If the Cadillac Cien concept car can be mass-produced, will it change GM's image from now on?

The Cadillac Cien equipped with a V12 engine is the car that should be mass-produced at the Geneva Auto Show this year. Supercar, but will things go as planned? ?

As the British designer of this concept car, Simon Cox is not sure that the Ferrari 360 Modena competitor he designed will be mass-produced. The 42-year-old designer's words revealed mixed emotions: frustrated loss, eager concern and more cautious optimism. But no matter what, the Cadillac Cien is a natural supercar. ?

Cox manages GM's design studio in Birmingham, England. He believes that Cien, who has extraordinary potential, will become an icon for GM and Cadillac. ?

The Cadillac Cien is GM's corresponding model for the Dodge Viper and Ferrari 360M. It is a sports car with racing pedigree. The car uses a lightweight carbon fiber load-bearing body, a two-seat cabin arrangement and rear-wheel drive. The 7.5LV12 Hercules engine installed behind the seat can burst out an extraordinary power of 560kW and a huge torque of 610Nm. The car's top speed can reach 322km/h. ?

The test location of Cien is located at the starting point of the Le Mans race, three hours before this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. When the roar of the Cadillac Cien V12 engine pierced the silent sky at 3 o'clock in the morning on Saturday, the Le Mans camping spectators who heard the sound climbed over the fence to get a closer look at the car. ?

The Cien concept car continued to show off at the Goodwood Speed ??Festival held in mid-July. These moves indicate that GM is using display events to test public reaction to new models, or to pave the way for new models to obtain production licenses. ?

The Cien concept car won warm welcome from the public when it was first unveiled. At the same time, GM also conducted a lot of research and research on the car. Despite this, GM decided to produce only 500 to 1,000 vehicles in a three-year cycle, with a price of approximately US$200,000 (approximately 1.65 million yuan). ?

Cien’s value and achievements cannot be measured purely through profits and accounts. Cox and his design team believe Cadillac has great potential, and they are trying to rejuvenate the brand with Cien. ?

The Cadillac Cien made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January this year. The vehicle's powerful Northstar These are mainly due to the direct injection design and Displacement on Demand technology of this engine. Using the latter, this V12 can shut down up to six cylinders to save fuel. ?

The Cien project began operations during Easter 2001. Previously, Cox also had some knowledge of the XV12 engine. Cox originally planned to use the twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the Cadillac Le Mans race car, but gave up considering that this engine would not allow Cien to achieve a big leap in performance. ?

Given that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Cadillac brand, Cox proposed a mid-engine supercar as a tribute. Both Cox and GM hope this will be a car with wide visibility, a spacious cabin and a stylish appearance. The size of Cien is similar to Ferrari 360 Modena, with a body length of 4457mm, slightly wider than 360M, and lower to the ground. ?

The carefully designed Cien is fully equipped. The car is equipped with aluminum double-wishbone front and rear suspension, a semi-automatic 6-speed transmission with a shift handle, and special Michelin tires equipped with 21-inch rear wheels ( 19-inch front wheels) and Brembo brakes and shock absorbers. ?

The construction of Cien has received strong support from partners.

CTS in Huntingdon builds the carbon fiber chassis, Cosworth assembles the engine, and Prodrive assists with engine and transmission installation. From the time all components entered the design studio to the completion of Cien construction, the process only took 17 weeks. The design cost is between 1 million and 2 million pounds (approximately 13 to 26 million yuan). ?

The entire design process is full of pressure and hardship. During the Christmas period, Cox and his design staff worked hard day and night to complete the transformation from abstract concept to physical prototype and send the Cien to the booth at the Detroit Auto Show on January 6 as scheduled. ?

Cien certainly lived up to expectations and showed its talents at the Detroit Auto Show, winning three design awards in one fell swoop. From the predecessors of Cadillac concept cars - Evoq, Imaj and Vizon to the protagonist of this article, Cien, Cadillac's theme of "combination of art and science" is obvious. The vertically arranged headlights and shield-shaped grille are the individual features that highlight the above themes. ?

During the design process, the Cien's front nose needed to achieve the unity of functionality and Cadillac characteristics, which was the most difficult problem for Cox. Huge air vents penetrate the body, and most of the air used to cool the engine is sucked in from the C-pillar at the rear of the body. The multi-angular shape and dynamic lines give the car an avant-garde shape, and this unique and distinctive appearance style also attracts more people's attention. ?

In the cockpit, Cien also shows the superior technical advantages of the GM brand. For example, the car's night vision system uses thermal imaging technology and uses a pop-up display to help drivers identify hazards on the road ahead. Since there are no rearview mirrors, Cien uses a rear-facing camera to monitor the rearview area. The image captured by this camera can be transmitted to the central display screen in the cockpit. The car has canceled the convertible style and has an arched roof. While headroom has been improved, Cien has also expanded side visibility through small improvements. ?

If GM wants to increase Cien production, the production location will definitely be in the UK, and the manufacturer may be TWR (a British car tuner). Cox believes that the probability of Cien being mass-produced is 80% to 90%. ?

Cien is a vehicle with excellent performance and its aerodynamic performance is also in the leading position. Now, whether mass production has been put in front of GM's decision-makers, we will continue to pay attention to whether GM can seize such an opportunity