GM has launched the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid on the the Chinese car market. Price starts at a staggering 1.68 million yuan or 225.000 USD. GM doesn’t officially sell the petrol-only Escalade in China but many arrive via the gray market, usually from dealers on the US West Coast. Price for the gray 6.2 V8 starts around 1.5 million yuan.

The Escalade Hybrid is green in name only. The hybrid powertrain is based around a stinking and rather simple 6.0 liter V8 with 332hp, aided by an electric motor. Wealthy Chinese car buyers don’t care about the environment, and it seems unlikely they will buy a hybrid Escalade over the 400hp 6.2 liter V8, no matter how official-GM is it.