Скачать или смотреть Cadillac: The Evolution of Art and Science

Cadillac has one of the most distinctive design languages in the automotive industry; Art and Science. The first Cadillac to wear this styling was the 1999 Cadillac Evoq. The Evoq was a hardtop convertible concept that debuted at the 1999 Detroit Auto Show. In contrast to what Cadillac's looked like at the time, the Evoq had a chiseled stance, with vertical headlamps and rigid bodywork.

There are several touches that reference Cadillac's older cars as well. The headlight/foglight configuration is meant to reference Eldorado's and Deville's in the 60s, while the tail lights are a throwback to vintage models. The Evoq was designed by Kip Wasenko. The car was greenlit and its styling would lay the groundwork down for Cadillac's new design language.


The first generation of cars are heavily influenced by these concepts, and look much different from the cars they were replacing. all cars at least have vertical headlights, taillights, a third brake light strip, and the restyled logo.

The Converj debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The car was conceived as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. This dictated the proportions, as the car has a very short hood and cab forward design. The A-pillar cuts down under the windshield. The signature line now cuts into the body and gives the car deep shoulders. The taillights rest on the line and stretch nearly to the window. The car also introduced the waterfall headlight configuration. The fog lights are styled in a way that makes them look like a continuation of the headlights. The interior ditched the ultramodern themes of the Evoq and took a futuristic approach. It incorporates aluminum, dark wood trim, and leather.


Cars were influenced by the Converj starting in 2012. The headlights on all of the cars sweep back much further than before, and the fluid waterfall headlights help create a signature look. Most of the cars also took on the Converj’s grille pattern. The beltlines on a few of the cars cut into the windshield a bit and taper up as they reach the rear of the car, which gives them an athletic appearance. Inside, the steering wheel eventually made its way to all of their production cars. Cadillac CUE took on the aesthetic of the Converj’s center console. It’s piano black and has a similar flow.

Cadillac debuted the Ciel at Pebble Beach in 2011. The car would be the first in a trio of cars designed specifically for the event. The Ciel is a 4-door, 4-seat convertible with rear-hinged doors. It was reminiscent of the land yachts of yesteryear. The headlights appear to go from one side of the face to the other. A chrome strip runs from the side of the front bumper to the side of the quarter panel. The long rear overhang curves upward and cuts back at an acute angle as it meets the deck lid. The car has a more intimate atmosphere thanks to the warmer color palette and oodles of leather inside.


Cadillac experimented further with Art and Science and came up with the Elmiraj. The car debuted at Pebble Beach in 2013. The hardtop coupe sports a revised logo and unique grille pattern. It isn’t quite mesh. The individual wires seem to have more volume and they’re also arranged in more of a geometric pattern. It retains the waterfall headlight treatment from the Converj and Ciel. There’s more chrome on this car. The most notable feature in this regard is how the trim goes up onto the hood and merges into the belt line.


The final car in this series, the Escala, is also Cadillac’s most recent concept car, debuting in 2016. The headlights and taillights are the most significant developments here. The DRL’s are vertical, but the main units are horizontal OLEDs. The car borrows the grille and badge design from the Elmiraj, but the badge is monochrome. The character line starts near the middle of the belt line and gains weight as it ends at the light. The taillights have also been given a horizontal treatment. This section points inward, a nod to the ’67 Eldorado.


Most car manufacturers would’ve run through multiple design ideologies in a twenty-year span. Cadillac has not only kept the same fundamental pieces in place for that time, but they’ve also kept it relevant. They aren’t applying coats of nostalgia to their cars. On the contrary, They’ve been sprinkling just a bit of heritage into their designs, often time without most people even noticing. If Cadillac keeps this up, they’ll be able to take back their place as the standard of the world.

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