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Sixth-Gen Cadillac Escalade & ESV Arrive Early in Fantasy Land, Still Have ICE

Cadillac Escalade rendering by vburlapp 14 photos
Photo: vburlapp / Instagram
Cadillac Escalade rendering by vburlappCadillac Escalade rendering by vburlappCadillac Escalade IQ station wagon rendering by vburlappCadillac Escalade IQ station wagon rendering by vburlappCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQCadillac Escalade iQ
The 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban full-size SUVs were announced last year, and it won't be long before we see their prices ahead of reaching nationwide dealerships. So, how about their cousins?
The slightly more upscale GMC Yukon (and Yukon XL, probably) are already on the teaser reel for the General Motors brand, and their introduction might coincide with the start of the same proceedings for the luxurious Cadillac Escalade, a sales mogul for the company. As far as the latter is concerned, the 2025 Escalade IQ stands beside the 2025 CT5-V Series, 2025 Optiq, 2026 Vistiq, and 2025 CT5 in the upcoming vehicles tab.

Obviously, everyone believes that a 2025 Cadillac Escalade refresh of the ICE versions will take ample cues from the Escalade IQ, at least as far as the interior is concerned. However, not everyone is a fan of that approach – including across the rumor mill and the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. More precisely, Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media or burlappcar.com) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he doesn't hold in high esteem the current trend of full-width dashboard-like screens.

He, too, believes that the current generation (fifth) of the popular Escalade, which came out in 2020, will get a range of upgrades from Cadillac soon. Those include a redesigned front fascia, possible alterations to the taillights, new colors, and alloy wheels, plus a replacement of the "excellent" interior with something resembling the Escalade IQ to make sure everyone understands their deep connection. Instead, this pixel master is a fan of the current interior design, which he considers "one of the best around."

His vision is that GM will continue to push forward with Cadillac's strategy of making every vehicle line an EV. Currently, though, the Escalade IQ is not set to replace the ICE-powered Escalade, just complement it. The same cannot be said about the sixth iteration of the luxury full-size SUV, which might not get gasoline and diesel mills anymore – but only if the current EV slump ends fast. Otherwise, there could be a change of heart at Cadillac, too, where they might build these models in parallel.

Of course, an ICE-powered sixth Escalade could also get an electrified powertrain from Cadillac – either hybrid or plug-in hybrid, as these are catching on more and more as of late. As such, the CGI expert decided to dream of the next ICE-powered Caddy Escalade iteration in classic and ESV form. They are, of course, heavily based on the next-generation Chevrolet Tahoe plus Suburban and GMC Yukon plus Yukon XL with subtle design enhancements compared to the current generation. So, what do you think?


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Editor's note: Gallery includes additional design projects by the same author.

About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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