There is a golden ratio for concept cars that has been ignored recently. Most “concept” cars are barely disguised looks at the future that, with a set of new mirrors, could be production vehicles. Other concepts are so conceptual that it’s impossible to see anything production-worthy. The art is in balancing the two, while also adding just enough ridiculous flourish to titillate the mind.
What’s the exact ratio? I think it’s about 33% production intent, 44% hope, and 23% flourish. I am willing to be wrong about this, and invite you to decide what your ratio is, but this is how the production cars of the ’50s and ’60s did it, and that’s probably the best era of concept cars. I’d also accept the late ’90s/early aughts Japanese post-Bubble and Y2K Euro concepts as well.
Can I give you an example of a car that fits this ratio quite well?
This is the Nissan Urge concept. I was at Hagerty’s Motorlux event and spoke with a former Nissan employee who was there around the time, and he reminded me of this mostly forgotten and incredibly cool car. The production intent here, per this conversation, was that Nissan wanted to see if it could do anything to extend the 350Z platform into something more affordable for younger people wanting to get into cars. Think of it as a Nissan-built Miata alternative. Both the overall look and the use of an existing platform make it something producible.
Obviously, the see-through doors are not something production intended. It’s also a three-seater, but in the very unpopular 2-and-1 layout, where the back passenger is essentially in a rumble bucket seat. Incredibly silly, but I love it.
This cockpit. Wow. The 2000s aesthetic is strong with this one. The completely silly flourish is the embedded Xbox 360. It’s not clear from the press release which game came with it, but for some reason, I just know that it’s the terrible Da Vinci Code video game. Don’t ask me how I know that, but I’m correct.
Obviously, we never got the cheaper Nissan sports car, which is a loss for the world.
I mention all of this because I’m trying to understand where the Cadillac Elevated Velocity (EV, get it?) concept fits within my rubric.
Credit Cadillac for managing to evolve a style that never quite stays the same but is always recognizable as Cadillac. I saw both a Celestiq and the new Jaguar concept last night, and it feels very much like Jaguar is trying to play catch-up with the American automaker. It made me feel just a little patriotic.
The brand already has two electric two-row crossovers in the Lyriq and the Optiq, so does it need a swoopy coupe-like electric crossover that combines a Celestiq and a Lyriq? I kind of think they do not. Here’s what the brand says about this specific concept:
The concept features a potent blend of extreme performance, cutting-edge advanced technologies and signature bespoke luxury craftsmanship. It showcases dual experiences with stunning looks and a refined interior that elevates the state-of-being for occupants (thus, Elevated), yet its lifted platform is calibrated for daring off-road performance in the most extreme desert locales (ergo, Velocity).
I’m not sure I see it. An off-road electric Cadillac isn’t a thing I’d be sad to see exist, but it’s not the most obvious next step for the brand. I think it’s a little too low on the production intent metric.
Besides the gullwing doors, is there some other whacky nonsense? Yes, of course:
Elevate Mode is engaged by the driver. When engaged, Elevated Velocity becomes autonomous and the interior transforms into a recovery space for occupants. In Elevate Mode, the pedals and steering wheel retract, while the outside temperature, the driver’s body temperature and the cabin temperature are displayed to help optimize performance. Interior ambient lighting shifts to red, while the seatback lighting features infrared light to promote the optimal performance of the concept’s occupants. Doors are backlit to synchronize breathing and movement, furthering the emphasis on recovery. Above the steering column, a light moves forward and rearwards to aid in breathwork in conjunction with an animation displayed on the cowl to help the occupants get into the headspace for performance.
The car guides you in meditative breath? That’s probably silly, though more cars are offering serenity modes that change the lights, smells, and sounds of the car to calm drivers, so maybe it’s not quite so silly. I think Cadillac is doing well in this regard.
Ok, now it’s time for the utterly nonsensical flourish:
Hell yeah. It’s a bespoke polo set!
The interior features layers of materials ranging from smooth wrapped surfaces, embossed grains, boucle fabric, tinted acrylic and glass, representing Elevated Velocity’s extreme capabilities with inspiration from desert polo pursuits.
The cabin is outfitted in shades of deep red with brushed metal accents, suggesting the feeling of energy and movement:
Morello Red: a deep red leather with smooth Fine Nappa grain outfitting the headliner/pillars, door uppers, seat cushions, rear compartment, cabin and cargo floor
Cerise: a sleek red fabric wrapping around the vehicle’s interior from the doors to behind the instrument panel, and behind the rear seats, creating a full ring of the material. The doors feature a unique 3D printed pattern in black crystal inspired by the dynamic action of desert polo – the clashing of mallets or motion of the horse’s hooves as they sprint across a field of shifting sand.
Garnet: a red boucle fabric that adorns the seat uppers, door armrests, console armrest, and instrument panel
Honestly, this whole thing may just be a way for Cadillac to show off some of its new interior colors and designs. Fair play.
It’s a good red. I’m not going to lie. I also like the screen built into the steering wheel.
This will be at The Quail tomorrow, and Jason and David might check it out in person if you’re all interested.
Top Photo: Cadillac
As someone who loves most of GM’s crazy concepts (that we will never get to have, ever) this one is the proverbial red-headed stepchild.
I would totally drive this thing because it’s bizarre, but there’s dozens of other GM concept cars I’d rather have over this luxo-buggy.
I read Polo and got all excited, but then I realised you weren’t talking about VW’s and was sad 🙁
Take a very expensive EV (with a ridiculous steering “wheel”) out to the desert with 245/30/R24 tires, play polo in the hot, dry sand and then sit in the car while it helps you to breathe and “recover”?
The gull wing doors are very nice, and it has clever, futuristic features, but oy vey, the marketing nonsense here is as bad as GM’s quality control on plastic interior parts.
Cadillac has had some stunning concept cars over the years.
This ain’t one of them.
It’s cool. But it ain’t anything like the Sixteen or Elmiraq or Escala or a bunch of other ones over the last few years.
I’m starting to think that designers are envisioning a hellscape future like Mad Max where the world’s desertified and you need vehicles with high ground clearance and small bulletproof windows to make it to the moisture collector.
Someone at gm got wind of your Cross Cab idea and made it worse.
GM and especially cadilliq really knows diddly about the market. Inexplicably Buick is doing better, even with some of the ugliest vehicles on the market, and gm themselves are surprised by this.
What kind of cloth is it?
This looks like a Mercedes SL by Will.I.Am
Synchronized breathing?
What is this, a mobile birthing unit?
I thought I’d rather have a Ssanyong Rodius with a failed MOT.
Then I saw that red interior.
Marco!
“…the driver’s body temperature [is] displayed to help optimize performance.”
I can see it now: “Hey, babe, I’m a half degree below my signature bespoke temperature and you’re pretty, uh, hot, so let’s snuggle up in our optimal-performance headspace and achieve some elevated state-of-being.”
Back in the day, we used to create Buzzword Bingo sheets to fill in during executive product presentations. In presumably just one press release Cadillac has already used: extreme; cutting-edge; signature; bespoke; state-of-being; calibrated; recovery space; breathwork (wtf?); headspace. Hey Cadillac, it’s not fun if our buzzwords are pre-filled; that just disrupts our breathing/movement synchronization and yucks our “emphasis on recovery” yum.
Now please excuse me while I direct my mind to sprint across a field of shifting sand.
My body temperature was .5 degrees from optimal.
That’s why I crashed into the curb leaving cars and coffee.
Cadillac needs to do an EV return to its large sedan roots, just so that it can call it the Matloq.
I’ve always pictured an offroad Cadillac as a late 80’s Brougham dropped onto a 4×4 Suburban frame, but this is nice too.
And yes, please send Jason and David to check it out – I’m definitely interested!
Gotta have the vinyl top. Speaking of — when are those gonna come back in style?
Well the Polo was just declared car of the last century.
Why polo though? Wouldn’t Bocce Ball be more appropriate?
“Hey Paulie, put the body underneath the polo set.”
” Hey Tony, I’d love to see your fat ass in a polo uniform..”
Because prospective buyers in the Middle East and North Africa are the true targets here.
Well 1600s Britain is apparently the future.
My 1979 Olds Toronado had the exact same red carpet
This, sort of well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oHFZvcNeDA&t=62s
And here I was thinking Morello Red described a person with radical left-wing political views and an abiding love for Rage Against the Machine.
Or a nice Italian wine
They always have had their finger on the pulse of the American auto buyer.
I feel like *I* am out of touch for not having croquet mallets and I am on Amazon right now trying to bring myself back to current.
Remember, this is a look into the future. Ten years from now car polo sets will come standard. You’ll see.
Yep. And the Chevrolet version will have a croquet set, made in Vietnam, of course.
Nissan has the Urge to 69.
I’m so disappointed this didn’t land. Did nobody else see this in the second image after the topshot?! Or perhaps the staging tech and I are the only juvenile ones…
I’m only here for the divot stomp.
With the price of cars these days, why can’t or wouldn’t this work???
yo dawg, I heard you like polo mallets. . .
The only vehicle classy enough to show off your Trump watch.