If you’re one of those who was impressed by the Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept that was on display at the recent Los Angeles Auto show, it might interest you to know that British designer Niki Smart is responsible for those raked windscreen and scissor doors. In an interview with Autocar, Smart said that the ULC is Caddy’s Mini. He said that it’s time for Cadillac to make this car, as a “bigger spread of models” is needed in many areas, particularly for Europe.
He said that the success of the Mini is “proof of people’s open-mindedness.” You may have first heard of Smart as being the co-creator of the Ariel Atom, which he part-designed in 1998. Smart, who is now a designer at GM’s advanced studio in LA, said that many of the ULC’s exclusive features could be built. He said that the doors offer a “graceful” way to get in the back.
He disclosed that the company has discovered a way to engineer those doors for production. Smart acknowledged that the ULC is a challenging design for a brand that’s famous for coming up with traditional saloons with big bonnets. But Smart loves that since Cadillac doesn’t have small cars, he won’t have to return to a previous design. The 78mpg ULC is equipped with a hybrid powertrain with a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine.
