Cadillac Takes EV Performance to New Level with Elevated Velocity Concept

How do you take the performance of a luxury EV to the next level? That’s what Cadillac aims to do with the Elevated Velocity Concept making its debut at Monterey Car Week. Headlight.News checks out this gullwinged, high-tech 2+2 designed for use both on and off-road.

Cadillac now has five different EVs in its line-up, from the entry-luxury Optiq to the hand-built, $340,000 Celestiq, and more are on the way.

As it has with its gas-powered line-up, General Motors’ flagship luxury brand is putting an emphasis on performance, taking advantage of the instant, wheel-spinning torque electric motors can deliver. We recently got a first-hand sense of what that means in the form of the new Lyriq-V, the first Caddy V-Series EV. But how much further can Cadillac take battery-powered performance?

It’s offering a glimpse of what might be in store with this weekend’s debut of the Elevated Velocity Concept during the annual Monterey Car Week in Central California. The gull-winged 2+2 is designed for extreme performance, both on-road and off and offers a broad range of technologies. That includes its new “Sand Vision” system and, when operating in fully autonomous mode, an infrared therapy system. Here’s more.

What’s new?

The Elevated Velocity Concept builds on what we saw during last year’s Monterey Car Week in the form of the Opulent Velocity show car which, said GM’s global design chief Bryan Nesbitt, was “an experience-based design study (hinting at Caddy’s) future vision of luxury performance.”

Like that earlier concept, Elevated Velocity is long and wide, with a dramatic presence here, quite literally elevated to be able to handle extreme levels of performance. Think the Dakar Rally or the Extreme-E battery-electric race series, said Nesbitt. With its blunt nose, coupe-like roofline, 24-inch wheels and gullwing doors, the latest concept “serves as a beacon for us,” said Nesbitt, and shouldn’t just to written off as a fantasy in chrome. It previews the new design language, dubbed the “Art of Exhilaration,” Cadillac is developing.

Elevated Velocity also offers a range of new technologies, including next-level autonomous driving, and the sort of features that could keep a luxury buyers entertained while handing off driving duties.

Elevated design

Elevated Velocity is not the sort of vehicle you’d ignore on the road. Approaching you in the rearview mirror you’d spot an imposing electric crossover riding high on those 24-inch wheels, with a brute force front grille and fascia framed by a new take on Cadillac’s traditional vertical lights. There’s a lit Caddy crest of course – echoed by the LED Cadillac logos in each of the show car’s four wheels.

The overall shape puts an emphasis on aerodynamics, a critical design element for an EV, but there are plenty of other distinguishing features, including the gullwing doors which open wide to provide easy access for both front and rear-seat passengers.

A high ride height allows a driver to take Elevated Velocity pretty much anywhere the call beckons, both on-road and off. And an air suspension means that height can be instantly adjusted, as the situation calls for.

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Elevated interior

Cadillac describes the new show car as a “2+2.” Perhaps in theory, but by mounting the battery pack and motors below the load floor this is the roomiest 2+2 you’ll ever find, the gullwing doors meaning there’ll be no yoga moves needed to get into the cushy back seats.

The cabin brings together an array of both new and familiar luxury materials, from Nappa leather to 3D-printed black crystal.

The seats have a sci-fi look and the overall feel of the cabin is almost Scandinavian: luxurious, yet spartan. Unlike the current Caddy line-up with digital screens spreading across the instrument panel, Elevated Velocity limits its displays to one build into the front of the center console and another molded into the distinctive yoke-style steering wheel.

You might think of it as an “active” design, with a layout that changes depending upon the operating mode the driver selects. When driven autonomously, that yoke and the show car’s pedals slide forward and out of the way.

Elevated performance

Since launching its first V-Series model two decades ago, Cadillac has come to realize its essential role in brand development. That performance series draws “the youngest, most affluent and most discerning (customers) in the brand,” according to Brandon Vivian, the V-Series Executive Chief Engineer.

Unfortunately, Caddy isn’t ready to talk specifics about the Elevated Velocity drivetrain, though Vivian suggests “It will hint at the future of Cadillac performance.”

We might take a cue from the new Lyriq-V, Cadillac’s first all-electric V-Series model. Its twin motors produce a combined 615 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque, the V package can launch from 0-60 in a mere 3.3 seconds, making it the fastest street-legal model in Cadillac history. Then again, we could also check out the GMC Hummer which adds a third motors to bump the numbers up to 1,160 hp. Caddy might also borrow Hummer EV’s “crab walk,” while integrating the four-wheel-steering from its new Escalade IQ.

Elevated technology

Designed to operate in extreme conditions, such as Mideast deserts, Caddy integrated a number of intriguing tech features into the Elevated Velocity Concept. That includes Sand Vision, a sort of desert-based alternative to the brand’s already-available infrared Night Vision.

Whether in desert or rain forest, an “extreme climatization” system filters out sand, dust and smog while compensating for dry air, sudden temperature shifts and altitude changes, Cadillac explains.

A driver would be able to switch between a variety of different modes with the show car, including th electric version of the Velocity Mode in today’s Caddy V-Series products. Alternatively, they could switch to autonomous mode. The show car goes beyond the GM Super Cruise found in all of the brand’s current models. It still requires a driver to remain at the alert, ready to immediately take over driving duties, when needed. The EV Concept is truly hands-free under most conditions.

Elevated mood

And that’s where still more technology comes into play.

The Elevated Velocity Concept uses advance biosensors to track a driver’s pulse, breathing and body temperature.

When in Elevate Mode, the concept’s ambient lighting is automatically switched to red while the seatback activates infrared therapy lighting.

“Doors are backlit to synchronize breathing and movement, furthering the emphasis on recovery.,” notes a Cadillac news release, while “a light moves forward and rearwards to aid in breathwork in conjunction with an animation displayed on the cowl to help the occupants get into the headspace for performance.”

Production plans

“This is a real, running vehicle,” Nesbitt said during a background briefing. Unfortunately for those who might want to park the Elevated Velocity Concept in their garage, there are no production plans/

That said, this follow-up to the original Opulent Velocity show car provides a good indication of both the design, performance and technological developments underway at Cadillac, according to Nesbitt.

“This is an opportunity for Cadillac to test the waters – to see how far we can take electrification and performance — and encourage feedback” that could influence future products,” he explained.

Look for the Cadillac Elevated Velocity Concept to make its debut on Saturday, August 15 at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering in Monterey, California.