There’s a lot of anticipation for Cadillac’s upcoming CT6 full-size luxury sedan, a model that inaugurates the brand’s new naming convention and is expected to offer a preview of things to come.

Well, the latter may not be what some would expect in terms of design, as the CT6 will not feature a radical styling switch. That may be bad news for people (me included) who expected to see cues of the Elmiraj Concept in Cadillac’s new top-of-the-line sedan.

According to GM global design chief Ed Welburn, the CT6 will use an evolved version of Cadillac’s art and science styling theme, which combines angular lines with vertical headlights and taillights. “It’ll be different and it will certainly stand out in the portfolio. But you won’t see a real shift in direction,” Welburn told Autonews.

The executive also dismissed any design connection between the CT6 and the Elmiraj concept that debuted at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “I think Elmiraj was more of an influence on some other things we’re working on for Cadillac,” Welburn said.

The Cadillac CT6 is expected to go on sale at the end of 2015 or in early 2016, following the unveiling in spring 2015. The model will compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8, among other large luxury sedans.

Renderings courtesy of MonaroSS over on the GMInsideNews forum

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