It is the media The Verge which announces such a price for the production model of the Cadillac Celestiq. Obviously, this price is for the USA and should increase across the Atlantic, if it does. To this starting price, we must add the options that should send the price over 400,000 dollars.
Cadillac confirms that the first customers are working with the brand to define their unique Celestiq model. The first models are expected to be built at the very end of 2023. Customization can be done at the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt (named after Suzanne Vanderbilt, interior designer at Cadillac).
But, is this Celestiq worth the requested sum? Well, the vehicles won’t really be “mass-produced” but rather handmade. The technical basis is of course produced in series. The 111 kWh “Ultium” battery (General Motors’ brand of electrical technology) and the chassis will be married on the line before “craftsmen” focus on the finishes. Enough to increase the painful, but above all to bring back Cadillac in a segment that it has neglected a little: luxury.
Great luxury goes electric
There is a clientele for luxury electric vehicles. And it’s not just Cadillac looking to capture it. Rolls Royce, for example, launched the Spectre, an all-electric coupé (coach). Here, we are on a 5-door sedan in which the rear seats will undoubtedly be the most popular, unlike the Spectre.
The mechanics should allow a 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds despite the (unknown) weight of the machine. Autonomy could exceed 300 miles or 482 km. Expensive, hand finished, high performance, 100% electric and above all rare. Indeed, Cadillac only plans to produce a maximum of 500 vehicles per year. It’s quite “amusing” to see Cadillac, synonymous with aesthetic but also technical excess (based on large V8s) wanting to return to the “great luxury” segment (ultra-luxury or bespoke luxury) via the electric.
Currently, Cadillac’s most expensive vehicle is the Escalade-V (thermal), which starts at $150,000. The all-electric Lyriq is only $58,590 and should be joined by the all-electric Escalade IQ which is also expected to break the price cap. But for tailor-made luxury you will have to go to the Celestiq. The Celestiq will be the first vehicle of the brand to have the “Ultra Cruise” functionality, autonomous driving
