With the recent reveal of the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq, GM has positioned itself to move the Cadillac brand drastically upmarket. To this end, GM needs to understand its competition, and has now been spotted benchmarking a Rolls-Royce Ghost.
GM Authority‘s photographers captured a Rolls-Royce Ghost – an ultra-luxurious sedan from the BMW-owned luxury brand of British origin – in the hands of GM’s competitive benchmarking team in the vicinity of the GM Milford Proving Ground.
Take note of the number “5” on the upper-passenger side of the front and rear windshields. These numbers are common on GM’s benchmarking fleet of vehicles.
The Rolls-Royce Ghost is an ultra-luxury sedan that serves as the brands “entry level” model. Measuring in at 218 inches in total length, this model is certainly on the bigger end of the full-size luxury sedan spectrum.
Highlights include a buttery-smooth 6.7L V12 engine, which produces 592 horsepower, all-wheel steering and a 50/50 weight distribution. On the inside, the Rolls boasts an opulent interior with high quality everything.
Currently, GM does not offer a direct competitor to the Rolls-Royce Ghost, but will launch the all-electric 2024 Cadillac Celestiq in the near future. These two models, despite the difference in powertrain, will be very comparable to one another, as the Cadillac will start at around the $300,000 mark, while the Rolls currently starts around $350,000. Both models will have very high ceilings when it comes to luxury, opulence, features and customization.
As a reminder, the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq represents Cadillac’s return to the Standard of the World positioning. To this end, the Celestiq will be hand-built in limited quantities to provide customers the ultimate in customization and specifications.
The 2024 Cadillac Celestiq will feature GM Ultium battery technology and GM Ultium drive motor technology for motivation, with powertrain output coming in at 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. Utilizing a two-motor AWD system, the Celetsiq will be able to achieve a 0-60 sprint of 3.8 seconds.
The Cadillac Celestiq will ride on GM’s BEV3 platform, and be assembled by hand at the GM Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Production is expected to begin in December 2023. Availability will be by waitlist only.
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Comments
Wow that Cadillac is ugly! That back slopping window looks like an Audi or Toyota from the 80’s. Terrible!
Rolls-Royce have the aesthetic appeal of a street paver.
Says someone who will never be able to afford one.
Just because a person can’t afford something doesn’t mean they don’t have an eye for good taste. Once upon a time Diana Ross didn’t have sh*t, but she always had an eye for good garment fashion. That Cadillac is acne butt ugly in the back and is reminiscent of a 1978 humpback Seville. And unlike Rolls Royce,
Cadillac has a reputation for making utter junk that looks nice.
There is no sense, RR Ghost is ICE and never goes Electric how all GM USA does
This Rolls Royce from BMW has many imperfections, design errors, lacks details… so no worthy
Based on your unrealistic comment in your last sentence, what do you think about the Flying Spur then?
sincere the Flying Spur has many design errors too, do not like
can cite some :
1. confusing grille, end shape does not match with lights, sad face
2. lacks windshield chrome frame like side windows-
3. wrong position of outer mirror on door instead at A pillar corner, A pillar cut wrong
Interesting
Sounds like an excuse for executives to cruise on the weekends.
The RR sets the benchmark in ultra luxury in rarified air that is a very stately looking car. This is the vehicle to evaluate over Bentley.
RR is still a well built car but it is no where near what it once was for better or worse.
The bodies are built in Germany shipped to England to be finished by hand.
The Engines are just BMW.
GM I expect is learning what features it has and the level of interior quality where RR is still a RR.
As for styling subjective but I find RR a bit stodgy.
Bentley is pure VW and not as much hand built as it once was. But they are advanced in the engines and suspension.
Their styling with the coupe was a home run but it is aging.
Both cars soon will move to EV.
I expect GM to offer this Cadillac only a couple years and they will slap a new hand crafted body on this chassis. Could be a coupe or even a sedan convert due to the stiff chassis it has.
This is a halo car and not a profit center so they can use it to show case new tech. They will keep the styling fresh too.
Imagine a large sedan convertible. Something we have not seen since the 60’s.
Nice.
My Goodness. That Cadillac is U G L Y. With GMs reputation I don’t understand how this is going to work . “Well, hmph, we’re rich enough to make $300,000 cars, too.” It doesn’t work that way, GM.
It’s damn sho ugly.
No caddy will ever compare to a Rolls Royce. Ever.
Sounds a little like those who only 15 years ago were saying that Kia and Hyundai would never compete with the American or Japanese brands.
I’m not a huge fan of the Korean brands, but I’m just making a point. So Greg, never say never.
@ Dan B, we are mainly saying that because the Celestiq misses the mark by a long shot in the rear. It’s UGLY! It’s also reminiscent of a 1978 Seville, which was also hideous. The car looks like it can’t decide whether it wants to be a car or a station wagon. And Cadillac’s reputation is horrific.
No one else is explaining the negative comments on here about the Celestiq. I think I did a pretty good job. And they are justifiable comments..
It really is unfortunate that they will sell every one they make. Everyone on the road who sees one of these things is going to immediately pass out from its ugliness. I don’t understand how anyone could buy this thing, but someone inevitably will.
I don’t agree. So already it’s not “everyone”.
If I had $300k+ to spend on a car I would definitely order a Celestiq. I think its unconventional styling is stunning.
I really hope they truly understand what makes a Rolls Royce special. I imagine GM engineers continuing to struggle through a “good enough” attitude where they say “no one’s ever gonna look there”.
Not true and not enough. They need to be looking at stitching, metal work, poking in every crevice to feel how Rolls Royce leaves nothing looking cheap. Then they need to understand the ride, the isolation, the smoothness that the Ghost has, and how the custom body structure is designed for that goal.
I really hope GM gets it.
@NewQ , Exactly! And why would anyone trust GM to know how to pay attention to and execute such detail based on the way they’ve acted over the last 45 years, by giving us such “winners” as the Catera, Allante, Cimarron, V-8-6-4 engines, the 1988 squished size Seville and others?
V4 there is no such thing. It’s an i4 moron.
LOL. Lancia built V4 engines for over 50 years.The original prototype Mustang had a 1600cc V4 from the German Ford Taunus.
I don’t know what Cadillac is smoking? The cars are technically great, but who’s buying a car with that ugly butt?
interesting when Christopher Bangle presented the E65 Bangle Butt, the complains were a lot… for me, not so bad, understood the design language…. now go see the BMWs from Adrian, Bangles* pupil, 20 years after and NOW is really bad, so this celestiq Caddy… well, too long maybe… the L lamp lens must having touch the roof, in opposite stop too low… and between it and D pillar must have been a triangle glass window, which is not there, so the visibility in rear is terrible,,, still see a French Citroen in this design… if you gonna ask, no if i would have 10 millions dollars at account cash… no will never buy, neither the celestiq, neither the Rolls Royce… sincere the design school in car industry recently is very low… continue seeing the 1980ies and 1990ies and the solutions were better, for Cadillac the exterior solutions of 1950ies and 1960ies were much more beautiful even fleetwood in 1980ies… or 1970ies… now really not … but gonna sell a lot with influencers of tweeter, instagram… those strange guys, rappers and so with money got obscure, you know how world is so strange today, funny really
Sorry but people here with their corny takes don’t know a sheet about car industry or how cars made. Todays RRs & Bentleys are glorified bmws and vws they use same chassises and vast majority of parts you can see same plastic buttons in vws bentley even in lambos. Go ahed just look at a bentley beytayga review forget about interrior just look at trunk it is made of same cheap mats black plastic and rubber you can find your passat. So enjoy your 400k junk. Then look at the Celestic its hatch frame just one sculptured alumnium alloy the same material your iphone made of , just two hundred times more matetial! and its trunk floor straight out of luxury yacths. If one of the Europeans had come up with this beast its certain that they will marketed it as a cream of the cream exclusive vehicle and put on sale no less that three million dollars. It’s just perfection a billionaire’s car adviser will know this for sure and it will sell out in a couple minutes. So don’t worry.
Your post is “so right on!”. I happen to think the Celestiq is beautiful, including the rear end. However, that being said, you cannot judge a cars design from photographs. You need to see the surfaces in person (even caressing them to appreciate the design. Like you said “don’t worry, the car will be (if it isn’t already) sold out in a couple of minutes”.
This is not a true statement, at least not regarding Rolls Royce.
All current Rolls Royce vehicles all use a bespoke platform exclusive to them.
There probably single digits of shared buttons and switches. Believe me, I looked. The trunk close/lock button looks the same, and the safety settings button looks the same. Possibly the rear seat controls on the center arm rest. Other than that, it’s all bespoke.
For those of us who are old we remember the 1967 Eldorado being benchmarked against the 1967 Rolls Royce in one of the car magazines (you remember magazines, don’t you?). It was like comparing apples to oranges. However, that being said the world is a whole lot different than the 1960’s. With social media and the internet, the Celestiq will come out a clear winner with the Kardashians, Drake and all the influencers of today’s world being shown on the latest Tic-Tok. Whatever that is LOL!
Well it is a given that this car will not fail. They plan to sell a very low volume of these so a sell out is assured. GM is being smart here and will not let this car fail
For sure they will sell out and then they will move on to the next things.
$300K and 400K are not the mega cars anymore. It is the Ultra supercars that are selling for a million. These are middle class rich.
There will be tons of opinions here and a lot of info and tech tossed around and show cased. That is all this car is meant to do.
I am not a fan yet of the styling but I would suggest as with many models today wait till you see it in person. Many cars today just do not photo well as the shapes are much more complex in person. Will that translate here? Not sure but at least it will be a much better informed opinion.
At lease Cadillac did not do the Maybach mistake where they just tried to sell what they had with a bigger price and new badges.
This car reminds me much of the Exner cars of the 50’s. Low volume show cars you can buy with controversial styling and now advanced tech.
If you go ulttra lux and exclusive your styling must be uniq and exculisve also, there is a reason megastars don’t look or dress like regular people. These car aimed for the people want to show their styling but average joes, comment section dwellers of gma beaching about unusual design and want an unremarkable conservative sedan design as if it is a Camry rival. Just look at that RR photos how forgettable and boring it looks you can’t even tell from certain distance if it’s a Mercedes or not. Wake up from your dream Joe this is a very exculusive, 500 unit handmade statement halo car, it’s not for yall.
The Celestiq will be warmly embraced by Hollywood.
As Hollywood got so strange, … see the films poor quality they do today,,, sure celestiq and BMW RR sells a lot there … Agree with Gary Selke above, we are from another Era… an older school in everything… For me cars must have bumpers in chrome, windshield frame in chrome, etc. but for you, in your strange shapes of today … not… so really got my 35345454 dislikes about my RR Ghost post, but for me exterior Rolls Royce is still 1953 RR Silver Wraith … interior not, because hate the use of wood… maybe still prefer the exterior Crewe RR Silver Seraph of 1998 if all lamps lens are white,,,, asexterior is better than this ghost… celestiq is EV, so do not understand the complicate plastic front— but as said got already old,,, more than 50 is out of the trend for those new generations who dislikes me, truth
Aren’t they a little late for benchmarking a car against the Celestiq? What changes can they make at this point?
I sure hope if Cadillac makes a mass production EV sedan, it doesn’t have this low a roof. People may not want to fold up so much after a decade or two in S/CUVs.
Who said it was for the Celestiq?
well, of course is not to compare with celestiq… but GM said to be only EV… so taken an old technology Rolls Royce in combustion motor, does not seem updated enough to have all EV. For this point do not see a sense in GM action buying a 500 000 car for that… analysing what ? maybe the quality of interior… then, not motors … if they have been changing body of RR Spectre EV each other … like BMW does in Munich with Daimler a lot, then would make me more sense the investigation
The Rolls looks better tbh