Cadillac resurrects the big luxury barge in Ciel concept -
Once in a while, but not often enough, a new concept from an automaker sort of blows you away. That happened last night with the new Ciel introduction from Cadillac, and we suspect we were not the only ones, given the gasp that went up from the scores who attended the reveal here on a foggy country club lawn in Pebble Beach, Calif.
What amazed us was at how General Motor's luxury brand wasn't afraid to bring back the politically incorrect car for which it is best known: the luxury barge. The Ciel is l-o-n-g and beautiful, as sleek as a design as you'll find. After years of being forced to try to downsize luxury in smaller packages, GM finally gave its designers the freedom to convey the brand in the fashion in which it was meant to be expressed, the long form.
It's significant. GM officials say they want to unabashedly take Cadillac back to what it is known for -- big, beautiful cars -- not just the smaller yet savvy CTS's and SRX's of today. The brand needs to stand out.
"We believe it's a responsible size size that is consistent with what Cadillac is known for," says designer Clay Dean.
Or as GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick put it, "We don't want to be like any other luxury brand" and that Ciel is wonderful in that it's "derivative of nothing." In other words, in stands alone in a field of luxury cars that are being forced to be too much alike.
It may be big, but that doesn't mean it's wasteful: As a concept, the California-designed Ciel is powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the 3.6-liter direct injection V-6 engine, paired with a hybrid system using lithium-ion battery technology.
The dashboard is remarkably uncluttered and the rear passengers in the four-door droptop have a unique seatbelts that can double as blankets if top-down driving turns chilly.
Read more -
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/08/cadillac-brings-back-the-big-luxury-barge-in-ciel-concept/1?csp=cars
Once in a while, but not often enough, a new concept from an automaker sort of blows you away. That happened last night with the new Ciel introduction from Cadillac, and we suspect we were not the only ones, given the gasp that went up from the scores who attended the reveal here on a foggy country club lawn in Pebble Beach, Calif.
What amazed us was at how General Motor's luxury brand wasn't afraid to bring back the politically incorrect car for which it is best known: the luxury barge. The Ciel is l-o-n-g and beautiful, as sleek as a design as you'll find. After years of being forced to try to downsize luxury in smaller packages, GM finally gave its designers the freedom to convey the brand in the fashion in which it was meant to be expressed, the long form.
It's significant. GM officials say they want to unabashedly take Cadillac back to what it is known for -- big, beautiful cars -- not just the smaller yet savvy CTS's and SRX's of today. The brand needs to stand out.
"We believe it's a responsible size size that is consistent with what Cadillac is known for," says designer Clay Dean.
Or as GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick put it, "We don't want to be like any other luxury brand" and that Ciel is wonderful in that it's "derivative of nothing." In other words, in stands alone in a field of luxury cars that are being forced to be too much alike.
It may be big, but that doesn't mean it's wasteful: As a concept, the California-designed Ciel is powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the 3.6-liter direct injection V-6 engine, paired with a hybrid system using lithium-ion battery technology.
The dashboard is remarkably uncluttered and the rear passengers in the four-door droptop have a unique seatbelts that can double as blankets if top-down driving turns chilly.
Read more -
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/08/cadillac-brings-back-the-big-luxury-barge-in-ciel-concept/1?csp=cars
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