Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept: Cool, Compact Elegance

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept is only a design exercise at this point

The Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept is based on the small urban city cars, Cadillac says, and is comparable in size to those found in Paris, Shanghai and London. It has room for four people and is designed with the maximum interior space with touches like touch-pad screens and projected readouts that take the place of most traditional gauges and serve as the audio and climate system controls. Cadillac says that frees up interior space. The two scissor doors do make it easier to enter and exit the vehicle – especially in tight spaces common in urban areas such as parking garages.

“While small in size, this concept is an exploration of what Cadillac could be in the future, as the brand continues to focus on redefining industry standards for advanced vehicle design and integrated technology,” said Don Butler, vice president for Cadillac marketing at the LA Auto Show. In other words, don't expect this concept to be in dealer showrooms by 2012 but elements of it could start trickling into upcoming products. It would be great to see a Cadillac CTS-V coupe with scissor doors.

That little three-cylinder engine is not at all futuristic, though. It employs technology already found on the market: electric assist technology, engine start-stop function, brake energy regeneration and a dry dual-clutch transmission. You may not see a small 1.0-liter engine in a Cadillac product anytime soon, but you will see that technology.