DETROIT - Cadillac has confirmed it will build an ultraluxury sedan, but don't expect to see the car until late in the decade.
"Cadillac is very interested in the elite premium, 7-series, S-class segment," said Mark LaNeve, Cadillac's marketing general manager, at the Detroit auto show.
"We need an elite premium (model in the) V-8, V-12 ultraluxury category."
At the Automotive News World Congress two weeks ago, LaNeve said: "The question is not if we should do ultralux products. It's how, what and when - so stay tuned."
Robert Lutz, vice chairman for product development, told AutoWeek that a range of models would start around $80,000 and top out at $300,000. AutoWeek is a sister publication to Automotive News.
The XLR, which has a retractable hardtop, is the brand's most expensive car. It starts at $76,200, including the destination charge.
LaNeve said the Cadillac Sixteen, a concept shown at the 2003 Detroit auto show, indicates "thematically where we might go. We're having lots of discussions about the concept and what it might look like; what platform it might use."
Asked about the time schedule for the ultraluxury sedan, Cadillac spokesman Jeff Kuhlman said no plan or architecture has been approved.
General Motors manufactures the STS sedan, CTS sedan and SRX crossover on the Sigma platform. The XLR is built on the Chevrolet Corvette platform.
Cadillac to build Sixteen 
