Sky's the limit for Cadillac 22 | 08 | 2011

OK; IT MIGHT NOT BE to everyone's tastes, but here's the latest from the good ol' US of A; it's the latest concept car from Cadillac — the Ciel — which was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

For the uninitiated, Ciel means sky in French; it looks like our friends at Cadillac are trying to make an attempt at going pan-global!

As you've probably worked out, the Ciel is an “open-air grand-touring car inspired by the natural beauty of the California coast." Well, at least that's what Cadillac's blurb says.

Approximately 300mm longer than the Cadillac CTS saloon, the four-seat convertible concept is powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, mated to a hybrid system.

Again, according to Cadillac — gosh, it looks like it would be VERY easy to get a job in its marketing division — the concept’s long and low proportions “evoke the spirit of the classics”. Hmmm; right.

Oh, and just for good measure: the pillarless rear-hinged doors reveal a sweeping view of the “dramatic interior”.

Moving swiftly on, other features include 22in alloys, striking vertical LED headlamps front and back, a large shield grille and chrome accents.

Step inside the Ciel's massive doors and you'll discover the cabin gets a floating centre console, transparent gauges and a “power-assisted transmission shifter”.

And what follows is just soooh California — and not really, British; certainly not in terms of summer 2011. The Ciel's heated and cooled seats offer a drawer for sun cream, sun-glasses and towels as well as “aromatherapy that is controlled from the rear armrest”.

But what is attractive, in terms of any future potential British market (not that it's likely ever to appear on these shores!) is that pull-out blankets are also available for all three passengers and retract automatically.

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Mark Stephens