FIRST LOOK: 2016 Cadillac CT6 flagship luxury sedan

Cadillac took the wraps off of its highly anticipated new flagship car on Wednesday night, the eve of the 2015 New York Auto Show.

It's long. It's sleek. It's elegant. Not quite Elmiraj concept elegant, in my humble opinion, but CT6 is a beautiful car. At first glance-- albeit, only via still photography and video-- CT6 is certainly flagship worthy.  For this "old school" dude, it's the 21st century Fleetwood Brougham.  CT6 also is loaded with technological firsts including a rear camera mirror which streams high definition images to the rearview mirror for an unobstructed view, according to GM, and available exclusive engines including a 3.0L twin-turbo V6.

The CT6, first announced by GM CEO Mary Barra in September 2014 at the Detroit Homecoming Conference, will be assembled at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant.  Production begins at the end of this year for the North American market and early 2016 for Europe, Korea, Japan, Israel and the Middle East.  Production for the Chinese market also will begin in early 2016 at an all-new plant in China.

Video: GM Media

Cadillac Evolves its Iconic Crest Logo

DETROIT (GM) – Cadillac is introducing an evolution of the historic Cadillac Crest, a revision in synch with new products such as the award-winning 2014 CTS and 2015 ATS Coupe. The new Cadillac Crest will begin appearing on vehicles in the second half of 2014.

The unmistakable Cadillac Crest has a heritage of evolution, marking new eras. Cadillac’s product and design advances are moving the brand forward. The Cadillac Crest evolves now to reflect this growth, just as it has for more than 111 years.

Cadillac Elmiraj Concept, introduced

in 2013, was first to feature new logo.

Photo: GM Media

Sleeker and streamlined, the revised Crest first appeared on the Elmiraj concept in 2013.

“The Crest remains a consistent symbol of Cadillac and our core values,” said Andrew Smith, Cadillac executive design director. “This new Crest matches the lower, longer, leaner mantra of our current car designs, and reflects the evolution of our Art and Science philosophy.”

Accompanied over the years by a crown, chevron or laurel wreath, the Crest has been the central aspect of Cadillac heraldry throughout the brand’s history. It was last revised in 1999.

The latest update sharpens the focus on the Crest. Cadillac’s characteristic script lettering remains.

“Our goal was to evolve the emblem design to integrate with the new vehicle form while maintaining the core graphic elements that preserve its strong brand recognition,” Smith said. “This resulted in retaining the iconic ‘crest’ shape and color palette with geometric grid from the original Cadillac family ‘coat of arms.’”

The update to the Crest occurs amid significant growth for the brand. Cadillac is the fastest-growing full-line luxury auto brand, building on a 22-percent sales increase in the U.S. in 2013.

This month marks the U.S. debut of the ELR, an electrified luxury coupe featuring 340 miles of driving range. Later in 2014, Cadillac will launch the next-generation Escalade luxury SUV and the 2015 ATS Coupe.