Cadillac Ciel Concept: A Vision Of GM's Flagship Future
Phew! Can you say “American Rolls-Royce Drophead?” In sharp contrast to its last concept, the awkward subcompact Urban Luxury Concept, the Ciel is pure old-school Caddy. A huge car with huge presence. Of course, this exact car will never go into production, but it’s good to see more flowing lines, subtle surfaces and classical elements working their way into Caddy’s sharp-edged, stealth fighter design language. After all, the cartoonishly vertical headlamps indicate just how close the pure “Art & Science” approach is coming to an evolutionary dead-end. In any case, with rumors circulating of a “true flagship” going into production around 2015, the Ciel is sure to rile up the Cadillac faithful. [ Press release here]
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So it's up to me to be the contrarian, eh? Ok, well IMO this is bloody hideous ... at any price. Sure, slab-sided land yachts with pseudo-tailfins might be an obvious nod to Cadillac's history, but let's not forget there's a reason why the brand is little more than a footnote in the luxury car business today. Oddly, I do see some French influence in the Ciel's design. The high cowl and pronounced tapering to a boat-like "stern" is a classic French cue. Reminds me of the 1969 Citroen DS my father dragged home one night. Wonder if the Ciel will offer pneumatic suspension and mouse-fur upholstery too?
Gorgeous. Needs more tailfin. It also seems to be a stretched XLR by the size. Perhaps a 1/2 size bigger would be great for more rear legroom.