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Cadillac Escala concept shows hints of the future

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  sfbreh 
#1 ·
http://www.autonews.com/article/201...llac-escala-concept-shows-hints-of-the-future


August 22, 2016 @ 12:01 am
David Undercoffler

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- After teasing the public with dramatic and unlikely concept cars in two previous years, Cadillac used this year's Monterey Car Week to glimpse into a future that will actually happen.

GM's luxury arm unveiled the Escala concept Thursday, Aug. 18. The car is an amalgam of design, powertrain and new model ideas that will all eventually wind up in Cadillac's lineup.

Just maybe not in the same place.

"There's a lot of stuff that's being captured here," Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac's president, told Automotive News at the Escala's debut. "All of that won't necessarily find itself coming out in one car; it will be spread through the portfolio."



The biggest and most immediate element of the Escala to land in buyers' driveways will be the car's dramatic new styling. The concept sedan's look is a radical departure from Cadillac's current design and includes a healthier dose of Asian influences than the brand has featured in the past.
The Escala has sharp, clean lines. Not much new w/ the design language such as the slim, swept back quadrilateral headlights, an oversized grill now w/ the hints of a hexagon in shape instead of the former pentagram and a rendition of the Hofmeister kinked greenhouse which is akin to what Infiniti had done on the M35/37), but that's OK (would change the greenhouse shape a bit to give it more of an aggressive bent to match the front).


He estimated that production Cadillacs will arrive with this look in 2019. That would make the next-generation CTS sedan -- soon to be dubbed the CT5 -- the most likely candidate for the styling shift, followed closely by Cadillac's all-new XT7crossover. Both models are expected to go on sale in 2019.
Aside from having more striking sheetmetal, expect the CT5 to increase in passenger/trunk space as well over the CTS.


While talking with Automotive News, de Nysschen disputed recent media reports that the CT8 flagship sedan program had been canceled outright, saying instead that Cadillac has put the program on hold in the wake of consumers' rapid shift toward crossovers and SUVs.

Until Cadillac and the rest of the industry can tell whether that shift is due purely to low gasoline prices or whether light trucks are the new normal, Cadillac is exploring other options, he said. They include the idea of merging a CT6 and CT8 into a single vehicle like the Escala to take the CT6 platform more upscale, using a new large crossover as Cadillac's flagship (not an SUV because the vehicle would be sold globally), or both.
Pretty much what I had expected all along; plus, it always made sense for Cadillac to concentrate on getting out the rest of its crossover lineup (as it is already way behind the competition) as they are the volume sellers and then work on the flagship (on whatever form it will take).


Ultimately, in the long run, Cadillac needs a proper world-class flagship sedan (the CT6 doesn't cut it), but in addition to the FWD Cadillac crossovers, would have Cadillac develop an Omega-based crossover before they get to the flagship sedan.
 
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#10 ·
I really don't like his influence on the "look" of Cadillacs...to me the Escala is a blend of Audi and Asian designs. Very little says "Cadillac" to me. I had such high hopes for him being at the helm.
 
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