DETROIT -- Cadillac is considering a dramatic move upmarket for its hot-selling Escalade, as Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maserati enter the premium six-figure market for superluxury SUVs.
"The argument for doing it with Escalade is strong and momentum is moving it higher. It's completely logical that's where you go with it," said Cadillac spokesman Dave Caldwell.
He cautioned, though, that no such version has been approved or is in Cadillac's cycle plan.
The highly profitable Escalade has been a rare bright spot on Cadillac's U.S. sales chart this year. Sales of all models through August are up 25 percent to 22,323 vehicles.
Caldwell says Cadillac marketers have done studies on a more powerful and luxurious version of the Escalade. "The strength of the Escalade prompts us to think about ways to delve into even further," he said. "But filling new portfolio slots for us is far and away the priority and new variants are much less of a focus now than in the past."
The most expensive version of the 2015 Escalade is the ESV Premium, which comes fully loaded for $95,870, including shipping. Two models of the British made Range Rover -- a chief rival of the Escalade -- start at more than $100,000, including the Range Rover Autobiography, which has a base price of $141,985, including shipping.
