Cadillac’s concept garage gained a new headliner with the reveal of Elevated Velocity, an all-electric, high-performance 2+2 crossover that channels the brand’s V-Series ethos while hinting at future design cues. Positioned as equal parts road car and off-grid scout, the show car arrives as Cadillac broadens its performance EV footprint alongside the recently introduced Lyriq-V and Optiq-V.
The brief is ambitious: deliver extreme performance, advanced technology, and bespoke craftsmanship in one package. Cadillac frames Elevated Velocity as offering “dual experiences,” pairing a refined, restorative cabin with a lifted, desert-ready stance intended for serious off-pavement running. Riding on 24-inch wheels, the concept layers selectable drive and user-experience modes to tailor both dynamics and ambience.
Inside, the technology is staged around three distinct cabin experiences. Welcome Mode lights the floor, seats, instrument panel, doors, and steering wheel in soft white as the dramatic gull-wing doors arc upward. Elevate Mode shifts the concept into autonomous operation and turns the interior into a recovery space: the pedals and steering wheel retract, temperatures for the outside, the driver, and the cabin are displayed, ambient lighting glows red, infrared seatback lighting is activated, and guided breathwork cues appear above the cowl. Velocity Mode pivots back to the drive, with cool white lighting, subdued floor illumination, and a deployable wheel that presents speed, time, battery health, temperature, and AR-guided navigation.
The chassis toolkit follows the same split-personality brief. e-Velocity Mode evolves Cadillac’s current V-Mode for intense on-road driving. Terra Mode primes the air suspension for peak off-road performance. Sand Vision borrows from Night Vision to improve visibility in sandstorms, and a feature called Elements Defy uses dust-phobic vibration to shed debris, aiming to keep the exterior clean after desert running. Cadillac says the pairing of selectable dynamics and a dual-mode drive system is meant to deliver precision on asphalt, and power on rugged terrain.
Designwise, Elevated Velocity pushes familiar Cadillac proportions into new territory. The Vapor Blue body, with flinty gray undertones and matching blue-tinted glass, stretches a long hood over a planted stance, echoing themes established by Celestiq and Lyriq while sharpening the surfacing. Flush handles, deeply sculpted sides, an integrated ducktail-style spoiler, and flared arches create an overtly aerodynamic profile. The wheels blend flax fiber with black crystal-tinted acrylic, and the brand’s Precision pattern appears throughout the detailing. Lighting choreography is reimagined for the lifted form, with elegantly fluted translucent front elements and vertical rear lamps that create a “light tunnel” effect.
The cabin leans into rich reds and tactile contrast. Morello Red fine-grain leather covers key surfaces from the pillars to the cargo floor, Cerise fabric wraps the interior in a continuous band from doors to behind the instrument panel and rear seats, and Garnet boucle adds texture on seat uppers and armrests. Smooth wraps, embossed grains, tinted acrylic, and glass are layered to communicate purpose and polish. When Elevate Mode is selected, the concept cues air filtration to pull dust from the cabin, “extreme climatization” to handle dry air and rapid temperature or altitude swings, air purification and fragrance, and integrated red-light therapy aimed at post-adventure recovery. Storage includes a vault-locked compartment and space for a bespoke desert polo set finished to match the show car’s palette.
Elevated Velocity is scheduled to appear at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in Carmel, California, on Aug. 15, 2025. Cadillac positions the concept as a design and technology lighthouse for what an electric V-Series crossover could become, reinforcing the brand’s intent to blend performance, luxury, and capability as it maps its next generation of EVs.
