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The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV engineered and manufactured by Cadillac. It was Cadillac's first major entry into the popular SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to German and Japanese competitors and to Ford's 1998 release of the Lincoln Navigator. The Escalade project went into production only ten months after it was approved. The Escalade is built in Arlington, Texas. The name Escalade refers to a siege warfare tactic of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders or siege towers. The 1999 Escalade was identical to the 1999 GMC Denali, but was redesigned for the 2002 model year to make its appearance fall more in line with Cadillac's "art and science" design theme. Escalade production went on hiatus for the 2001 model year. The Escalade ESV (based on the Chevrolet Suburban) and its former sibling the Escalade EXT (based on the Avalanche sport utility truck) were made in Silao, Mexico, before the 2007 redesign; the new Escalade ESV is sourced from Arlington, Texas. As of 2015, the Cadillac Escalade is available in every country that Cadillac is available in, except Israel. The Escalade ESV version is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East. It is Cadillac's largest luxury oriented, passenger and load carrying vehicle which was previously served by the Cadillac Commercial Chassis. ==First generation (1999–2000)== The introduction of the Lincoln Navigator in the 1998 model year necessitated that General Motors be able to compete in the burgeoning American market for full-size luxury-type trucks. This generation was only a five-seat SUV. Fearing the growing hegemony of the Lincoln Navigator, the Escalade was rushed through the design process to reach dealers quickly. Essentially little more than a badge-engineered GMC Yukon Denali, the SUV's aesthetics were similar to the Denali and the final vehicle was smaller than the Navigator. The Escalade's underpinnings were borrowed from the Yukon Denali line, with the GMC logos on the center caps replaced with Cadillac's crest. The Escalade also used the same 5.7 L ''Vortec 5700'' V8 at 255 hp (190 kW), which was underpowered compared to the Navigator's and 5.4 Liter InTech V-8. All first-generation Escalades featured Auto-Trac selectable 4x4. The 1999-2000 Escalade achieves city and highway based on U.S. EPA test protocols. The interior featured leather seats. The Escalade also included a Bose surround system; a first for an SUV. The Escalade gauge cluster differed slightly from the cluster used in the Tahoe and Yukon. The Escalade gauges features white needles instead of orange and the speedometer reads to . According to information from the Highway Loss Data Institute, the Cadillac Escalade is the most stolen vehicle in the U.S. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cadillac Escalade」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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