The full-size SUV's future is on shaky legs and now, reports have surfaced that General Motors has killed the next generation Tahoe and Yukon 'utes, just weeks after announcing it would shutter its SUV plant in Janesville, Wisconsin. Of course, if that pair is buried, the Suburban and the Cadillac Escalade that use the same platform must also come to an end, at least in their current form.

Past reports indicate that the ultra-lux ride from Caddy will move to the Lambda platform for its next generation. The Tahukon pair had been slated for a redesign in 2011, and since that's reportedly not going to happen, the duo's future is definitely in question. GM will probably keep churning out the current version until it's no longer profitable to do so.

These days, any story about the General would be incomplete without some mention of Chrysler, and this one's no different. America's number three automaker just announced just last week that it would be phasing out its full-sized 'utes as well. Therefore, any possible merger of the two companies would carry on without a new large SUV platform at all. How the times have changed.

[Source: The New York Times via Inside Line]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

If you are in the market for American excess and feeling a bit green at the same time, Cadillac has your next vehicle. It's the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, and it goes on sale this month with an MSRP of $71,685 (a mere $3,600 premium over a comparably-equipped Escalade, GM boasts). The "first-ever hybrid on a large luxury SUV" features GM's advanced Two-Mode Hybrid technology allowing it to run on just battery power during idling (do electric cars idle?) or low-speed driving conditions. Like the gas-only model, the Hybrid also incorporates Active Fuel Management meaning it can run on as few as four cylinders to save fuel. The 2009 Cadillac Escape Hybrid earns EPA fuel economy ratings of 20 city/21 highway (the non-hybrid Escalade is rated 12/19), so there is some gas to be saved here.

[Source: General Motors]

Photo by Mike Erickson, San Clemente Marine Safety

Memorial Day has passed and beach season is upon us. With the long summer days and cool ocean breezes, it may be tempting to take your new SUV out for a spin on the sand. If you are dumping that much money into a vehicle, why not share a special moment with your ride? Perhaps a close up view of the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean is in order. That was exactly the idea shared recently by a man in San Clemente, California. He decided to drive his 2008 Cadillac Escalade out to the ocean's edge to watch dawn break. However, the man must not have been one of California's avid wave riders, as he displayed an extreme lack of tide awareness and little concern for sand consistency. The eager sun watcher apparently ventured too far off of dry shore. Water saturated sand is the recipe for quicksand, so it was no surprise that the massive SUV sunk into the ground, trapping its driver in the raising surf. Even with waves reaching up to the rear view mirrors, the Escalade pilot refused to abandon ship, at least until authorities noted it was highly possible for the vehicle to flip over.

In the end, the Escalade adventurer was cited for driving on the beach, as typically only service vehicles such as those of the police or lifeguards are permitted to roam freely on beaches. There are some places, like Daytona Beach, Florida, that have general automotive admission, however. In that case, sand conditions are closely monitored, but even then it is not uncommon for folks to get stuck. This summer, we suggest beach goers keep all four tires on the pavement. All that sand is hard to clean up anyway, plus saltwater is rather corrosive. Thanks for the tip Keith!

[Source: OC Register]

Lexus has added its bigger, more powerful 5.7L truck engine to its premium SUV, and as a result, the new LX 570 has a bigger price to go along with it. The upscale 'ute's base sticker grows by a knee-wobbling $6,405, starting at a rather monumental $73,800. For those scoring at home, that's about $18,000 more than the Cadillac Escalade, and within $3,000 of the top-end Mercedes GL550. While the LX 570 surpasses the outgoing LX 470 in both power and luxury, a $73,800 price tag is a substantial pill to swallow, even in this admittedly pricey segment.

[Source: Detroit News]

Click image for photo gallery

The Escalade Hybrid isn't Caddy's only new vehicle intro down at the Miami Beach Convention Center this week. In addition to the enhanced-mileage gigunda-wagon, the General is also rolling out the Platinum edition in both regular and ESV bodystyles. It's powered by the standard-issue 403 horsepower 6.2L V8 and gets the deluxe treatment both inside and out. For an as-yet-undisclosed premium over the regular 'Slade, the Platinum is equipped with exclusive 22-inch wheels, magnetic ride control, LED headlamps, and a new grille that borrows its style from the CTS. The big whip's passenger cabin gets the cut & sew full-leather once-over on the IP, center console and door panels. Oh, and the cupholders are heated and cooled, too. The seats in the Platinum's first two rows are upgraded to aniline leather with contrast-color French stitching on the seams, and the headrests in the front two get fitted with LCD screens for the back seat passengers. That's in addition to the rearward-visibility-hampering flip-down screen in the ceiling, mind you. (Hey, the back-benchers need to have a screen they can see from their non-aniline leather 3rd row chairs.) If you thought that the Escalade had reached bling saturation on the factory level, it is now clear that you were mistaken. If you clock the appropriate number of G's, you can order one up next Spring.

[Source: GM]

Click image to enlarge

Early details on the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid leaked onto the web yesterday morning, and you can read Damon's early rundown on the essentials here. Now that Cadillac has released the full info and tech specs, we can break it down pretty simply. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid uses the exact same 2-Mode hybrid powertrain as both the Yukon and Tahoe hybrids. Unlike its platform cousins, however, the Escalade does not incorporate any weight-saving measures. It does incorporate Hybrid badges in the fender vents and "H" logos by the rear windows. We're assuming (and hoping) the giant "H Y B R I D" door decals are to make the display car stand out on the floor at the auto show down in Miami this week.

We talked to a Caddy rep who told us that the decision was made not to diminish the Escalade in any way, so the seats retain all their stuffing, the front end gets no aero tweaks, and the bodywork doesn't get any lightweight elements like the Chevy and GMC trucks. Now, according to GM, the use of the hybrid system increases fuel economy by at least 50% anyway. If you figure that the standard 6.2L Escalade is good for 9 or 10 real-world MPG combined, it should be good for at least 18 mpg or so on the highway. We doubt it'll match the 21/22 (2WD) and 20/20 (4WD) city/hwy EPA ratings of the Tahoe Hybrid simply because the 'Slade outweighs it by 110 pounds in 2WD form and 181 when equipped with 4WD.

That said, if the Escalade really can actually get mileage in the mid to upper-teens it's an impressive feat, no matter how you look at it. This is a 3-ton truck after all, and we've driven midsize crossovers that struggle to get that kind of fuel economy. Those interested in towing stuff can pull 6,000 lbs with the 2WD truck and 5,700 lbs with the 4WD variant. As for the target audience, it's basically Escalade shoppers willing to pony up an additional premium to use less gas or to simply flash some green cred via the Hybrid badges.

GM's full press release is included after the jump and the gallery contains 14 hi-res photos.

[Source: GM]

If you drive a Cadillac Escalade, Forbes' Dan Lienert has your number. Lienert says you are an unapologetic risk taker who makes about $175k a year and like to entertain. On the other hand, if you prefer to drive a Lexus LS, you are intelligent, polite, well-traveled and family oriented.

The story covers eight other high-end luxury and sports cars, so all you Yugo drivers (like to hang on to possessions for purely sentimental reasons, might also own a Fuego, prefer champale to champagne and probably make much less than $160,000 a year) can rest easy knowing Forbes doesn't yet know your marketing profile.

All these generalizations are based on brand-sponsored market research and quotes from automaker representatives, so the validity of the broad suppositions they make are less than scientific. And please keep in mind we're just the messenger.

[Source: Forbes.com]

Yeah. We're bummed too. Not surprised, just disappointed. Way back in 2003 when GM rolled this 16-cylinder beauty onto a NAIAS stage, it was easy to believe in a revived Cadillac. The grand Sixteen would be the pinnacle of all American-built cars and would lead the way for U.S. automakers' return to the forefront of vehicle design and engineering.

Automotive News reports that GM looked at the market, and decided the world just wasn't ready for the Cadillac of Cadillacs. So for now, the Escalade will just have to be the, uh, Cadillac of Cadillacs.

[Source: Automotive News (sub req'd)]

In case you somehow hadn't noticed(?!), it's not only deer and turkey season, it's also automotive award season. And here's yet another trophy for those keeping track of all of them. CNET.com wants you to help decide their 2006 Tech Car of the Year Award winner. They've done the hard work and weeded out the really big turkeys to give you a list of some real dears.

In early voting, the Lexus LS460 L, with its 19-speaker sound system, live traffic GPS and self-parking system is leading the other nine contenders. So what's it gonna be for you? Acura's RDX with voice commands? Audi's adaptive-suspension-equipped Q7? BMW's 335i with its adaptive cruise control and iDrive? Or are you more a Cadillac guy, voting for the Escalade with OnStar?

See the other five contestants after the jump.

[Source: CNET]

With the sales of the new GMT900 platform SUV's still strong, GM is looking ahead to assure that future inventory doesn't overrun demand as it has in the recent past. The company announced today that it will be reducing production in three plants that produce the GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, and Chevrolet Tahoe from 56.5 vehicles per hour to a nice even 50. The plants will remain closed for the first half of January, extending the normal 1-week holiday shutdown to three, and then resume production at the reduced rate.

GM expects some staffing adjustments to occur, but has not yet determined how the slow down will affect employees at each assembly plant, which are located in Janesville, WI, Arlington, TX, and Silao, Mexico.

[Source: Automotive News]