With a legacy spanning over 150 years, Cadillac’s name has only truly come to prominence in the past few decades. General Motors’ luxury division has been steadily building its reputation, now producing some of the most high-performance cars in the industry. Competing in the top class of Le Mans and aiming for a Formula One entry in 2028, Cadillac’s ambitions are far-reaching. A design official at GM has hinted at even grander plans, suggesting that Cadillac may be considering the production of a hypercar. General Motors’ global design chief, Michael Simcoe, has recently hinted at the possibility of a Cadillac hypercar. While he stopped short of confirming a bold new Cadillac entry into the high-profile, low-production market, his responses to his own questions suggest that such a plan may indeed be in the works. ‘Could [Cadillac] make a hypercar?’ His answer: ‘Yes, of course. Should we make one? Yes, of course.’ “Are we constructing one?” Too much information would be made available to the public. Cadillac has a long and prestigious past, but this would be the company’s first hypercar. In 2002, when the company showed off the Cadillac-branded Cien concept, a one-of-a-kind mid-engine car with a cutting-edge look and a V-12 engine, it came the closest. It was supposed to be the brand’s 100th anniversary, but the car was never made, despite rumors and hopes. Instead, Cadillac began selling the XLR, a modified C6 Corvette, as its first performance-only car. Simcoe also said that the car might only be electric. If the car has something to do with Cadillac’s improved racing skills, it should be a hybrid like the company’s current LMDh racer (shown at the top of this post) or its possible Formula 1 entry. That could be a more high-end form of the idea that GM has already tried out with the C8-generation Corvette E-ray. Cadillac doesn’t make sports cars, supercars, or hypercars right now, but the Celestiq EV will be the company’s true return to the ultra-luxury market. The custom-built car, which cost more than $340,000, is meant to compete with Rolls-Royce and bring Cadillac back to its “Standard of the World” status that made the brand famous. GM’s plans to switch Cadillac to electric cars by 2030 would have made that car a great addition to the range. But that date is less important to the company now, and a hypercar that isn’t electric could be added as early as the next decade. Cadillac hasn’t officially announced its possible hypercar yet, but the company is about to improve its performance even further. The Opulent Velocity idea, first shown in 2024, will set the standard for Cadillac’s performance electric cars in the same way that Celestiq did for the company’s high-end electric cars.
