ROCHESTER, Mich:Fittingly, Cadillac acknowledged the past of its biggest selling model as well as its future during the reveal of the 2000 DeVille at the Concours d'Elegance here recently.
It's fitting because the redesigned and re-engineered DeVille is the last "transition" model from the famous luxury maker, according to John F. Smith, who is a General Motors vice president as well as Cadillac's general manager. "The 2000 DeVille is a blend of engineering achievement and sophisticated styling," said Smith, "reflecting the bold spirit of great Cadillacs from the past while meeting the needs of large luxury sedan customers as we move into the next millennium."
The next millennium, Smith has said repeatedly over the last two years, will bring a new challenge to GM's premier marque. It will pretty much abandon its historic position as a maker of North American luxury cars and go forth into the world to do battle with every country's luxury cars.
The current Seville is already out there waging that war, with only marginal success, because it was not completely designed for such a battle. DeVille is even less well designed for the world-wide battle, though it has elements that would play well in, say, Germany that make it a better car for North America. But every car past the 2000 DeVille will be purpose-built to compete globally, starting with the 2001 Catera next year.
This fall, however, we will have to limit ourselves to enjoying what this new vision for Cadillac has done to the quintessential North American luxury car -- the DeVille. The 2000 DeVille is available in three models -- DeVille, DeVille High Luxury Sedan (DHS), and a sporty, 5-passenger DeVille Touring Sedan (DTS).
Smith said the DTS is "specifically aimed at baby boomers moving into the segment to obtain the comfort, convenience, safety and security they need in a car that meets their high expectations for ride and handling, performance and contemporary styling."
The new DeVille is a showcase for pioneering intuitive technology that brings meaningful benefits to customers, Smith said, adding that the big breakthrough is Night Vision, which can help drivers see objects ahead during nighttime driving.
For the time being at any rate, DeVille and Cadillac have exclusive rights to this technology. The people who design and build it, however, see Night Vision becoming a widely used technology across many lines and many models, particularly as the price plummets. Cadillac's not being specific, but it looks like DeVille's Night Vision will cost about as much as a sunroof, which means $1,500 or more.
Sort of complementing Night Vision at the other end of the 2000 DeVille is Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist, a technology that uses four ultrasonic sensors to warn the driver if there's something behind the car as it backs up. This is not a device unique to DeVille, but is no less useful for that.
Smith said that Night Vision and Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist are "part of DeVille's package of leading safety and security features, which also include proven safety-cage construction, leading-edge passive restraints, a CD-based navigation system and OnStar, the revolutionary information and communications service."
DeVille for 2000 also features the auto industry's first light emitting diode (LED) taillight and center high-mounted stoplight combination, which is widely considered a safety benefit because it lights up faster than incandescent bulbs and that should give the driver behind more time to brake.
General Motors has been making big advances in stiffer body architecture the last couple of years, and the 2000 DeVille will benefit from that, since it is supposed to be "notably stiffer in both torsion and handling."
Smith bowed in the direction of those finicky boomers, who would not normally be thinking in Cadillac terms, but pointing out this new structure provides significant benefits in areas that they hold dear.
"This architecture is the foundation for DeVille's enhanced agility on the road and precise, responsive control," he said, "and provides the building block for improvements to crashworthiness as well as to noise, vibration and harshness control."
There are also significant advancements in Cadillac's Northstar integrated powertrain and chassis system to report for the new DeVille.
In the first place, the Northstar V8 has been redesigned to achieve better mileage with regular fuel, smoother and quieter operation, and certification as a low emissions vehicle for California.
It's important not to gloss over Smith's comment about the new DeVille needing regular instead of premium fuel, since that can amount to a serious amount of money over time. And Cadillac engineers I quizzed made it perfectly clear that there would be no benefit to putting premium fuel into the new car.
From a handling point of view, Smith said, StabiliTrak 2.0, the next evolution of Cadillac's stability-control system, "makes DeVille's handling more predictable and consistent under all driving conditions and road surfaces."
The system is enhanced for 2000, he explained, "with the addition of active steering effort compensation, which slightly increases turning effort during sudden maneuvers, and side-slip-rate control, which responds to traction loss at all four wheels by gently applying both front brakes to help the driver regain control."
In addition, the DTS version of the 2000 DeVille will feature the second generation of Cadillac's continuously variable road sensing suspension, CVRSS 2.0.
It wouldn't be a Cadillac if there wasn't a long and somewhat innovative list of features to talk about on the 2000 DeVille, so it offers features such as three-zone climate-control, adaptive seating, massaging lumbar seats and a new flexible center seat and storage system.
Smith claimed that the "rear seat environment may be the most luxurious and comfortable one on the road, incorporating theater seating layout for optimum forward visibility, heated seats and power lumbar adjustments."
As for its exterior style, Smith said DeVille's "clean, flowing exterior form strikes a balance between formal and sporty."
The new DeVille is more than 50 mm shorter and narrower than the car it replaces, which is meant to give it a trimmer and more athletic appearance. But its wheelbase is actually 38 mm longer, and its interior space is virtually as roomy as the 1999 model, which is a neat trick.
"DeVille has been a dominant force in the luxury segment for decades," said DeVille Brand Manager Patrick Kemp, who did not mention that it has been under particularly heavy attack the last few years. He said, however, that "The 2000 DeVille ingeniously combines technology and grace in a harmonious package that will appeal to luxury customers as we enter a new age."
It's fitting because the redesigned and re-engineered DeVille is the last "transition" model from the famous luxury maker, according to John F. Smith, who is a General Motors vice president as well as Cadillac's general manager. "The 2000 DeVille is a blend of engineering achievement and sophisticated styling," said Smith, "reflecting the bold spirit of great Cadillacs from the past while meeting the needs of large luxury sedan customers as we move into the next millennium."
The next millennium, Smith has said repeatedly over the last two years, will bring a new challenge to GM's premier marque. It will pretty much abandon its historic position as a maker of North American luxury cars and go forth into the world to do battle with every country's luxury cars.
The current Seville is already out there waging that war, with only marginal success, because it was not completely designed for such a battle. DeVille is even less well designed for the world-wide battle, though it has elements that would play well in, say, Germany that make it a better car for North America. But every car past the 2000 DeVille will be purpose-built to compete globally, starting with the 2001 Catera next year.
This fall, however, we will have to limit ourselves to enjoying what this new vision for Cadillac has done to the quintessential North American luxury car -- the DeVille. The 2000 DeVille is available in three models -- DeVille, DeVille High Luxury Sedan (DHS), and a sporty, 5-passenger DeVille Touring Sedan (DTS).
Smith said the DTS is "specifically aimed at baby boomers moving into the segment to obtain the comfort, convenience, safety and security they need in a car that meets their high expectations for ride and handling, performance and contemporary styling."
The new DeVille is a showcase for pioneering intuitive technology that brings meaningful benefits to customers, Smith said, adding that the big breakthrough is Night Vision, which can help drivers see objects ahead during nighttime driving.
For the time being at any rate, DeVille and Cadillac have exclusive rights to this technology. The people who design and build it, however, see Night Vision becoming a widely used technology across many lines and many models, particularly as the price plummets. Cadillac's not being specific, but it looks like DeVille's Night Vision will cost about as much as a sunroof, which means $1,500 or more.
Sort of complementing Night Vision at the other end of the 2000 DeVille is Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist, a technology that uses four ultrasonic sensors to warn the driver if there's something behind the car as it backs up. This is not a device unique to DeVille, but is no less useful for that.
Smith said that Night Vision and Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist are "part of DeVille's package of leading safety and security features, which also include proven safety-cage construction, leading-edge passive restraints, a CD-based navigation system and OnStar, the revolutionary information and communications service."
DeVille for 2000 also features the auto industry's first light emitting diode (LED) taillight and center high-mounted stoplight combination, which is widely considered a safety benefit because it lights up faster than incandescent bulbs and that should give the driver behind more time to brake.
General Motors has been making big advances in stiffer body architecture the last couple of years, and the 2000 DeVille will benefit from that, since it is supposed to be "notably stiffer in both torsion and handling."
Smith bowed in the direction of those finicky boomers, who would not normally be thinking in Cadillac terms, but pointing out this new structure provides significant benefits in areas that they hold dear.
"This architecture is the foundation for DeVille's enhanced agility on the road and precise, responsive control," he said, "and provides the building block for improvements to crashworthiness as well as to noise, vibration and harshness control."
There are also significant advancements in Cadillac's Northstar integrated powertrain and chassis system to report for the new DeVille.
In the first place, the Northstar V8 has been redesigned to achieve better mileage with regular fuel, smoother and quieter operation, and certification as a low emissions vehicle for California.
It's important not to gloss over Smith's comment about the new DeVille needing regular instead of premium fuel, since that can amount to a serious amount of money over time. And Cadillac engineers I quizzed made it perfectly clear that there would be no benefit to putting premium fuel into the new car.
From a handling point of view, Smith said, StabiliTrak 2.0, the next evolution of Cadillac's stability-control system, "makes DeVille's handling more predictable and consistent under all driving conditions and road surfaces."
The system is enhanced for 2000, he explained, "with the addition of active steering effort compensation, which slightly increases turning effort during sudden maneuvers, and side-slip-rate control, which responds to traction loss at all four wheels by gently applying both front brakes to help the driver regain control."
In addition, the DTS version of the 2000 DeVille will feature the second generation of Cadillac's continuously variable road sensing suspension, CVRSS 2.0.
It wouldn't be a Cadillac if there wasn't a long and somewhat innovative list of features to talk about on the 2000 DeVille, so it offers features such as three-zone climate-control, adaptive seating, massaging lumbar seats and a new flexible center seat and storage system.
Smith claimed that the "rear seat environment may be the most luxurious and comfortable one on the road, incorporating theater seating layout for optimum forward visibility, heated seats and power lumbar adjustments."
As for its exterior style, Smith said DeVille's "clean, flowing exterior form strikes a balance between formal and sporty."
The new DeVille is more than 50 mm shorter and narrower than the car it replaces, which is meant to give it a trimmer and more athletic appearance. But its wheelbase is actually 38 mm longer, and its interior space is virtually as roomy as the 1999 model, which is a neat trick.
"DeVille has been a dominant force in the luxury segment for decades," said DeVille Brand Manager Patrick Kemp, who did not mention that it has been under particularly heavy attack the last few years. He said, however, that "The 2000 DeVille ingeniously combines technology and grace in a harmonious package that will appeal to luxury customers as we enter a new age."