Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept: Odd Name, Sensational Looks

• The Cadillac Opulent Velocity concept is a new vision of the brand's future.
• Yes, the name is a little odd, but the looks are very much on point.
• Here's to hoping Caddys of the future look more like the OV.

Cadillac loves Car Week. The company has a history of launching jaw-dropping concepts at the event at Pebble Beach in California over the years — some highlights that come to mind are the gorgeous Ciel, the Escala and the El Miraj. But, not content to let that tradition fade, Cadillac has just given us a new one. Meet the Opulent Velocity concept.

While the Opulent Velocity might have the worst name of the bunch, it carries on the tradition of being darn good-looking. The fire-spitting V-Series Blackwings are the pinnacle of Cadillac performance right now, but they aren't the brand's future. And while the Opulent Velocity is really just a design exercise for Cadillac, it's a glimpse into what the automaker's performance cars of tomorrow could look like. 

It's a sleek 2+2 coupe with classically beautiful proportions. Long, low, wide, and strong lines front to back, the Opulent Velocity is a looker. It also, of course, comes with butterfly-style doors, because why not? While Cadillac hasn't really detailed the OV's performance, it does mention the words "hypercar" when mentioning the car's ultimate goal. 

The OV comes with two distinct modes — can you guess what they are? Yep, they're Opulent and Velocity. In the first, the OV essentially acts as a Level 4 autonomous vehicle that will whisk you and three friends away to wherever you want. In this mode you don't even have a steering wheel to manipulate. Instead you're immersed in sights from the widescreen augmented-reality head-up display and sounds that Cadillac says were developed using science. The interior is laden with 3D-printed and sustainable materials, and the seats both look and function like little cocoons to hold you in place while driving hard. 

Velocity is the mode we'd probably be more interested in since, you know, we like driving. In this mode the steering wheel gets presented to you and you get to control its hypercar-esque power. In order to spur you to drive faster, the AR head-up display will set up a "ghost car" in front of you (yes, exactly like you would in Gran Turismo) to give you something to chase. Hard to imagine that isn't just a little distracting, but at least it sounds like fun. Frankly, hypothetical performance doesn’t really matter. What you ought to do instead is scroll through our image gallery and just drink in this thing's stellar good looks.

When automakers release visions of the future they often look ridiculous or unattainable, but the Opulent Velocity will probably do what Cadillac's Pebble Beach concepts have done before — give us a good look at what else will trickle into the brand's lineup for years to come.

Edmunds says

Here's to hoping what Caddy builds in the near future is just as pretty (but hopefully better named).