Could arrive after the flagship sedan is launched

The senior vice president of Cadillac has revealed the Elmiraj concept could be approved for production.

Speaking to Automotive News, Bob Ferguson said the Elmiraj is "very doable" and "dealers really want a vehicle like this." He went on to say, "This car is marketable. It's practical enough to be put through the production process."
As a refresher, the Elmiraj is a "grand coupe" that draws inspiration from the 1967 Eldorado. It features elegant styling and a twin-turbo 4.5-liter V8 engine that develops approximately 500 bhp (373 kW) and 500 lb-ft (678 Nm) of torque.

If the model is approved for production, it will likely arrive sometime after the company's flagship sedan in launched in 2015.

“Does Cadillac need a halo car?”

That’s the question AutoGuide posed to Bob Ferguson, the brand’s Vice President of global operations, in a quiet room behind the automaker’s stand at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this week.

While not verifying as much, his answer boils down to a yes. And that halo car is the Elmiraj, a stunning and powerful coupe that will give Cadillac yet another true rival to European luxury brands.

What he actually said was slightly (but only slightly) less certain, answering the question with another question.

“Would you consider the Elmiraj a halo car,” he said?

It’s no R8, but there’s a distinct sense that Cadillac isn’t interested in that sort of performance-first attitude that helped change perceptions of Audi.

Instead it appears Cadillac wants to keep an important focus on luxury and not be drawn into the trap of building another XLR, a car that was not very good (in part) because it had to play second-fiddle to the Corvette.

So is that the reason mid-engined exotics don’t seem to be in the Cadillac product lineup? Perhaps it is, though not according to Ferguson. “I don’t feel constrained by the Corvette,” he says.

Instead the Elmiraj is the future of Cadillac. “We are constantly looking at ways we can build the Cadillac brand and the concept car Elmiraj is an example of that,” he said.

“I don’t think we should make concepts just for concepts. That seems wasteful to me,” Ferguson continued. “We should make concept cars with the idea of what’s really going to translate into the marketplace.”

The car, he expects, will poll well with focus groups and has already caught the attention of the media. And Cadillac knows it. It’s been out for months already and yet it resides in a prominent position at the brand’s booth at every major auto show.

“I have a lot of enthusiasm for the Elmiraj,” he continues. “I’d love for us to have a high-end vehicle like that in the Cadillac lineup.” And he isn’t alone. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for it among the GM executives,” he reveals.

And no doubt Cadillac will. And when it does arrive look for big power levels like those boasted about in the concept car’s press release. While details of a twin-turbo 4.5-liter V8 making around 500 hp sound too good to be true, such an engine is reportedly based off the current twin-turbo V6 in the CTS Vsport. Already on sale, that car makes 420 hp.

Ferguson gushes over that engine, yet he admits that while “it supplies plenty of power for most consumers,” there’s a strong argument to be made for even more.

“Performance gives us credibility with a younger audience,” he says. And besides, “I’d like to have a V8…” he continues, before a lengthy pause, “if we went to market with something like the Elmiraj.”

Elmiraj Poised to Become Cadillac’s Flagship

While we still have no insight as to it being named Elmiraj, STS or some other permutation of the –TS nomenclature ("LTS" has apparently been registered by GM, as well), new spy shots give us proof positive that Cadillac is indeed hard at work on a rear-wheel-drive flagship model. Spied for the very first time in some north country testing, these shots provide a first look at the upcoming range-topper from Cadillac.

Impressively long and large bodywork ride atop new General Motors' corporate Omega rear-drive architecture here. Heavy cladding over camouflage may discourage finding any details, but the overall, sharp-edged and blocky design is clearly reminiscent of what we've seen on the new CTS and the recently debuted ATS coupe. A strong, wheels-at-each-corner stance helps emphasize the length of this stretched Caddy, and everything about the proportions seem spot-on for a new fullsize flagship for the brand.

It's quite possible that Cadillac will ultimately festoon this large sedan with detailing reminiscent of the original Elmiraj coupe, though thus far we've only seen prototypes wearing four-doors.

Cadillac has been dropping turbocharged engines all over its range, like the 410-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 found in the XTS and CTS. We have no clue as to what mill might currently live under that broad hood, but anything from that potent V6 to any number of the company's updated V8 range would be appropriate for taking on the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. We do expect a production version of this car to hit dealers for the 2016 model year.

Does this first glimpse of the Elmiraj sedan/Cadillac flagship get your motor running? Tell us what you think, in Comments.