Cadillac Vizón Unites Best of Several Vehicles

Vizón offers unprecedented safety technology

Cadillac's 2001 concept car, the Vizón, slices boldly into the gap between sport utility vehicles and sport/performance wagons with sharp-edged Cadillac style.

The Cadillac Vizón provides the functionality of a utility vehicle with the aesthetics, comfort and performance of a world-class sedan or wagon. It's a powerful, surefooted vehicle that surrounds the driver in modern luxury, style and connectivity.

The Vizón seamlessly unites the best qualities of several different kinds of vehicle. It is versatile and functional, and like the Cadillac Evoq and Imaj show cars that immediately preceded it, remains the proud inheritor of the brand's latest blending of art and science.

"The Vizón has simplified, clean surfaces. It's sheer and sharp. We are really paying homage to the 'less is more' approach to communicating luxury," said Tom Kearns, 36, brand character chief designer for Cadillac. "It's an alternative to a sport utility vehicle with a more car-like driving experience."

Sophisticated style and comfort

The Vizón's four-passenger interior features leather seating with integrated heating and cooling. Passengers can enjoy infotainment systems such as a DVD player and built-in video screens. The driver's reconfigurable display panel, inspired by Bulgari jewelers, allows for tailoring information that appears on the instrument panel. The overall impression is calm, clean and pure, taking its inspiration from contemporary home and furniture design.

The center console extends the length of the car's interior, forming a long box for skis and other activity cargo. This console also supports the front seating, eliminating unsightly and space-consuming rails from the floor under the seats.

Self-assured on the road

The Cadillac Vizón's refined design continues to its sleek, globally sized exterior. Its body side is a pure "computer-generated" surface that is intersected by simple, precise wheel flares, giving the vehicle a dramatic stance. Excitement rises when the engine starts. Gills open on its sides, and the two-piece sunroof slides back to provide open-air driving. Vizón fits squarely into the luxury performance wagon segment with a 119-inch (3023 mm) wheelbase and an overall length of 190 inches (4826 mm).

The Vizón is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 Northstar engine. Road handling is assured in all conditions by all-wheel drive, now for the first time controlled by the StabiliTrakT traction system. The suspension height can also be adjusted for different road and load conditions. While the features resemble an SUV package, the Vizon delivers a very car-like ride as a result of this ingenious technology and a five-speed automatic transmission.

On the highway, an advanced cruise control system monitors traffic ahead and automatically adjusts the car's speed to maintain a safe following distance. When the obstruction clears, the Vizón resumes its set cruising speed.

Flexible space

The Cadillac Vizón's electronically operated liftgate rises to expose a very practical rear storage area. The load floor in the rear also lifts to form a shelf or to reveal even more storage tucked away. An integrated roof rack allows ease of transporting equipment for a weekend of skiing at a high-end resort or scuba gear for an exclusive underwater adventure.

The large power sunroof opens two ways to maximize open-air sensations. The front portion of the panel angles upward for venting, while the larger rear panel retracts into the roof.

Technology, Cadillac style

The artistic side of the Vizón's includes Bose speakers and a DVD player with a built-in screen for the rear passengers. Its science encompasses night vision, a rear-view video system, adaptive cruise control and the StabiliTrak traction control system.

As the driver approaches the vehicle, a system called EZ Key identifies the owner through a chip embedded in the key fob; the car unlocks itself and sets seating and mirrors to the driver's position. As the engine starts, a sliding cover on the instrument panel opens to reveal a reconfigurable three-panel instrument display, which allows the driver to choose how and where data about the car is displayed. On the road, the latest version of the OnStar Virtual Advisor offers turn-by-turn navigation through a satellite speaker phone.

Even the Vizón's exterior lighting is a blend of art and science. Xenon light projected through Fresnel lenses creates a sharp, slender vertical look for headlamps and taillights. 

Cadillac Vizón Offers Unprecedented Safety Technology

Adaptive Cruise Control, StabiliTrak AWD and Virtual Advisor team up

Cadillac, the brand that was first to bring you night vision, integrated traction control, and the OnStar communications system, continues to lead the way in safety technology with its 2001 concept, the Cadillac Vizón.

Adaptive Cruise Control

A sophisticated collision warning system continuously monitors road conditions ahead and potential hazards with radar and a host of sensors on the car. Decision-making software analyzes all of this data hundreds of times a second to assess following distance. The driver sets the system to monitor a given following distance, and if that cushion between vehicles is threatened, this system will automatically adjust the car's speed via the cruise control. If more urgent attention is necessary, the system can lightly or moderately apply brakes to maintain following distance. If evasive action is required, an audible alarm sounds.

OnStar Virtual AdvisorT

In addition to having an OnStar Advisor on hand at all times via satellite link to offer directions, call for help or unlock the car, the OnStar Virtual AdvisorT will offer voice-command controls for telephone dialing and Internet access. Drivers and passengers may use the system to place person-to-person calls, or to hear incoming e-mail, news and sports scores, stock quotes and weather conditions.

With the hands-free, voice-activated interface, OnStar subscribers use voice prompts, such as "Start my e-mail," or "Start my stock quotes," to receive Internet services from the Virtual Advisor while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. The Virtual Advisor then converts the text you would see on a PC screen to speech and reads it aloud to the driver with a synthesized voice. The system has no screens or displays that could potentially distract the driver's vision.

All of this is in keeping with GM's guiding principles on driver workload management:

1. Keep the driver's eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

2. Minimize the number of steps required to perform a task.

3. Create a common interface for consumers to interact with the system.

4. Use a lock-out protocol to prevent use of the systems that create unnecessary and excessive attention demands on the driver.

StabiliTrakT AWD

GM's integrated stability management system, StabiliTrakT, makes its first appearance as an all-wheel-drive system on the Cadillac Vizón. The system integrates directional sensors, a yaw rate sensor and lateral acceleration sensor with inputs from the car's suspension, steering, anti-lock brakes and traction controls. A computer uses this data to discern what the driver intends to do and if the car doesn't respond as expected, the StabiliTrak computer sends commands to the car's traction control and brakes to help keep the car on the intended course.