Cadillac Unveils Future Design Direction

General Motors Co.’s Cadillac luxury brand has revealed the Escala, a fullsize flagship concept sedan that signals a sleeker design direction the company says will debut in production models “soon.”

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen, who unveiled the Escala (Spanish for “scale”) last night at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show, says the Escala could see production as a larger and more elite companion to the marque’s current CT6 flagship sedan.

The fastback concept rides on the rear-drive platform that carries Cadillac's new CT6 large sedan. But at more than 210 inches in length, it is about 6 inches longer than that car. The Escala is powered by the new 4.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine Cadillac is developing for future models.

The concept’s front end features a multi-ribbed hood and an exceptionally clean nose framed below by thin vertical elements akin to those that adorn the CT6. In the rear, thin vertical taillamps wrap into the horizontal hip line above the rear wheels. They frame a large and simple panel that spans from the edge of the rear liftgate to the bottom of the rear bumper.

Inside, the Escala features a tech-heavy environment for front-seat occupants and a focus on relaxation for those in the second row. The usual instrument panel and center stack are replaced by a trio of layered and curved OLED display screens that span most of the dash, each mimicking the inverted shape of the front grille.

Cadillac design chief Andrew Smith says his team’s goal was to create a car “you desperately want to drive.”