America’s storied luxury brand Cadillac has revealed a new, all-electric high-performance crossover concept with gull-wing doors.
The Elevated Velocity study rides on 24-inch wheels and imagines an all-terrain 2+2 crossover that blends the speed exploits of the brand’s fast V-Series models such as the CT5-V Blackwing, and the size and functionality of a crossover with off-road grit, but using electric power.
It follows in the path of the electric Cadillac Lyriq-V and Optiq-V production models as replies to the growing demand for electric high-performance luxury crossovers. The new concept takes things further by adopting different settings for various moods: Elevate, Welcome and Velocity.
A welcome mode greets the driver and the vehicle floor, seats, instrument panel, doors and steering wheel illuminate in a soft white light. The gull-wing doors lift skyward, and a welcome animation on the steering wheel of shifting desert sand is activated.
Selecting Elevate mode, the vehicle becomes autonomous and the pedals and steering wheel retract as the interior transforms into a recovery space for occupants where the outside and inside temperatures are regulated for relaxation.
The ambient lighting also comes into play, with seat back lighting and backlit doors that synchronise breathing and movement.
In Velocity Mode, the interior lighting features cool white tones that evoke a sense of exhilaration and the white floor lighting dims to aid the driver in focusing on the road while the deployable steering wheel displays speed, time, battery health and temperature. An augmented-reality (AR) head-up display (HUD) navigation shows on the cowl display.
Selectable drive modes alter the responses of the electric drivetrain. The e-Velocity Mode is ideal for fast on-road driving, and Terra mode enables off-road performance, activating the air suspension. Sand Vision is a similar feature to Cadillac’s existing Night Vision technology, which enables the driver to achieve better visibility in a sandstorm.
Elements Defy is another new feature that keeps the exterior clean using a dust-phobic vibration.
The cabin is outfitted in various high-end materials including brushed metal accents, Morello red leather seat upholstery and Garnet, a red bouclé fabric that adorns the seat uppers, door armrests, console armrest and instrument panel.
Fine nappa grain is on the headliner, pillars, door uppers, seat cushions, rear compartment, cabin and cargo floor. Red fabric wraps the interior from the doors to behind the instrument panel. The doors feature a 3D printed pattern in black crystal.
Comfort features include an air purification system that filters dust particles out of the cabin, and compensates for dry air and sudden and extreme temperature shifts, and altitude changes. It also integrates a vault locked compartment to hide items, and a handcrafted polo set of a helmet, gloves, kneepads and mallet.
The Elevated Velocity concept was unveiled on August 15 at the Quail, a motorsports gathering in Carmel, California as part of Monterey Car Week.
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