8 Escala Concept Details to Watch For in Future Cadillacs
Many of the Escala’s details will live on in future Cadillacs
The Cadillac Escala concept that stunned the 0.1-percent in Pebble Beach just made its official auto-show debut in Los Angeles and, although there are still legions of rich folks who desire large, opulent transportation, they seem to be souring to big sedans. Then why did Cadillac develop the Escala in a production studio as we optimistically reported from Pebble Beach? Because Cadillac wants the zillion and one design details and its essential aesthetic ethos to be baked in to Cadillac's future flagship—whatever body categorization it ultimately takes. In fact, there's a second Escala sitting in that studio right now while this one travels. Here's what to look for in future Caddys:
The Escala was designed to telegraph the performance capability of its underlying architecture. The concept's look and swagger suggest it's a driver's car, yet the rear-seat space and appointments peg it as a great car in which to be driven.
The grille reinterprets the iconic Cadillac shield shape, and the mesh inside is comprised of tiny shields set on a backdrop of Vs that echo the look of the V-series car grilles. It's the kind of detail that may well go unnoticed until the owner hand-washes it few times. Other hidden gems include a Cadillac script embossed on the back side of the leather-wrapped curved touch-screen instrument panel that's only visible from outside the car.
Might we be entering a post-leather era? When a material becomes widely available on compact cars, maybe it's time to reimagine luxury, and the Escala's high-end tailored suit material is warmer, more inviting and more interesting than leather. It's also trickier to work with as it doesn't stretch much and has a pattern/texture to it that makes stitching a seat cover together trickier. But the production teams are working these kinks out.
