Back in 2011, Cadillac presented the very well received (we liked it as well) Ciel concept at the Concours d’Elegance classic-car show in Pebble Beach, California, with its designers saying that the open-top study was hinting at styling elements of a future large Cadillac sedan.
It was not the first time Cadillac was testing the public’s reaction about a flagship model, as in 2003 the V16-powered Cadillac Sixteen wowed fans and journalists alike.
Unfortunately, for Cadillac fans, it looks like the flagship model won’t be built anytime soon. According to a report from Automotive News, General Motors has decided to halt development of the ultra-luxury sedan. The publication cited three people with knowledge of the company’s plans who said that GM execs came to the conclusion that the rear-wheel-drive car, which would have been priced well above $100,000, didn’t offer enough brand-building flamboyance to justify the investment.
The sources also said designers were recently taken off the project and reassigned. This doesn’t mean, however, that GM has given up on its plan to build a large RWD sedan that will compete with the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series. According to the report, a separate project is well under way and is expected to launch as a 2016 or 2017 model.
In fact, Cadillac’s S-Class rival, which will be built on a new RWD platform called Omega, is the main cause for which the flagship sedan was put on hold. A source said the pricier specialty car wasn’t a big enough departure from the large RWD sedan already in the works. However, fans of the Cadillac Ciel can find comfort with the fact that the brand’s 7-Series rival will incorporate some of the study’s design features, according to the same source.
By Dan Mihalascu
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