Cadillac Celestiq Had A Concept That No One Outside GM Saw
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The Cadillac Celestiq is a major new product, not only for Cadillac, but for General Motors as well. Breaking cover in production-spec form back in 2022 as the luxury marque’s all-new, all-electric, ultra-high-luxury sedan, the Celestiq represents not only a new design direction, but an entirely new type of vehicle for Cadillac. With all that in mind, it may come as a surprise that the Celestiq was not initially shown to the public as a concept – at least not really. As it turns out, there actually was a Celestiq concept, but no one outside of GM saw it.
First and foremost, we should at least mention the Cadillac Celestiq Show Car, which was unveiled in July of 2022, several months before the October 2022 debut of the production-spec Celestiq. While some could argue that the Celestiq Show Car was a concept, a comparison between the Show Car and the production-spec vehicle shows both vehicles are essentially identical.
Indeed, concept vehicles are initially shown to gauge customer perception and reaction, and that never really happened for the Celestiq. However, according to GM design chief Michael Simcoe, the Celestiq did actually have an initial concept precede it, but it was only shown internally at GM.
During a recent interview conducted during the reveal event for the Cadillac Sollei convertible concept at the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, Simcoe told GM Authority Executive Editor Alex Luft that a Celestiq concept was revealed to company employees ahead of the production vehicle. Apparently, feedback from within the company was positive, and the production intent model was shown to the public afterwards.
With a starting price around $340,000, the Celestiq is an exclusive offering for well-heeled buyers, offering an extreme level of customization. Under the skin, the Celestiq rides on the GM BEV3 platform, with a 111 kWh GM Ultium Battery pack onboard for power and two GM Ultium Drive motors for motivation. Each unit of the Celestiq is hand-built at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan.
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Whatever the concept, the end result is hideous. I saw my first Lyriq this week and thought exactly the same thing about that one too.
Is this car exceptional? NO. Is it worth 340 000? NO.
Ugly Exterior Design, LYRIQ Range and Performance Level, Escalade IQ interior with better materials quality.
Well, I’m not wild about the Celestiq, but the Sollei concept vehicle seems to have generated more interest…. The Sollei looks fine from the front – other than those (24″) wagon wheels seem out of proportion to the rest of the car, besides looking rather silly.
The Sollei at least looks better than the GMA try at design…. Looks to me like GMA’s try was 2 different cars glued together, and specifically, the rear is horrible. But GM’s Sollei at least has a passable rear end.
But yeah, you mentioned the ‘pedestrian’ drive train and therefore, this car and the ‘concept’ will be obsolete before they make even a few hundred.
The kicker here is that someone could make a pretty much equivalent EV for under $100,000. $340,000 to start is just too rich for what you get.
The Celesque is impressive by its sheer size , but still don’t understand why Cadillac didn’t use their many excellent show cars of recent times !
The silver one in the left foreground has some appeal.
The single stage paint red one- NOO .
The Convertible version of this car is just beautiful!
I want to love this car , but finding it very difficult
And she is to expensive a date , to throw a car cover , and drive .
You will not see the worth because it was not made for people like you.
That’s just silly. If it had been made for people like me I’d buy one.
As it is. I’ll do what I always do and vote with my feet.
Should have stayed in concept form. Looks like a 2024 Citation.
This and the Hummer EV are 2 of the WORST “status symbols” I can remember. Ugh.
Surprising that Cadillac would invest so deeply in the production of an ultra-high priced halo car without first gauging public perception and interest. Did they learn nothing from the Escalade experience? From the accounts I have heard, the public practically begged Cadillac to bring that concept to production. Doing so was Cadillac’s single best product choice of the past quarter century, and certainly the most profitable product from the division this century.
This is what happens when you get too insulated. Marketing and product management 101
I do not think the Celestiq was made to appeal to the average American. Cadillac’s target is for high earners, who generally have more lavish tastes than the average earning person. In fact, there are only approximately 5 percent of households with incomes greater than $250,000. Actually, the more average earners are turned off to an item, the more value it holds for those who can afford it.
Yes , and why so successful? Big, opulent, distinctive ( especially later models, excellent work on rear taillights) , and a NAME!
It’s not the Cadillac CT – 10 !
it is time GM review all Chevrolet and Cadillac models… they are ugly, so it needs new designers doing but the one who know the job, not those arrogant pretend doing something, or take some good AIs and do the models
The chevys aren’t half bad, but they’re also targeting a very specific demographic (busy, aggressive styling) my real concern is the Buick/caddilac styling.
Sell me the Cadillac brand so I can save it.
I keep trying to like this car but still ick. As a 2019 Camaro owners (and how they botched that up from the 2010-11) seeing Ford and Dodge invest in ICE and hybrid models while GM invests in these absolutely bland, unimaginative , me too cars is disgusting. This smells like someone’s pet project that somehow got exec buy in. (I have worked for too many multinationals and seen this happen)
I would have rather see Caddy go for a hybrid giant luxury sedan with classic Caddy 50’s – 60’s styling then this thing.
There is no way on earth I would spend $350K+ for this when if I wanted a luxo modern cruiser I would go for a Bentley, Rolls, Maybach.
The first thing that comes to mind is the Allante. Yes Pininfarina design, Maserati underpinnings, horrible design, and absolutely disgusting build quality. Just because you charge some stupid amount for this car, doesn’t mean it automatically is worthy of the class. You have to earn that.
They figured it out with the Corvette. Not much mind share I guess.
my 2 cents
SteveOrange,
The Allante’ didn’t have Maserati underpinnings. Maybe you’re thinking of the Chrysler TC by Maserati but even that didn’t have the underpinnings of a Maser. The Allante’ used a shortened GM E-Body that also underpinned the FWD Eldorado, Toronado, Riviera, and Seville. These overly downsized products used a transverse mounted engine and were colossal failures for GM. Sales declined on the order of 60 percent when they arrived in 1986. For the Allante’, they had Pininfarina build the bodies in Italy. Then they were shipped via specially outfitted Alitalia 747 jets to Detroit where the body was “married” to a E-Body platform that’d been built at the Hamtramck plant. It was a pretty neat process but that FWD platform was unfortunately not deemed by consumers to be worthy of a $60,000 price tag.
Correct. I worked on them at the dealership.
Our dealer prinicpal had an early and a late model.
The Allante was also powered initially by the HT series based 4.5L pushrod engine and a 1993 with the 4.6L “Premium V” Northstar DOHC engine.
The convertible top and door latches were Mercedes products.
Perhaps he got confused by the Pininfarina part since they designed the Cadillac Allante. They are also responsible for designing vehicles by Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and many more.
The Cadillac Celestiq looks like a modern version of a Jensen Interceptor.
I thought the concept was the 6000 SUX used in Robocop?
That explains a lot. I remember when the Celestiq was shown to journalists at an EV event but they weren’t allowed to photograph it. All the reporters mentioned that it was there but no one said much about it. The few that did seemed to not know what to make of it describing it as odd and puzzling. I couldn’t believe that – as all Cadillac concepts had been stunning and hardily praised by the press. Surely, I thought, there was a story there. Why are they not describing in detail the beauty of another Cadillac prototype I thought. I had to wait until its public reveal to understand. It was ugly and massive and odd and apparently no one wanted to be the first to say that. To now learn that there were no clinics for the car, explains why GM preceded with it. Apparently like the Aztek, the people at GM thought they’d done well.
I find it interesting that although Roth told us production began in January, no Celestiqs appear to have been built. GM’s production tallies for the first and second quarter don’t even mention the car and no proud celebrity has shown one off yet. Given that GM planned 400 per year, there should already be 200 in existence but there has been no reporting of actual deliveries. The kind of people Celestiq is marketed to usually like to brag so like the car itself, it’s puzzling.
It has the same presence as one of those way out Customs from the early 50’s.
A 340,000.00+ bespoke Cadillac hatchback? A HATCHBACK!! No thanks. There isn’t enough eye bleach anywhere that could make me think this monstrosity is attractive. Not in the market for anything at this rarefied price level, but even if I were, this would be a firm “no, just no”.
I have been saying the sane thing .A HATCHBACK on a super car ?
So it’s soccer mom , meets Beverly Hills Hotel!
Hedging with ” Midwestern Sensibilities “.
They are so obsessed by the Crossover Craze ( artificially pumped & ready to crash , by mini van type reducule ) , they Just had to add that glass bee stinger .
The mere release of this sad automobile needs to goooooo ! .
The Convertible version , they are so resistant to release ( Hey GM live liitle) , is a beautiful car .
But they don’t sell beauty anymore.
Word is that they have yet to “commission” more than 10 units.
And somehow it is a treat to be able to go to shit-hole Warren to design it? People with that kind of money aren’t going to Warren. WTF were they thinking?
Oh, I know. Typical Mark Reuss God Complex. Stick to pickup trucks
Cadillac has lost its way along with Chevy and Buick. The styling is horrible across the whole of GM. It’s hard to understand why ?…like the Cadillac racing stuff is crazy…who buys a racing Cadillac? GM is dying and desperately needs new leadership. Goodbye my old friend.
So far retail sales of the Ugly Hearse Mobile, zero. Meanwhile, sales of Rolls Royce Spectre, approximately 579 units.
“…Celestiq concept was revealed to company employees ahead of the production vehicle. Apparently, feedback from within the company was positive, and the production intent model was shown to the public afterwards.”
lol. Nice to know not much has changed. I went to dozens of design reviews at Design Staff and the infamous “GM Nod” was almost always in full effect out on the DS patio. Basically everyone stands around and nods their heads in approval because they knew if they said something negative they’d instantly be viewed as “not a team player”. End of career advancement. That was particularly true if the program was some senior exec’s pet project.
If you were fortunate enough to have a heavy hitter boss who liked you and covered your backside you could tell them what you thought and get away with it (mostly). Otherwise most people had the “go along to get along” philosophy.
The Celestiq is so ugly it makes the Sixteen look good. No easy feat.