners in underground or indoor garages, which are rather unfriendly to gull-wings.
Expect Cadillac to unleash its full design pedigree on this, its first entry into the world of electrics. To some extent, we’re expecting Cadillac to look back upon its world-conquring classics while conjuring up its future. In its earlier days, the American luxury brand’s cars battled at the sharp end of the world’s finest, earning the phrase, “It’s good to be the Cadillac.”
General Motors – Cadillac’s parent company – has announced that it plans to build 20 EVs globally by 2023; technology developed across the automaker’s portfolio will be benefit all of its EVs, as battery packs and drivetrains will be utilized across the range, with the main variation being battery capacity.
News of the forthcoming release date came earlier this week at a dealer conference; it’s likely that the all-electric Caddy will be available for purchase later this year, or early 2021 as the brand takes aim at the luxury EV market.
[Photo and source: Cadillac; Automotive News]
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