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Baidu Apollo RT6 autonomous vehicle has no steering wheel! (w/VIDEO)

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In future, when motor vehicles can operate themselves and move around without control by a human driver, a steering wheel would no longer be necessary. That would add an extra seating space for a passenger who would not need to be qualified to drive. However, for now, autonomous vehicles (AVs) still require a steering wheel as a back-up in case control must be taken by a human in an emergency. The autonomous vehicle systems are still not considered 100% safe to be left to operate without such a safeguard.

Nevertheless, progress is being made and in April this year, authorities in China started permitting the removal of the steering wheel in AVs. In the US too, new regulations allow AVs to operate without having a steering wheel or pedals present. Of course, before such vehicles can be run on public roads, they would have to be tested and certified to be safe for use.

One company which has a production ready AV is Baidu, the well known tech company in China. Its name may not come to mind when talking about cars, but it claims to be the market leader in autonomous driving in China. This is based on the number of test kilometres and number of test licenses. As of December 31, 2020, Baidu had 199 autonomous vehicle driving licenses with extensive geographical coverage in China, compared to the second player which had approximately 20 licenses.

Recently, the company made headline news in the auto world when it announced a next-generation AV called the Apollo RT6. Designed for complex urban environments, the car will be put into operation in China in 2023 on Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service. Baidu plans to sell the Apollo RT6 at RMB250,000 (about RM165,000), a price level that it believes will quickly boost volumes for economies of scale.

“Massive cost reduction will enable us to deploy tens of thousands of AVs across China. We are moving towards a future where taking a robotaxi will be half the cost of taking a taxi today,” said Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu, at the Baidu World 2022 conference recently.

Baidu is expected to start its robotaxi service in Beijing from the second half of 2023. It will help accelerate AV deployment at scale, bringing the world closer to a future of driverless shared mobility.

As Baidu’s 6th generation AV, the RT6 is distinct from previous generations that were otherwise retrofitted on conventional vehicles. Measuring 4760 mm long with a wheelbase of 2830 mm, it has a completely flat floor and rear legroom up to 1050 mm. The steering wheel is optional and can be removed if not required.

AVs require many sensors to collect information and images about their surroundings to safely move on roads, especially in complex urban environments. The RT6 has Baidu’s most advanced Level 4 autonomous driving system, powered by automotive-grade dual computing units with a computing power of up to 1200 TOPS. The electrically-powered AV utilizes 38 sensors, including 8 LiDARs and 12 cameras, to obtain highly accurate, long-range detection on all sides.

It is the first vehicle model built on Xinghe, Baidu’s self-developed automotive E/E architecture specially for fully autonomous driving. The autonomous driving capability of the RT6 is said to be equivalent to a skilled driver with 20 years of experience. Its safety and reliability have been confirmed by extensive real-world data from over 32 million kms of real-world testing. There is full redundancy throughout both hardware and autonomous driving software.

As the world’s largest robotaxi service provider, Baidu’s Apollo Go has expanded to 10 cities in China since its launch in 2020, including all first-tier cities, and provided more than 1 million orders. The Apollo ecosystem has more than 200 partners, tier one suppliers and other strategic partners.

The Apollo Robotaxi operation which will use the RT6 has been a massive business opportunity for Baidu. The company has T4 licenses, the highest level of autonomous driving test license issued by the working group led by Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, which permits AVs to operate in complex driving conditions such as urban roads, tunnels, school zones and other scenarios. A pilot robotaxi program was made available to the public in 2019 and since then, the service has been extended to Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou and expanded into larger networks and more complex road conditions.

EQS450+ leads the fully electric Mercedes-EQ range in Malaysia

The Mercedes-EQ sub-brand for fully electric Mercedes-Benz models was introduced in Malaysia some 4 years back, and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) has been waiting for the right time to start its EQ offensive. That right time has come in 2022, with the government providing full duty exemption on the import and sale of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for a few years and a bit long if they are assembled locally. Like the duty-free incentive provided by hybrids and EVs 10 years ago, the move is aimed at popularising zero emission vehicles to generate the demand which the industry needs in order to make it viable selling them.

MBM has been ready for some time as Mercedes-Benz already has a range of Mercedes-EQ models in production which cover a range of segments, including the top end. Here, the brand is represented by the EQS, the flagship of the range. The EQS is fairly new in the Mercedes-EQ range, having been launched just a year back as the fifth model of the BEV line-up.

It’s also the first Mercedes-EQ model to be based using the Modular Electrical Architecture (MEA), internally referred to as EVA II. This is a dedicated platform and architecture for BEVs intended for use with the Mercedes-EQ models from the midrange upwards, as opposed to the MFA II platform for the compact models. The MEA platform accommodates modular battery packs and can be varied to have different wheelbases as well as use single or dual motor powertrains.

The EQS, like the S-Class, takes its place at the top of the Mercedes-EQ range and therefore has the prominence in its design to generate a strong presence. The designers have taken advantage of the fact that it does not have a combustion engine which, in some ways, allows new approaches to styling and modelling surfaces with ‘Sensual Purity’.

Aerodynamics have always been important in car design as this influences performance as well as noise levels. For BEVs, it is even more crucial because wind resistance has to be minimised as much as possible so that more of the available power can be used to propel the car rather than to overcome resistance. The EQS thus has carefully modelled surfaces with reduced joints and seamless transitions between panels in its coupe-like silhouette. Unique in this segment is the cab-forward design: the overhangs and the front-end assembly are short, the rear is smoothly rounded.

With a lot of meticulous detail work, the aerodynamicists in close cooperation with the designers were able to achieve a new Cd benchmark of 0.20. This makes the EQS the most aerodynamic production car in the world at the moment. 40 years ago, the lowest Cd for a production car was 0.30 which was achieved by the Audi 100.

For the Malaysian market, MBM is importing the EQS in EQS 450+ form and prices it at RM698,888 (without insurance but with sales tax). It comes with AMG Line package which includes 21-inch AMG multi-spoke light-alloy wheels. Below the ‘radiator grille’ (a radiator is unnecessary), there’s an AMG-styled bumper which is sportier and likewise, the rear bumper also gets treatment from the brand’s high-performance subsidiary.

The EQS450+ is among six power output choices for the model and this has a single motor powering the rear wheels which generates 245 kW/333 ps and 565 Nm of torque. That can take the 2,480 kg EQS450+ from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 6.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 210 km/h.

Mercedes-Benz has spent a lot of money on battery development as this is a critical component of a BEV, the ‘fuel tank’ which determines how far the car can travel. For the EQS, there is a new generation of batteries with significantly higher energy density. These have a usable energy content of around 107.8 kWh. A range of 782 kms is claimed for a full charge and this is helped by an effective recuperation strategy with high recuperation power (up to 290 kW).

Owners get a charging cable with each EQS450+ that can be used for various recharging options with varying times. AC charging is supported up to 11 kW and direct current (DC) charging can be up to 200 kW for shorter times. According to MBM, it would take 10 hours to recharge to 100% from 10% with an 11 kW and just 31 minutes from 10% to 80% if a 200 kW charger outlet is used. So the slower speed could probably be best for home recharging overnight where a wallbox can be installed while the high-speed charging can be used when travelling long distances.

The Mercedes-EQ MEA architecture allows interior designers new freedom in packaging which provides more space front and rear. The highlight of the cabin, which can be bathed with light from above through the panoramic sunroof, is the visual technology. This is exemplified by the MBUX Hyperscreen which makes its debut with the EQS. Featuring a fingerprint scanner, the MBUX multimedia system and an OLED front passenger display form a large and continuous panel from left to right. The integrated ambient lighting installed in the lower part of the MBUX Hyperscreen makes the display unit appear to float on the instrument panel.

The passenger side display and operating area has up to seven profiles to customize the content. If the passenger seat is not occupied, the screen becomes a digital decorative part. In this case, animated stars, ie the Mercedes-Benz Pattern, are displayed.

For better display quality, OLED technology is used in central and passenger displays. This is where the individual image points are self-luminous; non-controlled image pixels remain switched off, which means that they appear deep black. The active OLED pixels, on the other hand, radiate with high colour brilliance, resulting in high contrast values, regardless of the angle of view and the lighting conditions. All the graphics are styled in a new blue/orange colour scheme throughout.

Futuristic as the MBUX Hyperscreen is, there is still a classic cockpit display with two circular instruments to give the driver a sense of familiarity. Perhaps, in future, everything will change as later generations are more comfortable with a fully digital world. The instrument panel has been reinterpreted with a digital laser sword in a glass lens. In EV mode, important functions of the electric drive are visualized in a new way, with a spatially moving clasp, and thus made tangible.

MBUX is also an interactive system which acts as an intelligent ‘personal assistant’ for both front and rear occupants. There’s also MBUX Navigation Premium for extended functions and this uses augmented reality for navigation. Also included is the MBUX High-End Rear Seat Entertainment System, 2 wireless headsets, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and a Burmester 3D surround sound system.

The Electric Art interior allows creating an ambience according to personal preferences with a choice of 64 colours of ambient lighting. An active system allows passengers to experience a technological leap visually as it links aesthetics with innovative driver information and extended functions. Wraparound light strips and trim elements amalgamate to form an additional lighting level. This also supports driving assistance systems visually, thus emphasising the intelligence of the Mercedes-EQ vehicle.

The EQS has been subjected to a long period of tough development and testing so that it will meet the quality and reliability standards that Mercedes-Benz has built its reputation on. Owners will have a 4-year/unlimited-mileage warranty for the car and a separate warranty for the battery pack which is up to 10 years or a maximum of 250,000 kms.

The all-electric future of Mercedes-Benz

F1/Round 12: Provisional results and highlights of the 2022 French Grand Prix

With no risk of rain and a hot sunny day, almost all the drivers chose to start on mediums, except for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Alphatauri’s Pierre Gasly and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.

Poleman Charles Leclerc got his Ferrari off to a clean start and already had a slight lead ahhead of the two Red Bulls chasing him into Turn 1. While Max Verstappen was able to grab second position, it was a quick-moving Lewis Hamilton who got ahead of Sergio Perez in the first few seconds. His Mercedes-AMG team mate, George Russell, was also right on the Red Bull’s tail but then, as he eased off, Alpine’s Fernando Alonso suddenly shot past.

Scuderia Alphatauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, who had started from P8, spun and by the time he recovered, the rest of the cars had pulled away and he was right at the back. But a closer look at Tsunoda’s spin showed that Alpine’s Esteban Ocon might have caused it and the Stewards gave him a 5-second penalty. But it would be little comfort for Tsunoda as the damage was great and he had to retire eventually.

Sainz, who started from the back, had moved up 4 places by lap 4 and was prepared to be in ‘overtaking mode’ for much of the race. While Hamilton was having a tough time with Perez, Russell was able to get past Alonso and grab back fourth place.

Verstappen was right up to Leclerc’s tail and determined to capture the lead early, even to the extent of seeming to ignore the need to manage his tyres. His crew, avoiding distractions, only suggested to him to control his pace.

Up to lap 10, the battles at the front saw no changes in positions, with Leclerc staying just ahead and Verstappen not able to find the right opening to make his move. Likewise for Perez who was duelling with Hamilton while Russell was just waiting for the Mexican to make a mistake.

By lap 13, Sainz had entered P10 and was 29 seconds behind his team mate, who was still in the lead. Verstappen’s gap seemed to open up a bit and it appeared that the Red Bull driver might be easing off to hold on to his tyres.

On lap 17, Verstappen pulled off to the pits, stood still for 2.4 seconds to get hard tyres fitted and rejoined in 7th, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Alonso was still at 6th, after having passed a few cars early in the race.

And then disaster struck for Leclerc as he crashed into the barriers on lap 18 at Turn 11. He was unhurt and came out of the car as the Safety Car began its duty. It seemed that the car had lost rear traction in mid-corner and at the speed he was doing, he could not recover fast enough. As his car was not obstructing, the Safety Car was able to come in after 2 laps.

By then, Verstappen has moved into the lead and the pressure was on Sainz to get up as high as possible and maximise the points to take home for the team. On lap 23, he was 6 seconds from the leader.

Turn 11 seemed to be a bad corner as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou GuanYu collided with Haas F1’s Mick Schumacher (damaging his rea wing) and the Chinese driver was given a 5-second penalty.

Hamilton was second, 2 seconds behind Verstappen, and the Mercedes-AMG driver had to keep an eye on Perez just behind while trying to close in on the Dutchman. The Ferrari team was also informed that Sainz had picked up a penalty for an unsafe release as he left his bay just as a Williams car was approaching.

As the race reached itsd halfway point, Verstappen had set a number of fastest laps and created a gap of 3 seconds from Hamilton. Both cars were on hard tyres but those on the Red Bull had 2 more laps than the ones on the Mercedes-AMG, so was that going to be a deciding factor? In 2021, Hamilton had done a 1-stop in the race.

On lap 32, it was still more of a Perez-Hamilton battle than a Hamilton-Verstappen duel. Pushing hard, Sainz got past Russell into fourth place but it may have taken a toll on his tyres. Behind the top five, Alonso was holding on to his reasonably secure 6th place.

With 15 laps remaining, the teams were trying to guess each other’s strategies and whether or not to try to last till the end. Pirelli was expecting Sainz to come in to get new tyres. Verstappen was 7 seconds ahead of Hamilton and having minor tyre issues but still able to keep going.

On lap 39, Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi left the track at Turn 2 after coming into contact with Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen. Both drivers had to return to the pits as their cars sustained some damage, the Williams seeming to be worse off than the Haas.

Sainz was getting concerned about his tyres and wanted to come in but was told to remain out. And one lap later (lap 42), he was told he could come in just as he had come up alongside Perez and got past into third. But it was short-lived as he came in, finally got new tyres – but had to serve his 5-second penalty – and dropped to ninth. Back to work, while Perez was safely back in third.

The battle between Russell and Perez heated up and at one point, they came in contact. However, there was no attention from the Stewards. The battle was good for Hamilton who could be less concerned about Perez bothering him while he figured out how to get closer to Verstappen who was 9 seconds away.

Sainz, on fresh tyres, was flying and intent on getting onto the podium at least. He was sixth with 6 laps remaining and had Alonso to clear before chasing after a distant Russell. At this point, it looked like the only change would be between Russell and Perez as Hamilton was too far and running out of laps to catch Verstappen.

On lap 49, Zhou again had the frustration of his Alfa Romeo stopping before the end of the race. The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was activated as the marshals pushed his car off the track.

Just as the VSC went off, Russell made his move and shot past Perez to claim third place with 3 laps remaining. He had timed his surge perfectly but the Red Bull driver was not giving up easily. Sainz was too far back to get any further forward after passing Alonso but might get an extra point for his fastest lap.

While Verstappen comfortably took the chequered flag to win the French GP again, his team mate worked hard all the way to the finish line, trying to regain third from Russell. But time ran out and Russell stayed ahead although the Mexican still didn’t want to accept his place, suggesting that Russell may have exceeded the track limits at Turn 6 and should incur a penalty.

GAZOO Racing Vios Sprint Cup Race 1

It was a wet race yesterday for the first part of the GAZOO Racing Vios Sprint Cup held at the Sepang International Circuit. But even with the challenging conditions, the pair of Eddie Liew and Putera Adam kept their cool to win the race. The Laser Motor Racing duo finished the 1-hour race well clear of Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Tengku Djan Ley and Mika Hakimi, while in third place was Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang and James Liam Russell.

Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin had led the opening stages of the race when he shot into the lead from fifth place on the grid, with team mate Liew in the second Laser Motor Racing car in close pursuit, followed by Toyotsu Racing’s William Ho and Axle Sports’ Hayden Haikal in third and fourth places, respectively.

Darwin led for 6 laps, but in spite of trying hard, his lead never grew beyond 2 seconds and eventually, he was passed by Hayden in the seventh lap. The position would remain unchanged even after Naquib Azlan took over from Hayden in car #17. With a gap of more than 5 seconds, it appeared that the two young drivers were en route to another textbook finish.

How the outcome changed
But as seasoned racers will tell you, the outcome is never for certain till the chequered flag is waved and 3 laps before the finish, Naquib made a rare mistake when he came into contact with car #68’s Vincent Ng from Team Fokus. The collision sent Ng spinning off the track while a puncture resulted in Naquib having to make an unscheduled pits top that essentially lost the team the race. This promoted Putera Adam, who had taken over from Liew as the second driver, into the race lead.

“I was just trying to run my own race and do my best in the difficult wet conditions,” said Putera who set a blistering pace around the 5.543-km circuit. Naquib’s misfortunes also enabled Tengku Djan Ley to move into podium contention after a sterling drive in the wet. He had clawed up the leaderboard from as far back as 12th place when he took over driving duties from Mika in the 10th lap of the race.

“We had a gearbox issue during the qualifying stint and maybe that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Mika started the race and he did a great job of holding the pace in his stint. I basically had to put it together, keep my calm and take it to the finish line. It was a great team effort,” said Tengku Djan.

“We had a better car for the conditions today and it was a question of trying to find the fastest line around the track to post the fastest time. The weather was a bit erratic. It was raining heavily in certain sections and it didn’t even rain in some sections. I was trying to keep my cool. I saw Putera gradually pulling away and I was trying to find a quicker line just to keep up with him. It was a good race overall,” he added.

For the pair of Freddie Ang and James Liam Russell, the result was outstanding having started from sixth on the grid. “It was my first time back racing and also my first time racing in the wet. I didn’t bother trying to fight the top two cars. In the first few laps, I was well off the pace and I did my best to just try to follow them and learn my way around the track,” said Russell.

RM60,000 prize money
Held in conjunction with the Malaysia Championship Series, the GAZOO Racing Vios Sprint Cup is a one-make race with 2-driver teams competing in a 1-hour race and vying for total prize monies amounting to RM60,000.

The GAZOO Racing Vios Sprint Cup is run independently of the Vios Challenge but it retains the format of a one-make series whereby competitors drive identical race-prepared Toyota Vios cars with stock standard engine and transmission, as well as suspension, tyres and fuel – to ensure that the emphasis is on racecraft, driving skills and experience.

The second race will be run today (Sunday) and the starting order will be reversed to make things more interesting. Entrance is free to the Grandstand for those who want to see the action at the circuit. But for those who can’t go, you can still watch the race live as it will be broadcast on the Toyota Malaysia Facebook page.

The Father and Daughter racers in the Vios Challenge

F1/Round 12: Preview & Starting Positions of 2022 French Grand Prix

Race starts at 3 pm in France/9 pm in Malaysia

From the Red Bull Ring in Austria two weeks ago, the Formula 1 teams have travelled 1,100 kms west to the Paul Ricard Circuit in France for Round 12 of the 2022 world championship. This is the 62^nd French Grand Prix that is a part of the Formula 1 World Championship and it was on the calendar of the very first championship in 1950.

However, the Paul Ricard Circuit has not always been the venue of the French GP and including this weekend’s event, has held it 18 times. Other circuits that have hosted F1 rounds have been Reims, Clermont-Ferrand, Le Mans, Dijon and Magny Cours.

Paul Ricard is an interesting track which features no less than 247 possible track configurations – ranging from 800 metres to 5.86 kms (the lap length for this weekend’s race will be 5.842 kms). While it is used for many races, it is also a popular track for testing and it is possible to make it something like Monza or Monaco or a combination of both circuits. There’s also a sprinkler system that can simulate wet weather driving on 64 of the different layouts.

One of the circuit’s special and eye-catching features are its brightly coloured run‑off zones which offer plenty of grip and replace the more usual gravel traps. The blue zone is not especially abrasive and has only a small negative effect on cars going off track, while the red zone close to the barriers has a much coarser texture and slows cars down (and can flat-spot tyres). Both of these distinctive zones use tarmac combined with tungsten to create an abrasive surface that helps reduce car speeds when they exceed track limits.

The circuit itself has been regularly resurfaced with fresh tarmac and provides a high grip level, compared to other tracks in F1. Plus, the tarmac is very dark in colour, which is why it gets so hot in the sun and can reach temperatures approaching 55°C, one of the year’s highest figures. The asphalt is extremely smooth and while smooth tarmac means tyres don’t wear out as quickly, they are much more difficult to warm up. But the normally high temperatures experienced at the track, especially in summer, should help with getting heat into tyres.

“This year’s French Grand Prix takes place nearly a month later than it did last year, when it rained on Sunday morning, so it’s fair to expect warmer temperatures. This year’s generation of tyres and compounds is different and more resistant to overheating than the 13-inch versions used last year, so we’ll have to see how that affects the strategy,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsports Director.

The layout used for F1 racing will challenge teams in optimizing set-ups as there are varied demands. Of the 15 turns, 6 are left-hand and 9 are right-handers. Many of the right-hand corners are long sweeping turns, which puts a great deal of stress on front left tyres. All in all, the Circuit Paul Ricard has a good mix of fast, medium and slow corners.

Defined by long straights, the circuit’s first sector ends in a low-speed complex that requires agility and good traction on exit for the high-speed run to Turns 7 and 8. The faster sequence following the sweeping Signes curve will put more energy through the tyres.

Although the track is generally very smooth, there is one heavy bump. Turn 5 was remodelled for the 2021 season with the intention to make it a slightly banked entry towards the apex, similar to Turn 4 in Austria but in the end, there is now a bump where the track drops away from the car between Turn 4 and Turn 5.

Brake cooling at Paul Ricard is not as critical as at some other circuits, because there is enough track between braking zones to allow pads and discs to cool down sufficiently, so overheating is not a particular problem. Brembo’s technicians agree and on a scale of 1 to 5, it has a difficulty rating of 2, the joint lowest of the season with Silverstone.

Gear positions and cornering speeds of Mercedes-AMG racing cars.

The most demanding braking is on Turn 8, the chicane that bisects the 1.8-km long Mistral straight. The cars come onto it at 319 km/h and brake for 2.12 seconds, covering a distance of 116 before going into the turn at 135 km/h. For 53 laps, the drivers have to exert a load of 141 kgs and during that time will experience a deceleration force of 4.7g.

In the championship standings after half the season has been completed, Charles Leclerc’s win in Austria a fortnight ago closes the gap with leader Max Verstappen, cutting it down to 38 points. The Dutchman’s team mate, Sergio Perez, had bad luck and failure to finish dropped him to third place, 21 points behind the Ferrari driver.

In the Constructors championship, Red Bull Racing still has the lead with 359 points, 56 points ahead of the Italians. The British-based Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Team is some way down with 237 points.

Cadillac CELESTIQ concept EV

Showcars or concept cars used to be exercises in fantasy, showing the public the sort of vehicles people would be travelling in many decades in the future. Sometimes they got a bit outrageous with fancy ideas that would never become reality. But over time, concept cars have become previews of near-future products and designers use them to gauge response to some of the ideas they are exploring.

Cadillac’s latest showcar, called the CELESTIQ, has been conceived for that purpose – to present the brand’s vision of innovation and purpose in a 3-dimeensional form that will be the basis of its all-electric flagship sedan in future.

“The CELESTIQ showcar is the purest expression of Cadillac,” said Magalie Debellis, Manager, Cadillac Advanced Design. “It brings to life the most integrated expressions of design and innovation in the brand’s history, coalescing in a defining statement of a true Cadillac flagship.”

Looking to the past for ideas
In developing the showcar, the design and engineering teams immersed themselves in the artisanship and customization that defined early Cadillac sedans such as the bespoke V16 powered coaches of the pre-war era, and the hand-built 1957 Eldorado Brougham. The CELESTIQ is the culmination of that heritage, created today with innovative production methods and new technologies.

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was a limited edition model, with only 400 cars built.

“Those vehicles represented the pinnacle of luxury in their respective eras, and helped make Cadillac the standard of the world,” said Tony Roma, Chief Engineer. “The CELESTIQ showcar — also a sedan, because the configuration offers the very best luxury experience — builds on that pedigree and captures the spirt of arrival they expressed.”

The designers drew further inspiration from classic architecture such as the mid-century masterpieces of architect Eero Saarinen, along with other iconic American designs, which made era-defining statements when introduced and endured with distinctive timelessness.

Clean-sheet development
Realizing and infusing those influences within a General Motors’ Ultium-based EV architecture enabled a clean-sheet expression for the CELESTIQ that considers the entirety of travel as a curated experience — one intended to evoke an emotional response. The result is a car that makes a magnetic first impression and cultivates a permanent personal connection.

“We’ve combined the beauty of function with the beauty of form,” said Laetitia Lopez, Creative Designer, Cadillac Colour and Trim. “We had to reconsider all aspects to immerse the customer, all of their senses, and create a connection with the vehicle through the finest genuine materials, exceptional detailing and advanced technology.”

The show car previews some of the materials, innovative technologies and handcrafted attention to detail harnessed to express Cadillac’s vision for the future. Highlights include 5 high-definition, advanced LED interactive displays, including a massive 55-inch-diagonal advanced LED display, along with expected industry-firsts such as a variable-transmission Smart Glass Roof and Ultra Cruise. The latter will be General Motors’ next evolution of available handsfree driver assistance technology which Cadillac plans to offer with the CELESTIQ.

Smart Glass Roof
The Smart Glass Roof features Suspended Particle Device technology that allows for 4 zones of variable lighting. This allows passengers to fine-tune their cabin experience for completely personalized comfort and visibility. Additionally, the huge advanced LED display introduces a passenger display with electronic digital blinds, an active privacy technology which is designed to allow passengers to enjoy video content while blocking it from the view of the driver. While they are previewed on the showcar, these technologies and others will make CELESTIQ the most advanced vehicle ever from Cadillac when it goes on sale.

The launch date for the CELESTIQ production model has not been indicated but GM is investing US$81 million (about RM360.6 million) to support its assembly at GM’s Global Technical Centre the heart of the company’s engineering and design efforts. The CELESTIQ will be the first production vehicle built there since the facility’s inauguration in May 1956.

Cadillac InnerSpace concept reimagines the luxury experience of motoring in future

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