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Cadillac XTS Concept

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The XTS will replace both the STS and DTS when it goes on sale in 2012.
And not a minute too soon.
I hardly see any STS around. Let alone a DTS anymore.

But it will be AWD, not RWD. So purist might not take it seriously.
And the concept looks more like a new DTS, or Deville, than a serious sports sedan.
But it also looks very sleek, pure and simple.
To me, this is much classier than the blocky or awkward looking stuff we’ve seen from Germany lately.

The concept uses a Hybrid plug-in system with a 3.6 Liter V6.
I guess the RWD V8 Cadillac is really dead…

…………..

“The XTS Platinum concept is the next expression of Cadillac’s Art and Science execution philosophy, reflecting our drive to deliver the latest innovations in the most artful manner,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac general manager. “We envisioned this concept as an automotive personal headquarters, using advanced technology to enable new levels of connectivity and luxury.”

The XTS Platinum Concept uses Cadillac’s 3.6L V-6 Direct Injection gas engine, paired with a plug-in hybrid system. The plug-in technology enables the battery to fully charge from a standard electrical outlet, enabling pure electric propulsion in many driving situations, especially urban commutes in which fuel efficiency may double that of a conventional hybrid.

Traditional luxury sedans were defined by elegant interiors and Cadillac’s XTS Platinum Concept propels that formula into the future. It delivers new approaches to luxury within a design that combines fine craftsmanship with customer-driven innovation. Like the current Platinum Edition products, such as Escalade Platinum and the STS and DTS Platinum sedans, the interior is based on hand cut-and-sewn materials. The XTS Platinum Concept injects more contemporary forms and themes into the interior design, including the use of Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays in place of traditional gauges and screens.

The XTS Platinum concept’s plug-in hybrid electric propulsion system (PHEV) builds on the experience Cadillac has gained with the Escalade Hybrid and Escalade Platinum Hybrid flagship models. The plug-in capability boosts the car’s electric-only driving capability, offering additional battery energy capacity and enabling it to recharge from a standard external electrical outlet. The key benefit of external plug-in recharging is that in many situations – such as overnight parking – the battery can fully recharge in roughly five hours while the car is not in use. The plug-in system operates at maximum efficiency when operating on power the battery has drawn from the electric grid. In some conditions, such as urban commutes, drivers can experience efficiency that doubles that of conventional hybrids.

At higher speeds or when conditions demand it, such as brisk acceleration, a combination of engine power and electric power or engine power only, propels the vehicle. The combination of the Direct Injection V-6 engine and the PHEV system featuring fully electric variable drive provides a spirited driving experience. The system provides an estimated 350 horsepower (260 kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400 Nm).
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Conversation 21 comments

  3. The most beautiful Cadillac since the '67 Eldorado. Modern and sophisticated while staying true to the Cadillac aesthetic.

  4. Amazing. Simply amazing. That is the most perfect concept. It's soo sad though that it took bankruptcy and a bailout for Detroit to actually design good looking quality cars. I'm confident they will actually produce it without compromise. This and the Ford Focus (which finally caught up) deserve the best in show.

  6. Judging by all the other blog post Ive seen, Im alone when I say Im disappointed. This does not look like a cadillac! This looks like it was designed in China, and the interior is TERRIBLE. It looks like something that should be found in a Buick, not a 7, S fighter, and a concept at that. Whats soooooo disappointing is that this is the concept; you know its going to get toned down. 🙁

  7. RWD V8 Cadillac is dead?
    Vince… wasn't this thing sharing a stand with a just-unveiled RWD V8 Caddy coupe… not to mention the other world-beating RWD V8 Caddy sedan?

  8. You're 100% right about RWD Cadillacs. What was I thinking?!?!

    As far as rebadged. "Rebadging" means just changing a few things. Like the Regal is a rebadged Insignia.
    The Lacrosse and XTS don't look alike at all.
    The Cadillac is also much bigger.
    Very few cars actually use a unique platform. Anywhere.

    People seem to see "rebadging" everywhere.
    Or they just like using a new word they learned last week.

  9. Let's see, it's got AWD, it's on the Epsilon II platform, it has an OLED dash…

    OMG! It's a tarted-up Saab 9-5.

  10. This reskin does not equal rebadge. People who call this a rebadge know nothing about the automobile industry and probably drive Sebrings and Sunfires.

    But as for this car…damn thing looks boring. Aimed at the gray haired consumer. Caddy arts and science design is going organic and old fogey, not good.

  11. Luxury brands that want to be looked at in the same vein as BMW and Mercedes have got to let go of this need for an ES-type car. Neither Infiniti nor Jaguar need one, why does Cadillac?

  12. Ahhhhhh… Its not good. I wouldn't get rid of the dts for this. Plus big plastic tail lights look like poop. Throw that interior in the dts please thank you

  13. I'm sure they will find a way to put the next-gen small block V8 in this as well. Cadillac can't rely on a V6 to compete against the S-Class and 7-Series which offer V6s, V8, and V12s. Look how well Acura has done with their V6-only RL flagship.

  14. Greenhouse profile looks like an Avalon. There are still some old fogeys who need to be considered as consumers instead of people to degrade and overlook. Maybe this is Caddy's car for a certain market segment to keep them in the brand instead of them going elsewhere.

  15. I have to question people who criticize a car like this. What's the motivation other than a lack of understanding of the luxury car segment? Every Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Infiniti looks like a humpback whale and is a computerized mess. The Audi A8 is just an A6 at 125% or an A4 at 135%. This is distinctive and stately. For Cadillac to switch from FWD to RWD and go from a Northstar V8 to a V6 hybrid is very substantial. And this interior… this design concept surpasses everything in the executive sedan class and goes right into the class occupied by Bentley and the Aston Martin Rapide. I am not interested in owning a car this large. But if I was a captain of industry, I'd ditch my Maybach with conversion van curtains, and I'd get driven around in one of these.

  16. There they go again with the old fartish vertical tail lights. I guess Cadillac does not know the difference between trying to look different and looking boring. Can they not get some lessons from superb car designers like Audi, BMW, Jaguar? I am eagerly waiting the GM's PR response. But, when you respond, try to have some typos or make grammar errors, so it does not look like a… prepared statement.

  17. "There they go again with the old fartish vertical tail lights."

    Really? Vertical tail lights are old fartish? You think that the rear end of the 7 Series or the new XJ are things of beauty? Aren't the XJ's tail lights kinda vertical? Do the vertical tail lamps on Volvo Wagons or Honda CRV look geezerish also? I'm not saying that this is the best interpretation of Cadillac's signature tail lamp, the CTS is better integrated IMHO. But vertical doesn't = old fartish.

  18. I'm a huge fan of the Caddy's "Art and Science" theme but this is a disappointment. The front and rear are OK -although predictable, but they really missed the mark on the flank. First, the character line that rises from the front fender to the C-pillar makes the front fender appear too tall and the area from the passenger door rearward just tall and fat. The rising line also makes the rear-wheel look smaller in comparison to the front. They really could have cut some dramatic full-length creases in the side metal to make this flagship a beauty but this looks nothing more distinctive than an entry-level sedan. My advice to Caddy designers is get back to work before the dies have to be made for the production model

  19. The side profile of this car is very nice. I don't know what to make of the front or the rear end in these pictures. I hope the headlamps don't end up having a blue tint. That's fine for a concept car, but totally ghetto in reality. The interior design is as nice as any Bentley or Aston… much better execution of the gauge display than in the new Jag XJ.

  20. "It's soo sad though that it took bankruptcy and a bailout for Detroit to actually design good looking quality cars. "
    Do you really think they designed and built this car in less than a year? It probably took that long to schedule the first committee meeting.

  21. FACT: Americans over 50 years old make up nearly 30% of the U.S. population and YET control 70% of all disposable income. They buy 40% of ALL NEW CARS and over 80% of ALL NEW LUXURY CARS. Anyone who makes CARS would have to be a MORON to ignore those facts. This might come as a shock to those of you under 50 [Which includes ME] and especially to those under 30 – but YOU are NOT the most important people in the U.S. [Or Canada – for that matter – given that's where I'm from] when it comes to the economy. Besides – there is more than enough room in the automotive kingdom for cars like the XTS. I think it's beautiful. In fact – if anything – it could be Cadillac'd UP a bit. Maybe adding big chunky 'C*A*D*I*L*L*A*C letters on each door would look good!! :o)

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