What Years Did Cadillac Make The Escalade EXT Pickup Truck? (And Why It Was Discontinued)

When you envision a pickup, what do you see? Maybe one packed with camping gear and towing a trailer behind it? Or maybe one with muddy tires and sides driving down a dirt road with a dog in the backseat? Well, Cadillac actually had its own vision for a pickup with the Escalade EXT. Usually known for its expensive SUVs, Cadillac wanted to bring elegance and luxury to the pickup truck market. 

The Cadillac Escalade EXT made it to two generations before it was discontinued, selling from 2002 to 2013. It was packed with all of the same plush comforts and advanced features of the Escalade SUV, from leather wrapped bucket seats to a seven-speaker sound system. 

However, the Escalade EXT had a 354 horsepower V8 engine, while the second generation had 403 hp, and it could tow up to 7,600 pounds. Despite blending comfort with capabilities, the early 2000s car world just wasn't ready for a pickup that wanted to bring bling and class to the next fishing trip — and sales reflected that.

The Cadillac Escalade EXT shocked the car community when it was first released in 2002, and Cadillac was fully aware that buyers didn't really want or need a pickup version of the Escalade. In 2002, the Cadillac Escalade EXT came in at just under $50,000. A Ford F-150 that same year was half the price. While the EXT clearly packed in a lot more luxury and features, it was definitely an outlier in the pickup truck market. 

While the Cadillac Escalade EXT made appearances in music videos and on reality shows, it wasn't a hit with general consumers. Cadillac still released the second generation in 2007, complete with chromed fenders, heated leather seats, wood trim, a DVD-based touchscreen navigation system, and the option for a power sunroof. This generation had a base price of $54,000. 

The Cadillac Escalade EXT ultimately suffered from poor sales. The first generation EXT was the least-sold Escalade in Cadillac's lineup, selling 62,289 total models from 2002 to 2006. The initial year seemed promising, with 13,494 units sold. However, by the final year, the EXT sold under 7,000 units. Despite the dramatic drop in sales, Cadillac forged ahead with the second generation, which, inevitably, suffered the same fate. 

By 2013, the last year of the Escalade EXT, only 1,972 examples reached consumers. That same year, there were 21,971 regular Escalade sales. This included both the standard model and the extended wheelbase Escalade ESV. 

Unlike Chevrolet's other luxury pickup attempt that was discontinued the same year, the Avalanche, the EXT wasn't even given a commemorative model before it quietly exited the car market in the summer of 2013. The sales just weren't there and Cadillac gave up on the concept of a plush, posh pickup. There was previously chatter of Cadillac bringing back the Escalade EXT in 2026, but as it turns out, that isn't really true.