General Motors surprised media and investors this week when it announced the development of the Cadillac Celestiq electric luxury sedan during its EV Day event. With an innovative battery-electric powertrain, the full-size Celestiq sounds like exactly the type of product the Cadillac brand needs to elevate its status, but the Celestiq offers more for customers to get excited about than just motors and batteries.
Cadillac also said this week that the Celestiq would be “hand-built” in the United States and would be able to be personalized based on the customer’s preferences. While it did not go into the specifics of the manufacturing process for the new electric sedan, its “hand-built” status indicates that it will be built with much more care than a typical mass-produced Cadillac vehicle. The new Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover, which will enter production at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in 2022, was not described as being hand-built by GM during EV Day.
Cadillac Lyriq
Media that were shown the Celestiq describe it as a large, four-seat fastback sedan with a wide stance, no side mirrors and concealed door handles. It also featured a full glass roof, with the glass extending all the way until it meets the tail of the vehicle.
The Celestiq will ride on a large version of GM’s new BEV3 modular electric vehicle platform and will utilize the automaker’s Ultium battery technology. Vehicles based on BEV3 will have battery capacities ranging from 50 kWh to 200 kWh, with the 200 kWh battery offering an estimated 400 miles of range. Certain vehicles using BEV3 will also produce up to 1,000 horsepower and will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in as little as three seconds. GM did not provide any performance or range statistics for the Celestiq during EV Day.
Most BEV3-based GM EVs will be designed for Level 2 and DC Fast Charging, offering up to 200 kW of fast-charging capability, and will feature with 400-volt battery packs. The system to be used in electric trucks such as the GMC Hummer EV, will have an 800-volt battery pack and 350 kW fast-charging capability.
More details on Cadillac’s future EV strategy are expected to be announced during the Cadillac Lyriq debut event on April 2nd, 2020.
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Comments
The name is growing on me. Especially seeing it written out with Cadillac in front.
Same, Sonic, I’m beginning to like that name. And I have to say…I am really excited about this. For whatever reason, it feels like this car is going to be very special for Cadillac.
Though I’ve been doubting it for months, and even though its still a MAJOR gamble, GM may just be on the verge of a total reinvention of itself and meteoric rise with this EV strategy. This is unquestionably the biggest moment in GM history. Time will tell…
Been waiting for a lithium ion battery powered Cadillac V series for a long time.
Anyone know the winning Powerball numbers for tomorrow?
Sounds interesting. Sounds expensive. Sounds like a challenge to get people into this car unless they come out with something so stunning and high quality that the super wealthy will be waiting in the showrooms with checkbooks in hand.
I’m going to stay very positive on this and the other new cars/crossovers coming out. But I do find it a little challenging because of past cars like the Allante and ELR.
Whatever “hand-built” means in the age of robots and electric motors. I doubt they’ll coil the wire by hand.
I just hope the interior isn’t mostly black with tan or gray, and the paint isn’t 8 varieties of blah.
One has to assume that the Cadillac Celestiq electric sedan will be designed like a giant Lego kit and assembled like a toy via modular components which can mean that the vehicle might be heavier and bulkier as well as more expensive than if assembled with robotics.
Not sure this will fix much here but it may prove interesting.
If it works great but if it failed they can pull the plug fast pun intended.
The real issue is Cadillac tried to sell a $100k car in the past and it was worthless in a couple years at $25k.
Now at this price they really need to double down and make it worth this price and make it so it holds value.
The last thing Cadillac needs is what happened at VW with the Volkswagen Phaeton. That was a utter failure and embarrassment. Nice car but just a bad idea.
I hope this works as it could prove exciting but it will not be an easy one if they do not do this 100% right.
IF THEY HAD TROUBLE SELLING THE CT6 AT $100,000, THEY ARE GOING TO SELL LESS AT $200,000. IN THE MEAN TIME WE HAVE NOTHING TO BUY UNTIL 2025. I AM NOT SOLD ON THE NEW NAMES THAT NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO PRONOUNCE. I AM STILL WAITING ON A REPLACEMENT FOR MY XLR.