Inside GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Studio: Concept Car Heaven [video]

On the eve of the LA Auto Show, General Motors opened up its North Hollywood Advanced Design Center to the media and so we thought we’d take you behind the scenes of this impressive facility, where creative minds are allowed to explore the limits of their talents before the accountants get involved.

The official reason for the event was the launch of the new Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept (ULC), which was designed to explore Cadillac’s first look into the sub-compact segment. Numerous other past concepts were also on hand, including one other previously unreleased model: the GMC Granite Compact Pick Up (CPU).

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, we didn’t get far before we stumbled upon a wall of concept models in a dark very dark corner of the building. All but one model was barren of a plaque, with that lone model being the now-defunct DTS replacement. Some of the other concepts share design traits with the CTS sedan and Coupe while some of the larger sedans definitely resemble the new XTS Concept. Across the top of each row can be spotted several versions of the same convertible model (a now-shelved second generation XLR perhaps?) with some seriously art-deco flare. Also of note is a Pontiac concept that looks half way between the Volt and an Ascari, while another stylish coupe features a massive Buick badge on the front.

If the LA Auto Show wasn’t tomorrow we might have stayed up all night examining these works of art – almost all of which we desperately wish would have seen production.

GALLERY: GM North Hollywood Advanced Design Center

GALLERY: Concept Car Models at GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Center

GALLERY: Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept

See after the jump for video of the new Cadillac ULC and a look inside GM’s design center:

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