Cadillac is once again in the midst of self-reinvention, this time with aspirations to serve the ultra-high-luxury segment. Naturally, the all-electric Celestiq sedan is a critical component of that strategy, offering extreme levels of customization and a good deal of exclusivity, with pricing starting at $340,000. However, the luxury marque aims to continue to elevate the brand with further bespoke opportunities and experiences for customers.
According to a recent report from Automotive News, Cadillac aims to balance bespoke ultraluxury vehicles like the Celestiq with elements applicable to more affordable models, enhancing the brand’s portfolio in a more general sense. This strategy includes sharing design cues across different models, providing a consistent and aspirational brand image via lighting signatures and fascia designs.
Howard Drake, a Cadillac dealer based in Los Angeles who previously offered customized Escalade models, mentions that the idea of factory customization has a certain appeal, and that adopting this strategy to other vehicles could see some benefits.
But Cadillac’s efforts to reestablish itself as a premier luxury brand involves more than vehicle designs, placing an emphasis on personalized customer experiences and global market expansion as well. At the heart of these efforts is the Celestiq, which aims to rival vehicles from high-end automakers like Rolls-Royce. Every unit of the Celestiq is assembled by hand at the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, located at the GM Global Technical Center, where customers are provided a customization experience, working alongside a concierge to select their preferred materials and finishes. Check out our previous coverage for a tour of the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt.
According to a company spokesperson, the first “saleable” Celestiq units are now in production, while the vast majority are still in the initial customization phase. Deliveries are expected to begin by the end of the year. It’s also worth noting that the brand has unveiled the new Sollei concept, a convertible version of the Celestiq that gives a nod to the company’s heritage while envisioning the brand’s future.
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Comments
Nice. Would love to see bespoke wheels on a ct5!
Glad to see the effort by Cadillac. But it will be a long hard uphill climb to ultra luxury status. Rolls and Bentley have swum the waters for many years and are on top of the mountain.
My son has a Bentley Flying Spur. It is a truly beautiful luxurious vehicle. The ride is super quiet, smooth, and solid. The performance is surprising. The customization process for the customer has been honed over time like fine clock.
Wish Cadillac the best. They have many failures to live down.
I think the main goal of the Celestiq and Sollei is to serve as a halo car to elevate the brand. I don’t think it is intended to garner the numbers of Rolls-Royce and Bentley but rather serve to raise the prestige of the brand when combined with nicer refreshed products like their latest EVs and redesigned Escalade. It worked wonders for Kia with the K900 and Hyundai with the Genesis (until they spun it off). I think they can pull it off. The right captain leading the ship and right mate at the helm will get her through storms unscathed.
Congrats on your son. You must be one proud dad. 🙂
Yeah, I got turned off by the salesman at the Elite Presentation.. He said the Sollei/Cellestiq, etc. is/are the first truly luxury EV. Have they even built one for sale yet?
I note that Jay Leno said that the reason he BOUGHT a $500,000 Rolls Spectre EV was that it was the quietest car imaginable and it was tastefully designed. The car also has camera to look out for bumpy roads and compensate on a wheel by wheel basis, to INDEPENDENTLY smooth them out. Cadillac has a much inferior system, but in any event PLAINLY is not the first.
Cadillacs (including my LYRIQ) are much too tacky by comparison.
Would love to see the business case, including ROI and payback period for Cadillac’s bespoke vehicles.
Interesting. The Sollei has made me un-hate the Celestiq.
IMO this vehicle is just plain ugly for lack of a better term… and to think that folks are expected to stand in line to spend double the amount of a traditional Lux Sedan seems like a pipe dream to me…. time will tell, but without stunning good looks, this vehicle is doomed to failure just as other Cadillac attempts in the past… too bad they didn’t go with a more traditional rear quarter…
People are buying the Cybertruck. And that thing ks far from pretty looking.
Good to see them getting into high-end custom vehicles. Rolls and Bentley do it with some very one-of-one creations going for as high as $30 million.
I think Cadillac has got it going on AGAIN. And I wish, hope and pray that they once again are the “Standard of The World.” I am quite certain they will. Read the bio’s of their Executive Team. Especially Mary Bara. In my opinion, these are well thought out and well designed vehicles. The Celestiq and now the Solleii. And my comments come from the Grandson (that’s me) whose Grandfather’s Text Tile Mills made the headliner material for the entire 1953 Line of Cadillac. Gee. I wonder where I get my love for Cadillacs. The only vehicle he would buy.