Tech

Cadillac revealed a futuristic electric SUV concept that will rival Tesla's Model X — and it looks awesome

Cadillac EV 2019 Detroit Auto Show
Caddy goes electric. Cadillac
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DETROIT — Last week, GM announced that its 116-year-old Cadillac luxury brand would take the lead on the carmaker's electrification strategy.

On Sunday, Cadillac revealed its first all-electric design, an SUV that will be based on a fresh EV platform. 

"Cadillac's EV will hit the heart of the crossover [SUV] market and meet the needs of customers around the world," Cadillac president Steve Carlisle said in a statement.

"It will represent the height of luxury and innovation while positioning Cadillac as the pinnacle of mobility."

Cadillac EV 2019 Detroit Auto Show
Targeting Tesla.  Cadillac

The vehicle showcased on Sunday doesn't yet have a name, but Cadillac did provide limited details on the engineering concept.

"GM's future EV platform, which Cadillac will be the first to use, will be flexible, allowing the company to respond quickly to customer preferences with a relatively short design and development lead time," the automaker said.

"The Cadillac portfolio will eventually benefit from a variety of body styles that can be spun off this architecture."

Read more: GM is defying naysayers with a bullish 2019 outlook, and plans to take on Tesla with Cadillac

The new design will compete directly with Tesla's Model X, the main all-electric crossover currently in the market.

It's been a big 2019 Detroit auto show for Cadillac; the brand also revealed a three-row SUV, the XT6, and suggested that the legendary Escalade SUV may be updated soon. 

"Overall, Cadillac will introduce new models at the rate of roughly one every six months through 2021," Cadillac said in a statement.

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Matthew is a Business Insider senior correspondent who covers transportation (and chess, guitars, home-audio equipment, cocktails, and sometimes classic rock). His focus is the global auto industry, including Tesla, a company he has chronicled since 2007. He also looks after Business Insider's annual Car of the Year award, announced every fall. He's written for The New York Times, Slate, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, and CBS Interactive. He's commented on the auto industry for a variety of media outlets, including Sirius XM, MSNBC, Radio France, KPCC, and KCRW.  DeBord won the 2018 Ken Purdy Award from the International Motor Press Association. He's taught at New York University's Stern School of Business and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. His book "Return to Glory: The Story of Ford's Revival and Victory at the Toughest Race in the World" was published in 2017 by Atlantic Monthly Press and came out in paperback in June 2018. In the New York Times Book Review, Jonathan Kellerman called it a "page-turning synthesis of business book and adventure saga."