One of the biggest surprises to come out of General Motors‘ EV Day event earlier this month was the announcement of the Cadillac Celestiq electric sedan. The high priced flagship will help Cadillac compete with Jaguar, Porsche and other luxury brands breaking into the EV space and will serve as a spiritual successor to the ultra-luxurious sedans that once made Cadillac the epitome of automotive excess.
Select members of the media were shown the Celestiq sedan during EV Day. No cameras or phones were allowed in the event, however, so we’ll have to wait until its official debut to see what Cadillac is cooking up. That said, our sister site, Cadillac Society, recently spoke with a source that attended the event, who dropped some additional details on the Celestiq.
Cadillac Escala Concept
Exterior
The Cadillac Celestiq will be heavily inspired by the Cadillac Escala concept. Cadillac Society’s source described it as being “enormous,” in regards to its exterior dimensions, with a long wheelbase and wide front and rear tracks. The roof tapers off into fastback shape, helping to give the car an elegant, sleek profile. It goes without saying such a vehicle would have a huge amount of road presence.
“If you thought the CT6 was big, think even bigger,” the source said of the battery-electric sedan.
In addition to pulling inspiration from the Cadillac Escala, the Celestiq also appears to have been inspired by the Audi A7 and Jaguar XJ – two other well-received four-doors with fastback silhouettes. The C-pillar is also described as being very large, potentially the biggest in Cadillac’s history. The concept that was shown to media was painted white and feature 23-inch wheels that were pushed out to the very corners of the platform.
“This car needs to be seen to be appreciated,” the source also said. “Just could not take our eyes off it.”
The front end is very similar to the unnamed Cadillac EV concept that debuted in Detroit early last year (which previewed the Cadillac Lyriq EV crossover), featuring an identical grille and similar horizontal and vertical lighting elements. It will also feature illuminated Cadillac emblems, which Cadillac showed off in a video released a couple of weeks ago. It’s worth pointing out that the Celestiq was actually designed before the Lyriq, even though the Lyriq will arrive well before the sedan.
As for the rear fascia, it’s made up of a pair of L-shaped taillamps, with the upper portion of the ‘L’ wrapping into the C-pillar for the turn signals. The lower portion of the lights, meanwhile, wrap into the rear bumper, where the brake lights are house. The source said that by comparison, the “new Escalade’s vertical lights look like Walmart toys.”
Furthermore, the Cadillac Celestiq will not come with traditional door handles, instead featuring some kind of electronically actuated handles, nor will it have side mirrors. The roof on the concept shown to media was all glass, lending the sleek look and giving it even more presence.
Interior
GM was a little more secretive about the vehicle’s cabin. The interior was not visible to attendees from the waistline up, but it did show off some digital renderings of it. The renderings showed what appeared to be a 2+2 seating arrangement along with real wood trim and high-quality leather upholstery. A widescreen display will occupy most of the dash, stretching from pillar to pillar and serving as both the driver information center and infotainment display. Our source said “the large OLED screen in the 2021 Escalade would be jealous,” of the Celestiq’s impressive central screen.
Cadillac Escala Concept interior
Back seat passengers will also get their own displays. with a small touch screen positioned between the front seats and additional entertainment screens fastened to the backs of the driver and front passenger seats.
Production And Pricing Details
It’s currently not clear when the Cadillac Celestiq will make its debut, nor when it will arrive at Cadillac dealers. We know it will launch before 2025, however, and that it will launch after the Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover, which is expected to arrive in 2022. As we reported in the past, the fully electric four-door will be mostly hand-built (apart from the battery packs and underlying BEV3 platform) and will cost around $200,000. GM President Mark Reuss said the car would be built “very locally,” during the EV Day event in Detroit – suggesting it will be produced in American and perhaps in one of its Michigan plants.
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This story was written in collaboration with our sister site, Cadillac Society.
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