Cadillac Unveils New All-Wheel-Drive Imaj Sedan

Contents
Introduction
Aluminum Space Frame
Flexible Interior Package
Wide Variety of Information Sources
Electrochromatic Glass Roof
Marketing Tie to Bvlgari

By Norman Martin

Introduction (Return to Contents)
General Motors has a new gadget-rich Cadillac today, the all-wheel-drive Imaj. The four-seat luxury sports sedan concept is the latest spin in the troubled automaker's comeback effort to swing younger drivers over to its line-up, especially in the crowded European luxe market. Last year GM only sold 1,500 Cadillacs there, and had a slim 9.8 percent of the market for cars and trucks in all of Europe. Among the techy features of the European-designed prototype are personal computers for each of seat, a roof that shifts from clear to opaque and a lightweight aluminum chassis.

"Imaj changes the traditional ultra-luxury formula of heavy, long and consumptive to agile, useful and approachable," says Cadillac GM John Smith. Cadillac desperately needs a modern beachhead in Europe. The automaker hauled its large rear-wheel drive Seville to Europe two years ago, and while sales of the majority of the top end vehicles climbed 15% last year there, Seville's sales tanked 20.4% to only 1,048. Meantime, back in the states, Cadillac sales fell as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi saw double digit sales increases.

"Imaj is not purely a design exercise, and not simply an engineering exercise --- it's the whole package," says Simon Cox, concept vehicle design director of the GM Concept Design studio (Birmingham, England). "From the word go the idea was to create our own package, so everything was done with design in mind-it wasn't just shoehorning our design over an existing package."

Aluminum Space Frame (Return to Contents)
Underneath the hood, Imaj features a supercharged 425 hp 4.2L 32-valve supercharged Northstar V-8 mated to a new five-speed automatic. Company officials say the engine is mounted longitudinally, to create better packaging and accommodate the all-wheel-drive system. The all-aluminum engine has four camshafts with continuously variable valve timing and low-friction roller cam followers. The engine control system features closed-loop fuel control via mass airflow sensor and four oxygen sensors, platinum-tipped spark plugs with individual ignition coils and four catalytic converters.

The concept has an extruded aluminum space frame to reduce weight. It also functions as a visual element with some sections exposed along the A-pillars, roof rails and doorsills. "People have had aluminum space frame chassis before, but then hidden them with the body," Cox says. "We decided to bring the space frame to the fore as a visual element." The aluminum space frame construction is aided by Goodyear EMT run-flat tires, 20-inch magnesium wheels, Delco ABS and traction control and 14.96-inch (380 mm) Brembo brakes. These are managed by the automaker's next-generation StabiliTrak chassis control system.

Imaj also has Delphi's MagneRide, a semi-active suspension control system that optimizes vehicle ride and handling by providing continuously variable road sensing suspension based on road and driver inputs. The system uses magneto-rheological fluid, which enables quick response and a valveless damper design for better performance, virtually silent operation and elimination of electromechanical valves, the automaker says.

Each seat has its own environment controls,
e-mail access and an individual LCD screen.

Flexible Interior Package (Return to Contents)
Even getting inside the concept is a techy chore. Access is controlled by e-lock, a fingertip-based security system. Once seated there are adjustable pedals, seating, steering and head-up display combine with steering wheel mounted controls and shift-by-wire gear selection. The car has adaptive cruise control for the highway driving, and front- and rear-facing radar for parking. Seats are reconfigurable with in-seat heating and ventilation. The rear seats recline and have footrests. Each seat has its own environment controls, e-mail access and an individual LCD screen with DVD capabilities, navigation and entertainment. IBM and Delphi Automotive developed these. The car has GM's OnStar, in addition to four individual cell phones.

All information is routed through a Communiport central server. Menu navigation for all of the communication system's features are voice-activated. Cox says E-mails can be read to the car's occupants through the system's text-to-speech feature. A voice memo device allows for voice messages to be recorded, stored and played back later. An infrared port function allows handheld devices such as portable phones and personal data assistants to exchange information. The CD/CD-ROM drive plays music CDs and reads CD-ROM databases such as maps. The system's compact flash slot allows for expanded memory and software upgrades. The central Communiport unit and monitor store when not in use. All passengers have their own individual LCD display monitors, with two for the rear passengers mounted on the backs of the front seats. Each monitor has 800x600 resolution at 16-bit color.

At the core of the infotainment system
are three IBM 10-gigabyte Thinkpad 600Es.

Wide Variety of Information Sources (Return to Contents)
At the core of the system are three IBM 10-gigabyte Thinkpad 600Es linked by a 10/100 Mbps ethernet LAN to monitors and other peripheral devices to provide infrastructure for delivery of a wide variety of information sources. Those include cellular phone, fax and e-mail, as well as navigation information and local information. The infotainment system also provides for audio MP3-file play, and DVD video, as well as the ability to download audio and videos. Office capabilities include a calculator, word processor, day planner and Internet browser.

The mobile Internet browsing capability, with e-mail and text downloading, uses a new wireless application protocol (WAP) and wireless mark-up language (WML). WAP is an open, global specification that allows mobile Internet users with wireless devices to access and interact with web sites. Since HTML isn't convenient for use with thin client wireless mobile applications, a WAP browser with wireless markup language is used on telematics applications. The WAP browser with WML is designed to accommodate applications with smaller, more limited displays like cell phones and vehicle multimedia systems, says to Mark Hogan, vice president, e-GM Group.

The automaker claims that two Bose technologies are used for the first time in Imaj, including Videostage digital signal processing technology to give the user a five-speaker surround sound experience, and TrueSpace digital signal processing technology that allows small, closely spaced speakers to generate a large, wide sound. In addition, the system includes Jewel Cube speaker design that delivers a rich sound from 2-inch speakers. Two of the 2-inch Jewel Cube speakers are installed in each of the four headrests. A Acoustimass bass module is mounted under the rear package shelf. There are also three 2.5-inch wide-range speakers in the IP, two 8-inch woofers in the front doors, two 3.5-inch wide-range speakers in the B-pillars, and one 3.5-inch wide-range speaker in the rear seat console. That's 17 speakers. Other features include a Night Vision system, which works both in front and the rear. Obstacle alert sensors and rear vision cameras replace mirrors.

The Imaj has a long, 121.5-inchwheelbase,
with short overhangs front and rear.

Electrochromatic Glass Roof (Return to Contents)
The vehicle's dominant interior color is light magnolia with dark blue accents. A combination of brushed aluminum and aluminum brightwork on the A-pillars, doorsills and other spots provide a techy look, along with elements of light Bird's Eye Maple wood. Scottish Bridge of Weir leather rounds out the interior package. Meanwhile, above all this leather luxury is a roof made almost entirely of electrochromatic glass, which is opaque when switched off. And with the flick of a switch, the glass becomes see-through. The Imaj's trunk has an extendable floor that powers out over the bodywork for ease of loading and unloading. The trunk lid lifts vertically and moves around the rear glass. It's power-operated, as are the rear doors, which are rear-hinged right onto the bodywork. The front doors are hinged on the A-pillars and also swan-neck open forward before swinging out.

Imaj was designed and built by GM's Concept Design studio in Birmingham, England, led by concept vehicle design director Simon Cox, with support from the North American Cadillac design studio (Warren, MI) led by Cadillac design manager Tom Kearns.

Marketing Tie to Bvlgari (Return to Contents)
Taking a marketing cue from the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, which included a personal vanity kit and a small spray bottle of Arpege perfume, Cadillac is partnering with Italian jeweler Bvlgari to provide modular aluminum luggage, a clock and instrumentation for the concept vehicle. Bvlgari has about 100 stores worldwide and specializing in fine jewelry and watches, eyewear, silk scarves and ties, leather goods, and perfumes.

"Much like the fashion industry's ‘signature label' products, Imaj would be very exclusive and limited," says Wayne Cherry, GM's director of Design and Portfolio centers. "It's designed to be a high-end flagship for both Cadillac and General Motors, pushing the limits of performance, comfort and communications technology."