Cadillac has, in recent years, become a serious contender in the performance car sphere. Now far removed from the stodgy sedans and underpowered cruisers that saw the company's market share drop in the '80s and '90s, their V-Series vehicles can be mentioned in the same breath as BMW M cars and Mercedes-AMGs.

The brand has never offered a full-fat performance version of the luxury Escalade SUV. For years, die-hard Cadillac fans have been begging for a ripsnorting Escalade, and Cadillac, ahead of going fully electric in 2030, is finally going to answer their prayers. Before it does so, development must progress, and thanks to this, we now have an idea of what the beefy brawler will sound like.

In the above video, a heavily disguised Escalade is spotted with muscular-looking quad pipes positioned on each side of the rear bumper. Towards the end of the clip, the large luxury SUV is seen going down the road at full throttle, accompanied by a raucous V8 growl.

Although there's no official commentary from General Motors, speculation dictates that the high-performance Escalade will gain its power from GM's LT4 powerplant, currently used in the CT5-V Blackwing. We're not sure how much performance the Escalade will kick out, but the 6.2-liter produces a healthy 668 horsepower in its sedan stablemate. The Camaro ZL1 makes use of the same powertrain, only with slightly less grunt at 650 hp - ample power to move the 5,550-pound Escalade around swiftly.

While it's difficult to say due to design details being concealed, the prototype seen in the video appears to sit lower to the road, with a more ground-hugging stance. We're willing to guess the Escalade V will also wear a more aggressive body kit, with sportier-looking front and rear bumpers. A unique grille and some gloss black embellishments are also likely to appear, but whatever it looks like, it will certainly stand out amongst its less performance-oriented brethren.

The current-generation Escalade will be the last combustion-engined full-sized SUV from the luxury brand. If that's the case, this performance variant will be a fitting send-off for the much-loved Escalade before it adopts battery power.