Cadillac has released some phenomenal concept cars over the past few decades. There was the outrageous Sixteen sedan and Cien supercar in the early 2000s, and the unforgettable Ciel convertible and Elmiraj coupe in the early 2010s. Hell, the production Celestiq fastback is one of the most concept-looking production cars we’ve ever seen.
Now the brand is gearing up to reveal a new concept in celebration of the V-Series sub-brand’s 20th anniversary, releasing a single teaser image, a brief teaser video and a bit of information about the show car. While details are slim, we do know what it will be called, and it’s probably the coolest concept car name ever: the Cadillac Opulent Velocity.
Yes, that is really the name. We shouldn’t be surprised — this is the company that created “Art and Science” after all, which I think is standing the test of time as one of the greatest design language launches of all time. Regarding the Opulent Velocity’s name, Cadillac had this to say:
Opulent Velocity represents the duality of the Cadillac brand defined in the name itself, Opulent + Velocity. The concept’s mission is to demonstrate the evolution of Cadillac’s revered sense of opulence, while envisioning the future of a high velocity performance driving experience.
“Opulent Velocity is designed to foreshadow a zero emissions expression of performance and modern luxury leadership,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director, Cadillac Global Design. “We will share more later this year, so stay tuned.”
Judging by both the teasers themselves and the general vibe of this release, it sure seems like the Opulent Velocity will be a supercar. The long, smooth nose is ultra pointy, with a redesigned, illuminated version of the company crest logo and a deep low splitter. Its roofline looks sleek and low, and one section of the video seems to show sculpted rear haunches. We can also see vertical LEDs at both the front and rear ends, and a squat stance with wide wheels pushed to the corners.
Yes, I know we’ve been burned by Cadillac’s concepts before — I know there will be dozens of comments about the concepts I mentioned in the intro — but a production Cadillac supercar isn’t nearly as far-fetched of an idea as it was a decade or two ago. GM could use the Ultium platform, or even base a car on the C8 Corvette. We already know that Chevy will be coming out with a fully electric version of the C8 in the next year or two, which would make a great basis for an EV Caddy.
This new teaser is coming 20 years after Cadillac first launched the V-Series brand at Sebring International Raceway, where the CTS-V R race car not only entered its first race but won in the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge GT series. Cadillac will be back at the Twelve Hours of Sebring this weekend where the No. 31 Whelen team will enter the awesome V-Series.R in the Hypercar class. Cadillac hasn’t yet said when or where the Opulent Velocity will debut, but hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
