At the annual Concours d’élégance in Pebble Beach, where many a beautiful new concept car has made its debut, Cadillac turned heads in 2016 with the introduction of its Escala concept, a coupe-style sedan conceived to eventually take over the role of flagship model in the luxury carmaker’s lineup.
Eventually, it now appears, means late 2021. While many concepts are never intended to make it to the production stage and serve instead as inspiration for design elements incorporated in other, existing models, the Escala will actually become a real live boy. Not that it hasn’t already influenced the designs of models like the CT6 – a car we just reviewed – and the brand-new XT4 crossover, itself set to debut later this month in New York.
Several sources, including the Autoblog website, are reporting that Cadillac is moving ahead with a production version of the Escala. The company has made it clear for years that it was planning a new top dog sedan for its lineup, to slot in above the CT6. It seems the stars are now aligned for this to happen.
Before you run out the door to reserve yours at the nearest Cadillac dealer, know however that, as of now, go-to-market date is somewhere around late 2021.
A lot can happen between now and then, of course, including to the design of the Escala. If the sedan retains its spectacular styling, it should turn heads as much as it did back in 2016 at Pebble Beach. When it debuted there, the concept featured a 4.2L twin-turbo V8 featuring a cylinder-deactivation system. Cadillac president Johan De Nysschen said at the time that the mechanics of this new creature were completely worthy of a car of this calibre.
It remains to be seen if this particular set-up will make intact into the 2021 production version of the Escala. If so, it likely won’t be alone, as hybrid or electric powertrains may be part of the mix. Who knows, maybe the name Escala will even disappear, for instance in favour of a nomenclature like CT8…