Although Cadillac has talked about building a real flagship sedan for years (heck, we'd heard they were talking about it in 2006), a world-beating full-size sedan hasn't been a part of the lineup in, like, forever. And while the Cadillac XTS, a stretched version of the front-wheel-drive Epsilon platform underneath the Buick LaCrosse and Saab 9-5, is nice, it's not enough to compete with the S-Class or 7 Series.
According to Car and Driver insiders, Cadillac is still working on a bigger flagship model to be built on a standalone rear-drive platform, dubbed Omega, rather than sharing underpinnings with the CTS or upcoming ATS.
They also believe it will be powered by six- and eight-cylinder engines, with all-wheel drive as an option. A hybrid version could follow later, but a diesel won't. The new sedan they're talking about would be launched in 2014 as a 2015 model.
A Cadillac flagship competing directly with the Mercedes-Benz S-class and BMW 7 Series will need a level of technology that just doesn't currently exist in any product made by General Motors.
But wait, there's more. Car and Driver also insists they're hearing Caddy's really looking to travel in style, by building a super-luxury sedan designed to compete head-on with the— wait for it — Rolls-Royce Phantom. Seriously. I'll believe that when we see it. And by "it" I mean the Sixteen concept — because that's the only vehicle design I've seen out of the Detroit titan that can compete with a vehicle like the Phantom.