The Cadillac Escala concept vehicle is said to showcase where the 114-year-old brand’s design will move in the future, with aspects reaching every inbound production vehicle moving forward. In the video attached above, Andrew Smith, Executive Director, Cadillac Global design, details the vision behind the Escala and how it came to be.
Smith notes a stroll through the Heritage Center as an inspiration behind the vehicle, stating it should not be mistaken for any other Cadillac. He also felt the vehicle should be dynamic from the driver’s seat, but also a comfortable experience should the owner be chauffeured about. It’s these two words that led to the overall feel and motif of Escala.
Smith also states the signature, vertical lighting needed to be preserved, but updated, and also stated its certainly something that will be present in future Cadillac design, too.
Grab a deep dive of the design process right up above.
This car needs to be built. Even if it came to production just like this I would be fine with that. I could never afford a car of this status however I could possibly afford a CT6 and certainly can afford a ATS or CTS and if Cadillac would make a range topper like this, I will be in one of those cars when my current lease is up without a doubt.
Again unlike a lot of folks on here I have owned NEW Cadillacs, 3 of them. And even though those were the old days of the Devilles DTS, STS, Cadillac still had a huge car to sell and everyone knew it was a Cadillac. The Ct6 almost gets it done but as a tweener car below S class etc. JDN says if there is demand for a car like this it will be built- dose that mean if there is enough demand for the CT6? Dose it mean demand for the S-class and 7 series? Does it mean if enough people request it get built? That’s what I am confused by maybe someone on here can make heads or tails about what he means by that.
It means we are building a larger more expensive car but we are not ready to announce it yet.
It is like the Corvette manager saying nothing on the c8 yet.
The more I look at this care, the more I like it. It really is spot on in the details.
This guy has his head screwed on right. With JDN, they are going to produce awesomeness for Cadillac. Can’t wait to see their cars and SUVS on the road.
I think he will do fine just too many people just prejudge things before they happen and do not understand the time line he has. We have been just looking at the previous managements designs and ideas till this car.
Now I too need to give this some time and I would like to see it in person as with so many cars today photographs just do not convey the real look.
There are some things they did well here and some things I would leave in the design studio but overall I think they are in the right direction.
Some folks long for the past and there is a little of that here. Many crave a totally new look which there is some of that here. Yet the car when you look at it still holds a true Cadillac style. If you take the emblems off I would still find it being a Cadillac.
I am not going to hand JDN a gold medal yet but I have not seen anything that is going to doom them here. Though I would lose the Tesla like hatch on this one. Use it on a smaller car.
Right there with you on losing the liftback-style hatch. Cadillac does need cars like that in the portfolio, especially on the ATS and CTS replacements… but not on the flagship sedan that will take on the 7er, S-Class, A8/S8, Jag XJ, or Lexus LS.
The Escala would be a true flagship up a notch from the CT6. Although a concept, it makes the CT6 look like a dog in comparison which the CT6 is a beautiful and elegant design in its own right.
After seeing this concept, I fear that the CT6 was just another XTS, a stop gap. The Escala is truly world class and looks like it competes with S Class and 7 Series, where as the CT6 is an awkward tweener between midsize and full size. Cadillac will face an issue with their lineup if this goes into production, and would have to reposition their cars. I would think CT6 would have to shrink to become a bit larger than CTS to cover the midsize class. Then ATS could become CT4 and grow a bit and still take on 3 Series. And then this would open room for a CT2 sub compact. It will take time, but I see this as the path they will take. They need to be careful with sedan sizes and placements as it is a shrinking market.
I own a CT6 and it’s a great car…much better than my 2014 CTS. The tweener moniker is overplayed for the CT6 too… it’s only marginally smaller than the comparable Germans and this car is larger. So is it a tweener in the other direction?
When I see comments like this I’m always curious if the poster has any real world experience with the products.
I have plenty of real world experience with Cadillacs, having owned a 2013 CTS Coupe and just this spring purchasing a 2016 CTS. After experience with my 2016 CTS and driving in a CT6, the CT6 is not the step up that it should be. It does not have the feel of sitting in an S Class or 7 Series. It feels more on par with an E Class, but slightly smaller than an S Class, so in that sense it is a tweener. And the price even more so justifies calling it a tweener. It’s priced right in the territory of E Class. I think Cadillac would be better off merging CTS and CT6 in the next generation, given that CTS still isn’t as roomy as the rest of the midsize class.
You make a good point on the sizes. I guess its possible that the CTS could turn into or merge with the CT6 since they are not that far apart in size. JDN just told Automotive that one possibility is to merge the CT6 with the CT8 and make it more premium. So who knows how this will play out. However I cannot see the CT6 being a one generation car like the XTS. GM brought the XTS out during its bankruptcy days and that car was a true stop gap product.
I wish Cadillac will bring back the iconic designs of the glory days……the CT6 isn’t the bring back of the glory days…..I.ve seen the CT6 in white from far away and it looks nothing but fat, boring and dated with a high beltline……the CT6 does nothing for me…..just a bigger ATS/CTS but more boring.
You can’t offer the best with stuff from the past. People want the best luxury cars with all the best features. They don’t want second rate trash from 40 years ago as you are proposing.
What you’re proposing is that today’s luxury buyer doesn’t want the automotive equivalent of a smartphone, but you want Cadillac to give them a Motorola Razr as an substitute because you think that Cadillac’s best was decades ago; that there simply isn’t any reason to keep the brand going with new products.
In short, your attitude speaks to the idea that you want Cadillac to close up like Pontiac; by offering inferior products modeled from the past instead of superior products that promote what future can become.
can they at least give the Cadillac designs a more iconic look such as lower and more level beltlines and much more slender asses…..like the Elmeraj/Ceil…..the problem is that the new Caddys look too fat and boring to be Cadillacs…..they show these stunning concepts and all we got is a watered down of the same 10+ year old design theme that look more boring than anything else on the road today……just disappointing.