Detroit Show 2010 Highlights: Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

With the XTS Platinum concept car, Cadillac aims to re-imagine "the luxury sedan as a personal headquarters." At an inch longer than the Escalade Platinum Hybrid, and 2.3-in wider and 1.1-in taller than the CTS, the large luxury sedan is a rolling showcase for the brand's Art and Science design language and a probable direction of its future production cars.

Modeled after the Platinum philosophy, the XTS features hand cut-and-sewn interior. Dark materials adorn the steering wheel and overhead compartment, contrasting against the prominent light cream interior color. The dash is a harbinger of the future of in-car electronics for the Cadillac brand. Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays replace the traditional gauges and screens, while the deployable touch-screen navigation system supplants the majority of buttons and switches on the dash. The panels appear black until the car is started; a "dead front" design, as dubbed by the designers, that aims to give the dash a flowing appearance.

The exterior "is the antithesis of the conventional three-box sedan, suggesting the active evolution of Cadillac's design language," according to design director Clay Dean. It features a sweeping profile and angled beltline to suggest forward motion. Vertical lamps sit at all four corners, while the lights up front receive adaptive lighting that adjusts direction depending on the angle of the front wheels.

Under hood is a paring of General Motors' direct-injected 3.6L V-6 and a plug-in hybrid system. The combination makes an estimated 350-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, and can propel the XTS under electric power alone. When plugged into a power outlet, GM says the battery can recharge in about five hours. The engine routes power to all four 20-in wheels, which are wrapped in Bridgestone rubber. Widely believed to be underpinned by GM's front drive-based Epsilon II platform, the XTS also features magnetic ride control, using shocks that are capable of adjusting damping in indiscernible amounts of time.
Thanks to: Motor Trend