The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) sold by the
General Motors luxury brand, Cadillac. It was the division'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 Escalade was originally based on the GMC Yukon Denali, but was redesigned for the
2002 model year to make its appearance fall more in line with Cadillac's new design
theme. Today, the Escalade and Escalade EXT pickup are two of only three Cadillac vehicles
made outside of the United States. Both the Escalade ESV (Based on the Chevrolet Suburban)
and Escalade EXT (based on the Avalanche pickup truck) were made in Silao, Mexico before
the 2006 redesign; the new Escalade ESV is sourced from Arlington, Texas. The Escalade
competes with the Range Rover Sport, Infiniti QX56, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class,
Lexus LX, Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover LR3 and Lincoln Navigator.

printed from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Escalade