Cadillac wants to become a fully electrified brand by the end of the decade. It's an ambitious goal that's just getting underway. The company will start Lyriq production early this year, followed by the Celestiq sedan, but what comes after that? Cadillac won't say, but in a new interview with Automotive News, the company does give a hint as to where it'll draw its design inspiration from for those future models.
The fancy new Cadillacs will take their styling cues from a slew of recent concepts – the single-passenger vertical take-off and landing vehicle, the autonomous shuttle, and the self-driving all-electric coupe. A key part of those future products will be the interior space, which will need reimagining if fully autonomous cars are coming. Cadillac will need to reimagine what passengers will do in a car when they don't have to focus on driving.
Gallery: Cadillac InnerSpace Concept
Joe Baker, GM's advanced design team's creative interior design manager, told the publication that customers expect "something radically different" when it comes to electric vehicles. Automakers might have to do more than add big screens to a car's interior to make it feel futuristic and premium. At Cadillac, PersonalSpace, the SocialSpace, and especially the InnerSpace concepts will play a role in dictating those designs and features.
Cadillac's InnerSpace concept focused on creating a sublime and inviting interior experience for a luxurious autonomous vehicle. Cadillac made technology a crucial part of that concept, with AI software adding a layer of personalization that could tune the music, temperature, and other vehicle settings. The vehicle would be capable of monitoring your heart rate and blood pressure and using that data to determine your mood and what vehicle setting you might want.
While Cadillac might look to these concepts for inspiration, don't expect any of them to enter production. They're a bit too radical for the road – and sky – for now, but Cadillac is correct to think about the future. For over 100 years, the steering wheel and pedals have dominated interior design. If autonomous cars are the future – and it'll be years before the tech is fully realized – then we'll need something to do behind the wheel.
