Cadillac Won’t Make The Escalade A Unibody

2016 Cadillac Escalade (Credit: Cadillac )

The Escalade is definitely a polarizing vehicle, but don’t expect Cadillac to start softening the SUV. It’s one of the luxury brand’s top-selling vehicles, and Cadillac brass is smart enough to not mess with success. That includes keeping its body-on-frame platform instead of going with a unibody, a trend that’s claimed quite a few traditional SUVs in the past several years.

Johan de Nysschen, the man in charge at Cadillac, has confirmed that with the redesign of the Escalade it will remain a true truck, not a glorified and lifted wagon. If you hate the Escalade and all it stands for, Cadillac quite simply doesn’t care. There are enough consumers willing to shell out big money for such a vehicle. At the same time the brand is expanding its crossover lineup for those who want something softer and less brash.

That doesn’t mean the Escalade will be sticking to the old-school SUV dynamics entirely. De Nysschen revealed that the next generation will be more technologically advanced and sophisticated, because that’s what luxury buyers demand. The CEO revealed that the company will be paying closer attention to the fine details, an area where Cadillac has fallen short of its Teutonic and Japanese rivals in the past.

To accomplish those ends, de Nysschen says it’s not necessary to go with a unibody architecture. While some think that sticking to the body-on-frame setup is a huge mistake, it’s actually brilliant. Not only do people like it, the Escalade certainly stands out in a sea of unibody crossovers. Niche products can sell well, even when they go contrary to general market trends. Jeep is a prime example of this. GM is great at making body-on-frame trucks, which is partly why this scheme works so well for Cadillac. After all, people who need a hardcore luxury SUV that can tow big loads and tackle fairly rugged dirt roads have few options – not that Escalade owners are necessarily doing those things.

Considering the Escalade was completely redesigned for the 2015 model year, the next generation is still several years away.

The Detroit Free Press originally interviewed de Nysschen about the future of the Escalade.