SPY SHOTS! Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

[Flybrian]

SPY SHOTS! Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Link to Original Article @ Jalopnik

Way back in early '06 -- following a year during which ten billion samoleans took flight from GM's balance sheet -- the company's capo Rick Wagoner said a hybrid version of the Cadillac Escalade was on the way for 2008. Heavy snickering ensued, followed by cries the company was pandering to a shallow, Hollywoodland vision of environmental correctness. Nonetheless, according to Automotive News, said duplicitous 'sclade will go on sale in the fall of 2007, sporting a hybrid transmission built by Allison that's similar to the two-mode hookup set for the soon-to-be Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids. The system, AN says, which uses nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery packs from Panasonic EV, could give the Escalade a mileage boost of 25 percent. Now, one Jalopnik reader says he's captured what may be a prototypical Hy-Sclade on a Michigan test outing.

[C.H.U.D.]

Where da dubz at?

[FAPTurbo]

This Hybrid bullsh*t is getting more and more stupid every week.

[gm4life]

Going after Lexus not a bad idea.

[aaaantoine]

Just looks like a normal Escalade with relatively small rims to me.

[gm4life]

No those are just stock 18's that are chromed for the factory. Nothing special or different.

[PurdueGuy]

This Hybrid bullsh*t is getting more and more stupid every week.

I fail to see how a 25% gain in fuel economy is bull... depends on how much extra the hybrid costs, I guess, but gm4life is right - this goes right after the market that only Lexus is currently appealing to - rich snobs who want the status symbol of both a luxury brand AND a hybrid.

[tmp]

Anything that raises the gas mileage of them and makes them more saleable is a good thing. Plus, isn't this "mild hybrid" system a lot cheaper than the Lexus one?

[Intrepidation]

Anything that raises the gas mileage of them and makes them more saleable is a good thing. Plus, isn't this "mild hybrid" system a lot cheaper than the Lexus one?

It's actually the new Dual-mode hhybrid system...it's more complex than the Lexus hybrid system I believe.

[Z-06]

Now we can see RAP videos talking about Homies saving the world from Pollution.

[aaaantoine]

No those are just stock 18's that are chromed for the factory. Nothing special or different.

Right. I thought it came with standard 20's. A quick visit to the Cadillac site proved me wrong.

[regfootball]

This Hybrid bullsh*t is getting more and more stupid every week.

gas just hit 3.39 in my town today.

at that price, the hybrids are in no way bull$h! if the price of them is cost effective.

on a Sclade, adding say, 5 grand to the cost is nothing on a 70k vehicle.

A buddy just this week bought a new Civic. Went in looking at the hybrid civic. They wanted 23. He settled for the regualr Civic and saved 6 grand. Even driving 25-30k miles a year he couldn't foot the extra 6k.

Whichever manufacturer that can figure out how to build the hyrbid and only add maybe 2 grand on to the price of a car will rake in all the sales it can handle.

GM ought to be developing a new dual stage hybrid for the next global delta platform to work with the small gas and diesels.