Cadillac Elevated Velocity Concept: Ready to Pack Sand
Aston Martin DBX, Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus, proletarian Porsche Cayenne, Cadillac’s own Escalade-V; performance SUVs are so passe. But what if you mashed up a Cadillac Celestiq and a Ford Raptor? That pretty well sums up the Cadillac Elevated Velocity concept, which is debuting at Monterey Car Week’s prestigious The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, Calif., Friday.
Dual Meaning on Top of Dual Meaning
The Elevated Velocity is a monstrous electric coupe-shaped SUV hunched over massive 24-inch wheels. It doesn’t so much have gullwing doors as it has gullwing body sides that allow one-fell-swoop access to both rows of its 2+2 interior. The “Elevated” half of the name (which conveniently abbreviates to EV) does not just refer to the vehicle’s stance, but the occupants’ state of being, Cadillac says.
That’s thanks to autonomous driving prep called Elevate Mode, in which the steering wheel and pedals retract so the driver can focus on relaxing. That’s a pretty standard concept-car party trick, but the Elevated Velocity also monitors interior, exterior and driver body temperatures and coaches occupants’ breathing with lighting on the dash to “help [them] get into the headspace for performance.”
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Driving modes include e-Velocity Mode for on-road performance and Terra Mode for off-road performance, the latter of which elevates the EV atop its height-adjustable air suspension. Other concept-car flair includes Sand Vision, which Cadillac says is similar to its existing night-vision tech but for use in sandstorms, as well as a function called Elements Defy. This is said to keep the exterior of the vehicle clean from sand and dirt “via a dust-phobic vibration,” which we imagine is similar to when a dog comes in from the rain and performs water-phobic rapid torsion.
What sort of electric motors does it have? What does it matter? Cadillac has no intent of producing the Elevated Velocity for sale. The brand does, however, say the Elevated Velocity foreshadows “potential future Cadillac design cues” and that even the basic package “could serve as inspiration for potential future Cadillac production vehicles.”
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Desert Polo?
The target market — or at least one key market — for such a vehicle is apparent. Bryan Nesbitt, GM vice president of global design, says the Elevated Velocity could “unlock a true hands-on high-performance experience in places not unlike the rich dunes of the Lahbab Desert.” Lahbab is a sandy patch outside of Dubai, and the automaker’s reveal of the EV made repeated references to desert polo — not as in a breathable short-sleeved shirt with three buttons, a collar and a fanciful cactus-themed print, but the horseback sport played in the sand.
Saudi Arabia recently hosted the first such tournament, and the Elevated Velocity concept is ready to autonomously shuttle a full four-person team to such an event. But only one team member will get to wear the custom-made polo gear that’s tucked into the electric SUV’s cargo hold.
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