The Detroit manufacturer Cadillac showed a “show car” model of the Celestiq, its anticipated six-figure electric flagship. Although the company isn’t yet ready to release technical information, what we have seen thus far is impressive.
Although the electric show car is only a concept, according to the carmaker, it is quite similar to the final product that will be hand-built at GM’s Global Technical Center. That’s wonderful news since the Celestiq in pre-production is stunning. Its low-slung style was influenced by the hand-built 1957 Eldorado Brougham and the bespoke V-16-powered coaches of the prewar era. The roofline, which tapers into a rear hatch and provides the EV a particularly striking fastback look, and the lighting system are two notable features. The sedan resembles the Lyriq crossover in certain ways, such as its lighted grille and sculpted shape, but it is noticeably sleeker and more attractive than the company’s first electric vehicle.
The four-seater EV’s interior is equally elegant. Due to its Eames chair-inspired seating and dashboard-spanning 55-inch LED display with a digital privacy curtain so that the driver cannot see what their passenger is seeing, the Celestiq’s interior resembles a retrofuturist spaceship. Both of the backs of the front headrests have touchscreens for the passengers in the back, and the center console also has one. Additionally, there is a “Smart Glass Roof” that is divided into four zones, each of which offers adjustable transparency and lighting levels for everyone inside the car. Metal or red leather covers everything that isn’t a screen.
According to Laetitia Lopez, creative designer for Cadillac Color and Trim, “We’ve married the beauty of function with the beauty of form.” The finest real materials, excellent detailing, and cutting-edge technology had to be used to immerse the customer, all of their senses, and build a relationship with the car.
The sedan’s engine wasn’t revealed on Friday, but we do know that GM’s Ultium battery technology will be used to power it. Cadillac also revealed that Ultra Cruise, the newest version of their hands-free driving assistance program, will be available in the EV.
In addition to those specifics, we’re still awaiting word on the launch date and price of Cadillac’s hand-built flagship. The Wall Street Journal speculated that it might go into production late next year and would probably start at around $300,000, making it easily the most expensive car in the brand’s history at the time the company unveiled the first teaser photographs of the EV last month. It would then be in direct competition with automobiles produced by Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Only time will tell if it can live up to their high expectations, but we’re fairly sure that it will at the very least look the part.
