Cadillac Ciel Grand Touring Concept Bows at Pebble Beach

General Motors hints at a long-awaited flagship sedan for Cadillac with the Ciel concept, a 4-seat convertible recalling the brand’s grand touring days and pushing its Art & Science design philosophy forward.

“Large, expressive luxury is innate to Cadillac and the Ciel recalls that heritage, while suggesting where the brand can go in the future,” Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac says in a statement.

Cadillac Ciel concept at Pebble Beach.

“Authentic luxury is driven by experiences, not just products, and Ciel is about the experience of the journey.”

The Ciel, which is French for “Sky,” bowed yesterday at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in Monterey, CA.

No production plans were announced. GM, however, has long sought a highly luxurious, range-topping passenger car for the Cadillac lineup to compete with German entries in the segment such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The auto maker introduced the 1,000-hp Cadillac Sixteen concept in 2003. Powered by a 13.6L V-16 engine, its design influences current models but the outrageous price such a car would carry prevented its production. Two years later GM unveiled a scaled-down version called the Ultra Luxury Sedan.

The ULS, meant to command a six-figure price tag, has been on the back burner since.

The Ciel represents GM’s next exploration of such an entry, featuring a twin-turbocharged 3.6L direct-injection V-6 making 425 hp and 430 lb.-ft. (583 Nm) of torque. It receives a hybrid transmission with low-speed all-electric drive drawing power from a lithium-ion battery pack.

Dean says the car owes its inspiration to sunset drives along California’s scenic Highway 1.

“The Ciel is about the romance of the drive,” he says. “It emulates the great touring cars seen on the greens at Pebble Beach, but with a modern flair that projects Cadillac’s vision for the future.”

The exterior of the car is characterized by long, low proportions recalling the big Cadillacs of decades ago. French-style doors eliminate the B-pillars and sharply creased fender lines from the brand’s current design philosophy travel from stem to stern. Nickel-plated bright work provides accents.

GM calls the deep-purple exterior paint Cabernet.

The Ciel rides on 22-in. aluminum wheels with nickel accents. Its wheelbase measures 125 ins. (317 cm), or about 12 ins. (30.5 cm) longer than the CTS production sedan.

The underpinnings are reportedly an all-new platform engineers are working on and the auto maker’s North Hollywood studios penned the car’s design.

Italian Olive wood recycled from a single fallen tree and hand-tipped leather and nickel-plated trim bathe its beige-colored interior.

The Ciel comes just days after GM reveals the Cadillac ELR, a production intent version of the Converj extended-range electric concept car revealed two years ago.

The ELR uses the same propulsion system as the production Chevrolet Volt EREV, but technical specifications have not been released.

Both concept cars make a stop in Detroit for a local media event later in the month before heading to Europe for the Frankfurt auto show.