Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept
In its quest to reestablish itself as the standard of the world, Cadillac is apparently overlooking no niche. Already the standard of the body-on-frame-domestic-luxo-ute and 556-hp-manual-transmission-station-wagon classes, the brand introduced a concept at the L.A. auto show that speaks to becoming the standard of the dinky-runabout segment.
The Urban Luxury Concept is a vision for the Cadillac of the downsized future. Inside its tiny footprint—just 151 inches long and 68.1 wide—the ULC houses four seats and a modicum of cargo space. Thanks to the upright seating position afforded by the car’s 56.9-inch height and the luxurious longitudinal space provided by the 97.1-inch wheelbase—which is identical to a Mini Cooper’s—none of those seats seem like a very painful place to spend an urban commute.
While a small, doorstop-shaped canvas is a tricky one to endow with strong design elements, the ULC manages to look like a Cadillac—albeit a Cadillac dinghy. The brand’s signature grille is up front, flanked by spindly vertical LED headlight arrays, and the chunky trapezoidal B-pillar recalls that of the CTS.
Easy Entry, Difficult Production Possibilities
Beyond the doors, which make up nearly the entire body side and swing up Lambo-style, the cabin is the most scintillating aspect of the Urban Luxury Concept. The onslaught of hard lines and various colors and textures is a bit overwhelming, but very attractive. It’s the boldest interior yet from the Art & Science school. While we wouldn’t choose to spend hours in a car this size with a beltline at our earlobes, we’d be happy to occupy something with an interior this sharp. The central speedometer is nestled between a pair of digital screens, and spokes that stretch back to the base of the steering column give the illusion of a deep-dish steering wheel without any clumsiness.
For motivation, the ULC employs nothing more exotic than what’s found in a dozen or so microcars in the European market. Beneath its stubby hood lives a turbocharged, 1.0-liter inline-three with stop/start functionality, mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Cadillac says that this combination could be good for fuel economy of up to 56 mpg in the city and 65 on the highway, but doesn’t specify if its estimates are based on our EPA testing or the very optimistic European cycle.
While GM is currently expanding into smaller segments—witness the upcoming Chevrolet Spark—Cadillac won’t be doing so any time soon. The brand must first establish the upcoming sub-CTS ATS before it wanders into any smaller streams. In any case, the more attractive small-car concepts we have, the more the idea that such vehicles are cool will catch on. We’d be happy to see Cadillac as the standard of the torchbearers.
In its quest to reestablish itself as the standard of the world, Cadillac is apparently overlooking no niche. Already the standard of the body-on-frame-domestic-luxo-ute and 556-hp-manual-transmission-station-wagon classes, the brand introduced a concept at the L.A. auto show that speaks to becoming the standard of the dinky-runabout segment.
The Urban Luxury Concept is a vision for the Cadillac of the downsized future. Inside its tiny footprint—just 151 inches long and 68.1 wide—the ULC houses four seats and a modicum of cargo space. Thanks to the upright seating position afforded by the car’s 56.9-inch height and the luxurious longitudinal space provided by the 97.1-inch wheelbase—which is identical to a Mini Cooper’s—none of those seats seem like a very painful place to spend an urban commute.
While a small, doorstop-shaped canvas is a tricky one to endow with strong design elements, the ULC manages to look like a Cadillac—albeit a Cadillac dinghy. The brand’s signature grille is up front, flanked by spindly vertical LED headlight arrays, and the chunky trapezoidal B-pillar recalls that of the CTS.
Easy Entry, Difficult Production Possibilities
Beyond the doors, which make up nearly the entire body side and swing up Lambo-style, the cabin is the most scintillating aspect of the Urban Luxury Concept. The onslaught of hard lines and various colors and textures is a bit overwhelming, but very attractive. It’s the boldest interior yet from the Art & Science school. While we wouldn’t choose to spend hours in a car this size with a beltline at our earlobes, we’d be happy to occupy something with an interior this sharp. The central speedometer is nestled between a pair of digital screens, and spokes that stretch back to the base of the steering column give the illusion of a deep-dish steering wheel without any clumsiness.
For motivation, the ULC employs nothing more exotic than what’s found in a dozen or so microcars in the European market. Beneath its stubby hood lives a turbocharged, 1.0-liter inline-three with stop/start functionality, mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Cadillac says that this combination could be good for fuel economy of up to 56 mpg in the city and 65 on the highway, but doesn’t specify if its estimates are based on our EPA testing or the very optimistic European cycle.
While GM is currently expanding into smaller segments—witness the upcoming Chevrolet Spark—Cadillac won’t be doing so any time soon. The brand must first establish the upcoming sub-CTS ATS before it wanders into any smaller streams. In any case, the more attractive small-car concepts we have, the more the idea that such vehicles are cool will catch on. We’d be happy to see Cadillac as the standard of the torchbearers.
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