Cadillac Escalade: A sales soaring shock factor
A first impression heavily weighs an opinion of someone. This is likely a result of confirmation bias, only keeping an eye out for things that reinforce our judgement, and turn away when it goes against it, making it hard to shake off a bad interaction.
If a Cadillac in the late 1980s was a person, a first impression of it would be like those interactions you get with old people. Not the nice kind, the ones who give you THAT look of resentment, judgement, and misery.
Now that isn’t ideal. I know, I’m a genius. But back to the point, how do, or shall I say did, Cadillac shake that wrinkly reputation?
Big old Florida boy
Aside from the OAP banner that drapes over an old Caddy like a sash given to Miss Universe, Cadillacs are also huge.
When I think of Cadillac, I think of those old Coupe DeVilles, the classy cruise liners that look more at home on canals, rivers, and the sea than on a road.
But those cool land barges of the 60s would soon fade, as the following decades would see quality become worse, designs become uglier, and their refusal to build anything smaller than a 2-bedroom flat.
By the early 90s, Cadillacs were complete crap. I would think of a more humorous way of saying that, but it would take away from how crap they truly were.
But, as the 90s rolled in, Cadillac saw an opportunity. Now, the saying goes that luck is a combination of opportunity and preparation, so Cadillac had the opportunity; all they needed now was to prepare.
Prepare…another big car.
Cadillac was back. But not like before
Now, that ambiguous opportunity mentioned above was the SUV. Cadillac’s board members must’ve been over the moon, the brand synonymous with building massive cars could finally capitalise on that half of their reputation.
The other half however, was gone. The sandal wearing, Florida residing, bowls playing buyer was gone. Cadillac had shaken up the game.
I would pay good money to see the person described above react to the second-generation Escalade when it debuted back in 2002.
The 22+ inch chrome alloy wheels partially blinding pedestrians, the grill and the large Cadillac pendant were the Escalade’s jewellery, and this time, the size equated to money, clout, and serious road presence.
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And as mentioned before, Cadillac struck gold with the SUV timing, but doubled down with the modification craze.
The standard car wasn’t enough. Bigger rims. Louder speakers. Muscular body kits. Aftermarket parts were gushing out of the Escalades ears.
It was also endorsed by the biggest artists in the rap game. Add to that, Tony Soprano had one. In fact, any pop culture appearance for the Escalade was there to reinforce the owner’s money, clout and status.
The Escalade became a fashion accessory to the young, rich, and successful. It dominated the charts, the screens, and the streets, and put Cadillac back on the map.
Funnily enough, the supposed ‘drastic change’ the Escalade brought to Cadillac might not have been as drastic as first thought.
It was like the 60s again
There is no doubt that the Escalade redefined Cadillac, once a deteriorating shadow of a luxury brand, was now A side.
But all that changed was the product and the audience.
Most revamps require a complete overhaul, but Cadillac didn’t have to bother with all that.
Despite a poor few decades, people would never forget the weight the Cadillac badge carried, representing true luxury and class.
All they needed was a product to bring them back. That was the Escalade.
Like the Coupe DeVille of the 60s, the Escalade was a big, luxurious, chrome-infused barge, radiating the owner’s wallet onto you as you sit next to them in traffic.
So, it seems the issue was never with the core values of Cadillac; it was the fact that they were trying to build cars for a 1960s audience while fast approaching the new millennium.
But thankfully, Cadillac woke up at some point in the mid-90s, and finally found that elusive final piece of the jigsaw that had been buried in the carpet under the sofa.
Cadillacs were cool again. It doesn’t matter how they did. The fact of the matter is, they did it.
So thinking about it, my introduction is all wrong. Cadillac’s first impression was fantastic, but it was sadly eroded away by years of pure garbage.
The Escalade took Cadillac back in time while simultaneously driving them into the future.
