Gullwing doors? Check. Promises of massive performance mixed with off-road, off-grid capabilities? Check. Concept car that will never actually see production? Yep, check. The Cadillac Elevated Velocity is an all-electric concept for fans of the V-Series performance models in the luxury carmaker's lineup. It's a 2+2-seat crossover with promises of on- and off-road goodness. And it shows what Cadillac plans to do, design-wise, in the future.
The Elevated Velocity is a nod to the recent Lyriq-V and Optiq-V models and a glimpse at what those electric options might look like going forward.
What this concept certainly is is eye-catching. The center-roof gullwing doors, popular on concepts since the 1950s, are certainly an immediate head-turner. Beyond that, however, the design of the Elevated Velocity is powerful. It's both futuristic and current with beautiful lines and sharp edges just where those edges need to be. With the doors closed, the saloon profile of the car is offset by its heavy fenders and high ground clearance. Its look is reminiscent of the Local Motors Rally Fighter, if anyone remembers that short-lived awesomeness machine.
The concept Elevated Velocity's interior is ... well, futuristic and unrealistic at the same time. There's no way those lawn-chair-like seats are comfortable or crash resistant. And it's very red. Wherever there isn't red, there's chrome. But mostly it's red.
Underneath the bodywork, though, the Cadillac Elevated Velocity is a concept based on electric vehicles as multi-capability driving platforms. There are four driving modes, each aimed at a different use case. In e-Velocity Mode, for example, the use case is intense on-road driving, and in Terra Mode, the focus is off-road performance. Both utilize various systems in the vehicle to optimize for those two very different driving scenarios, including air suspension and traction response.
Two other modes are more out of the box. Sand Vision is made to give the driver better visibility during a sandstorm. Similar to how Cadillac's see-in-the-dark Night Vision works on current sport utilities. Elements Defy is a mode that is intended to help clean or avoid external elements like dust, debris, and dirt using "dust-phobic vibration." Cadillac didn't expand on how that works, exactly, but it might be a combination of electrostatic and physical vibration on the bodywork.
The rest of the Elevated Velocity concept's design is based on three user experience modes. Separate from, but also part of, the drive modes already mentioned, these modes center on where the driver and passengers are in their journey.
Welcome Mode, to start, sees the vehicle illuminates as the driver approaches. Doors also open, ambient lighting activates, and animations on the steering wheel and screens are triggered.
Elevate Mode then follows, being engaged by the driver upon vehicle startup. The (super red) interior transforms into a relaxation space. The steering wheel, pedals, and other controls retract and the vehicle begins subtly changing lighting and other effects to promote measured breathing and a "headspace for performance."
Then comes Velocity Mode, which engages the driver and puts the (still very red) interior into cool white light to "evoke a sense of exhilaration." Augmented reality head-up navigation and other cockpit tech is designed to assist the driver's performance.
The Cadillac Elevated Velocity concept is on display in Carmel, California during the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, on August 15, 2025.
Source: Cadillac
