Approximately $340,000 is the starting price for a Cadillac Celestiq. That’s what GM Authority says, citing a social media post by Cadillac’s chief marketing officer Melissa Grady Dias in which she revealed the base price of the vehicle (not including the destination charge). Car and Driver has contacted Cadillac for confirmation of the price but has not yet received a response.
Just how long has it been since Cadillac was universally hailed as the gold standard? You might want to have your grandparents’ landline on speed dial if you’re like us and have to call a friend for the answer. It’s been a while, but with the launch of the 2024 Celestiq, a moonshot model the company claims is one of the most important in its 120-year history, the brand hopes to regain its former glory as a legitimate luxury coachbuilder.
Cadillac unveiled the Celestiq concept back in July, and the production car is nearly identical to the previous show car, so its uniqueness won’t come as a surprise to anyone who saw the show car. Cadillac essentially ditched the concept car’s camera-fed exterior mirrors in favor of more conventional designs and called it a day.
Here’s a primer or summary anyway: The Celestiq is a handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, battery-electric, futuristic hatchback designed for four passengers. In addition, it has a custom-built platform powered by the Ultimum battery system developed by General Motors.
The Royal Court’s Caddy
If you haven’t made the connection yet, blue collar workers can’t afford this Caddy, no matter how large their annual bonus is. This is precisely the point. Cadillac commissioned this daring vehicle to reestablish ties to its roots, refresh its image, and lead the company’s transition to an all-electric lineup by 2030.
The Celestiq, which starts at over $340,000 before adding on for customizations, is, needless to say, quite pricey. Cadillac has also stated that it will only produce a small number of vehicles annually at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Only people on the waiting list will be able to receive one of those allocations.
The origin and meaning of Celestiq are mysteries. Not that it matters. Unlike other Cadillac models, its name isn’t made up of random letters and numbers.
Like the recently released Lyriq electric SUV, it continues Cadillac’s plan to add “iq” to the end of the names of its electric vehicle models. A more uninspiring moniker for the Celestiq would have been CT7 or something.
Celestiq Dramatiq
The Celestiq is not dull because of its dramatic proportions. We were able to witness it firsthand, and the word “stunning” does not do it justice.
The big EV looks extremely long and low-slung in hand-painted Santorini Blue (just one of 200 exterior colors Cadillac mastered for the Celestiq, not counting the infinite color-match options). The angle of the windshield, we’re told, is more extreme than on the newest Corvette.
The electric Celestiq’s bodywork is more elegantly sculpted than the Chevy’s mid-engined sports car. Underneath its smooth exterior are large carbon-fiber panels with almost no visible seams.
Neither the door handles nor the belt molding are present. When the key fob is detected within 15 feet, the Celestiq greets the driver with a light show, and the large power-operated front and rear doors open with the touch of discreet buttons on the B-pillar. The sequence, we’re told, makes use of the 1.3 million pixels in each of Cadillac’s first-ever “digital micromirror” headlights.
The Celestiq shares the Lyriq’s grille style and hockey-stick-like taillights, but the rest of its design is a showcase of Cadillac’s specialized production methods. The Celestiq’s chassis is made up of six enormous aluminum castings that are said to replace between 30 and 40 individual parts.
Each model also includes more than 300 fabricated parts, which are created using a technique that allows the metal to be bent and folded like origami instead of being stamped. There are 115 3-D printed components in the Cadillac Celestiq, including the vehicle’s steering wheel and interior trim.
Make Your Vacation Rental Your Studio
The Celestiq’s interior reflects Cadillac’s refined design philosophy with a spare, uncluttered layout that’s meant to serve as a blank slate for buyers. The company placed an emphasis on the interior materials, which can be customized in nearly infinite ways.
It depends on how deep you want to go, a Cadillac representative told Car and Driver. Leather-covered flooring can be chosen as an alternative, because why not? Custom engraving is possible on the cast-aluminum piece of the dashboard, as well as the metal elements of the door sill, the edges of the floor mats, etc.
Pick up your jaw from the floor if you think the Cadillac Escalade’s curved OLED screens, measuring in at 38 inches, are impressive. The Celestiq’s left front pillar and right front pillar are separated by 55 inches of glass.
Both the driver and front passenger have their own screens hidden behind the single pane of glass. The driver is prevented from accidentally side-eyeing a movie by a privacy feature that obscures the view from the passenger side.
The Celestiq’s front center console doubles as a platform for an 11.0 inch touchscreen, expanding the vehicle’s infotainment system even further. Despite the worrying absence of actual buttons, the center console does feature a rotary controller and a volume knob. Phew.
The two rear passengers in the Celestiq have access to an 8.0-inch touchscreen display that serves as their own digital command center. The cushions can be heated or cooled, and the Gentherm four-zone climate system can be adjusted for precise temperature control.
Some of the Celestiq’s amenities are more in line with the Caddy’s hefty price tag, while others would be at home on a Mercedes-Benz S-class. Consider the smart glass used in the roof of the Celestiq, which can be adjusted to allow as little or as much natural light in as desired.
More than two million miles of roads (including but not limited to highways) in the United States and Canada are compatible with GM’s hands-free driving-assist technology Ultra Cruise, which is included in every Celestiq.
Read More – 5 Amazing Cars That Hold Their Value
