Cadillac Drops Plan for Ultra-Luxury Model

General Motors Co.'s Cadillac unit has abandoned plans to develop a $100,000-plus car loosely based on its two-year-old Ciel concept, Automotive News reports.

The newspaper cites unidentified sources who say Cadillac decided the project would not generate enough high-end halo effect to justify its expense.

One source opines that the car failed to distinguish itself enough from the large rear-drive sedan Cadillac plans to introduce in 2016 or 2017. That car, which will ride on a new platform, is being developed to compete with the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class large luxury models, according to AN.

Cadillac has been toying with the notion of an exotic flagship model since it unveiled the Sixteen concept a decade ago. AN says the division continues to study other niche vehicles with which to garnish its lineup.