We talked to
Cadillac Design Director Clay Dean about what he was trying to achieve with the CTS Sport Wagon.
«The Platinum distinction in Cadillac means the fullest extent of luxury and technology and we've tried to reach even further with this concept,» said Clay Dean,
Cadillac design director.
As
Cadillac design director Andrew Smith said, «All great Cadillacs, in their day, were forward looking.»
Not exact matches
Lincoln
design director David Woodhouse raises similar criticism when asked about the
Cadillac CT6's looks.
Clay Dean,
Cadillac's
director of advanced
design, notes, «We were influenced in particular by the 1967 Eldorado, both its actual
design and the fact that in its time the car stood out in stark contrast and was a new direction.»
Genesis models,
designed under the direction of former VW
design director Luc Donckerwolke, will be based on RWD platforms that are not to be shared with Hyundai's commodity cars, and this potent combo all but assures that the new brand can compete with sales numbers closer to
Cadillac, if not Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW, rather than, say, Lincoln and Acura.
The advancements in
design, technology and engineering have given us a car that will define the decade and far exceed consumers» expectations,» said Susan Docherty, President and Managing
Director, Chevrolet and
Cadillac Europe.
Andrew Smith,
Cadillac Executive
Director of Global
Design explained «Our focus for the interior was sophistication and simplicity, ensuring an economy of lines to reduce visual noise and clutter.
«Large, expressive luxury is innate to
Cadillac and the Ciel recalls that heritage, while suggesting where the brand can go in the future,» said Clay Dean, global
design director for
Cadillac.
The name of «
Cadillac's first small car» was selected over a revival of LaSalle and the GM
design staff's preference, LaScala, primarily because, notes GM Marketing
Director Gordon Horsburgh, «It had no negatives.»
Like on the new Corvette, GM has worked hard to diffuse the LEDs so that they illuminate as two solid strakes of light; that,
director of
Cadillac exterior
design Bob Bonaface tells us, gives the whole family a recognizable face, and one which you can spot no matter whether it's day or night.
Actually, we'll be touching on the very special wood that went into the new
Cadillac Ciel concept, and we'll be talking with none other than Clay Dean, the
Director of North America Advanced
Design for GM.
As for the new Escalade's shape,
Cadillac exterior
design director Bob Boniface says the goal was a more sophisticated, emotional Escalade.
Although GM has not officially stated if the coupe will enter production, it seems likely after a meeting that I had with the
Director of Exterior
Design for
Cadillac, John Manoogian.
«Just about every decade,
Cadillac designs a breakthrough car that becomes synonymous with the brand's character of the period, such as the 1938 60 Special, the 1959 lineup, the 1975 Seville and the 2003 Sixteen Concept,» said Clay Dean,
Cadillac's global
design director.
R race car was an exciting new canvas for the
Cadillac design and sculpting team,» said Andrew Smith, Global Cadillac Design executive dir
design and sculpting team,» said Andrew Smith, Global
Cadillac Design executive dir
Design executive
director.