The Cadillac Voyage was a concept car presented by the Cadillac division of General Motors in 1988. The prototype of a four-door touring sedan was described as a rolling laboratory for modern technology.
Cadillac Voyage at a glance
| Maker | Cadillac, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Shown | 1988 |
| Type | four-door touring sedan concept |
| Drive | all-wheel drive, switched automatically |
| Power split | 50:50 between the front and rear axles |
| Transmission | electronically controlled four-speed automatic |
| Brakes | four disc brakes with ABS |
| Suspension | independent suspension at all four wheels |
| Seats | orthopaedic design, more than 20 adjustments |
| Seat features | heating, massage, three memory settings |
| Influence | design inspired the 1992 Seville STS |
Based on one source: the German Wikipedia article on the Voyage. No free photographs were found.
History of the Cadillac Voyage
The Voyage was built as a technology showcase rather than a preview of a specific production model. Its most unusual feature was a sensor system that switched to all-wheel drive automatically when the rear wheels began to spin: the engine’s power was passed through an electronically controlled four-speed automatic gearbox and split 50:50 between the front and rear axles. The car had independent suspension at all four wheels, four disc brakes and anti-lock brakes.
Seats as an engineering exercise
The seats were designed on orthopaedic principles and had more than twenty mechanical and pneumatic adjustments. They could be heated, included a massage function, and three seat positions could be stored in memory. It was the kind of detail that made the Voyage a laboratory for comfort technology as much as for chassis engineering.
Design legacy
The styling study was an inspiration for the Cadillac Seville STS presented in 1992, which brought some of the Voyage’s smoother, more rounded shape into the production range. Only one example of the Voyage was built, and it survives in the General Motors heritage collection.
Design and features
- Automatic all-wheel drive: sensors engaged the front axle when the rear wheels lost grip.
- Electronic transmission: a four-speed automatic with electronic control and a 50:50 torque split.
- Orthopaedic seats: more than twenty adjustments, heating, massage and memory.
- Rolling laboratory: a showcase for chassis, brake and comfort technology.
Cadillac Voyage versions
- Voyage concept (1988): the single prototype, a four-door touring sedan.
The Voyage’s design fed into the Seville STS, and it belongs to the same era of Cadillac show cars as the Imaj. More Cadillacs are in the Cadillac collection.
Sources
- Cadillac Voyage, German Wikipedia: concept, drivetrain, brakes, seats, design influence
