Cadillac Cien with V 12 engine is a super sports car that should be mass-produced at this year's Geneva Motor Show, but can it be realized? ?
As the British designer of this concept car, SimonCox is not sure that his competitors of the Ferrari 360Modena will get mass production. The 42-year-old designer's words reveal complex emotions: frustration, eager concern and cautious optimism. But in any case, Cadillac Cien is a natural supercar. ?
Cox manages GM's design studio in Birmingham, England. He believes that Cien with extraordinary potential will become the idol of GM and Cadillac. ?
Cadillac Cien is the corresponding model launched by GM for Dodge Viper and Ferrari 360M, and it is a sports car with racing pedigree. The car adopts lightweight carbon fiber load-bearing body, two-seat cockpit layout and rear wheel drive. The 7.5LV 12 Hercules engine installed at the back of the seat can explode with extraordinary power of 560kW and huge torque of 6 10Nm. The top speed of the car can reach 322 km/h?
The test site of Cien is located at the starting point of Le Mans competition, which will be held three hours before the 24-hour Le Mans competition this year. When the roar of Cadillac CienV 12 engine broke through the silent sky at 3 am on Saturday, Le Mans campers who heard the noise climbed over the fence in order to get a close look at the car. ?
The Cien concept car continued to be displayed at the Goodwood Speed Festival held in mid-July. These actions show that GM is using exhibition activities to test the public's response to new models or pave the way for new models to obtain production licenses. ?
The Cien concept car won a warm welcome from the public at the beginning of its appearance, and GM has also done a lot of investigation and research work for the car. Nevertheless, GM decided to produce only 500 ~ 1000 vehicles in a three-year cycle, and the price was about 200,000 US dollars (about1650,000 RMB). ?
The value and merits of Cien cannot be simply measured by profit and account number. Cox and his design members believe that Cadillac itself has great potential, and they try to rejuvenate the brand through Cien. ?
Cadillac Cien made its debut at the Detroit auto show in June+10 this year. The powerful NorthstarXV 12 engine of this vehicle was jointly developed by General Transmission System Department and Cosworth, and was installed on a large EscaladeSUV for testing, and its fuel economy was comparable to that of V8 engine. This is mainly due to the direct injection design and on-demand displacement technology of this engine. For the latter, this V 12 can close up to 6 cylinders to save fuel. ?
The Cien project started to run during Easter 200 1. Previously, Cox also knew something about XV 12 engine. Cox originally intended to use Cadillac Le Mans's twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but gave it up because this engine could not make Cien achieve a big leap in performance. ?
Since this year is the centenary birthday of Cadillac brand, Cox presented a mid-range supercar as a gift. Both Cox and GM hope that this is a model with broad vision, wide cockpit and fashionable appearance. The size of Cien is similar to that of Ferrari 360Modena, and the body length is 4457mm, which is slightly wider than 360M and lower than the ground. ?
Carefully designed Cien is fully armed. The car is equipped with aluminum double wishbone front and rear suspension, semi-automatic 6-speed transmission with shift handle, Michelin tires with 2 1 inch rear wheels (19-inch front wheels), and Brembo brakes and shock absorbers. ?
The construction of Cien has been strongly supported by partners. CTS located in Huntington (a county in England) is responsible for the construction of carbon fiber chassis, Cosworth (a famous engine manufacturer) assembles the engine, and Prodrive (a famous car modification factory in England) assists in the installation of the engine and transmission. It only takes 17 weeks from all parts entering the design room to the completion of Cien construction. The design cost is between 1 10,000 and 2 million pounds (about10.3 million to 26 million RMB). ?
The whole design process is full of pressure and hardship. During Christmas, Cox and his designers worked hard day and night to complete the transformation from abstract concept to physical prototype, and delivered Cien to the booth of Detroit Auto Show held on June 6, 65438 as scheduled. ?
Cien really lived up to expectations, and showed his talents at the Detroit Auto Show, winning three design awards in one fell swoop. From the predecessors of Cadillac concept car-Evoq, Imaj, Vizon to the protagonist Cien in this paper, the theme of Cadillac's "combination of art and science" is obvious. The vertically arranged headlights and shield grille are the characteristics of the above theme. ?
In the design process, the front nose of Cien needs to achieve the unity of functionality and Cadillac characteristics, which is the most headache for Cox. Huge ventilation holes run through the car body, and most of the air used to cool the engine is sucked from the C-pillar at the back of the car body. The angular shape and dynamic lines make this car look avant-garde, and this unique and distinctive appearance style attracts more people's attention. ?
In the cabin, Ci 'en also showed the superior technical advantages of GM brand. For example, the car's night vision system uses thermal imaging technology and a pop-up display to help drivers identify dangerous situations on the road ahead. Because there is no rearview mirror, Cien uses a rearview camera to monitor the rearview area. The images taken by this camera can be transmitted to the central display screen in the cockpit. The car canceled the convertible model and the roof was arched. While the head space is improved, Cien also expands the side view through minor improvements. ?
If GM wants to increase the output of Cien, the production place will definitely be located in the UK, and the manufacturer may be TWR (British car refitter). Cox thinks that the possibility of mass production of Cien is 80% ~ 90%. ?
Cien is a car with excellent performance and leading aerodynamic performance. Now, we will continue to pay attention to whether mass production has been placed in front of GM's decision-making level and whether GM can seize such an opportunity.