DETROIT - GM's Cadillac brand in the USA has released a computer sketch of its $2 million concept roadster project in an effort to make the brand more lively.
The Evoq project began with a conversation last Christmas between Cadillac General Manager John Smith and Wayne Cherry, General Motors' top designer. While Cadillac had no money for a new car project, it took $2 million from its marketing budget to fund the study.
When it was first announced, Cadillac thought it would have a concept car ready for the Paris auto show in late September, but now the company is trying to get it finished for the Detroit auto show in January.
'We're doing this to show people what they should expect from Cadillac regarding future styling,' Smith said. 'We want to reclaim that attitude, that flair, that desire to take risks. We picked a two-door body style because of the people we compete with; most of their expression comes from a two-door application.'
Smith said western Europe will be the world's largest luxury market in 2007, with about 2.2 million units in a global market of 4.6 million.
Designer Wayne Cherry said future Cadillacs will probably have more prominent grilles and emphasize vertical lights. A source at Cadillac said that already the grille has been changed from the one pictured.
'Whereas Jaguars are feminine and pretty,' said Cherry, 'Cadillacs will be masculine and bold.'
