Cadillac has a long, rich history of designing jaw-dropping concept cars, some of which carry over into production models with few changes. Although it never became a production car, the Cadillac Escala Concept that bowed in 2016 was something of an introduction to a new design language that went on to influence the CT4 and CT5, along with the second-generation CT6. The Escala was supposed to be a preview of a flagship sedan called the CT8, but GM ended up canceling it to focus its resources on EVs.
Rather than reaching its destiny as the CT8, the Escala morphed into what would become the Cadillac Celestiq. Although related, the Celestiq adopts a different design philosophy. We first met the Celestiq in 2022, and couldn’t help but notice how similar its front end and lighting signatures are to those of the Lyriq, though its body clearly has an interesting fastback shape that makes it not quite like any other sedan.
Cadillac Escala concept
Cadillac Celestiq
Although the designs of the Escala and Celestiq might not seem to have much in common at first glance, they get a little more similar the closer you look at them. For starters, they share the general fastback sedan shape, complete with four doors and a sloping roofline. This form factor was edgier when the Cadillac Escala debuted in 2016, but it has since become more common in the luxury car world with the lies of the Porsche Panamera, Audi A7, and Mercedes-AMG GT Sedan, to name a few.
In any event, both the Escala and Celestiq have long hoods and a trapezoidal front grille that’s become typical of Cadillac (yes, we know it’s not a real grille on the EV). Both also share some design details in their front light signatures with horizontal and vertical straight lines tilted at similar angles.
Moving to the side profile, a couple of design cues shared by both cars include flush door handles and a straight, horizontal line on the rear quarter panel as part of the rear light signature. The daylight openings (DLOs) are a bit different, moving at different angles at the C-pillar, with the one on the Escala clearly inspiring the sometimes controversial treatment on the production CT5.
The rear ends is probably where these two Cadillac models have the least in common. The rear is a little more traditional on the Escala and not so different from the back of the production CT5, albeit with more dramatic taillights. Meanwhile, the shape and light signature of the back of the Celestiq deviates significantly from the rear of the Escala.
Comments
I didn’t even have to read anything more than the title.
100% the Escala over the Celetiq. But for now I’m just happy that Cadillac and GM are still making sedans. At least I think that’s what you would call the Celestiq.
GM’s boneheaded decision to replace this beautiful and elegant Twin Turbo V8 Hybrid with a heinous behemoth EV hearse is a sign of horrible leadership and severe misunderstanding of the Luxury segment. Whoever is responsible for that choice should be FIRED
Don’t know the quantity of participants at 81 vs 19% says all you need to know about GMs missed opportunities with Cadillac.
This should be interesting.
Here’s my take. Of course I vote for the Escala.
I thought the Ciel was interesting. Although not practical it was an interesting take on a potential future styling direction. Then I felt the Elmiraj was stunning; on an even higher level of design expertise. When it was first shown, I stared at the photos for hours. I truly love how GM took the historical Cadillac design elements and reinterpreted them for a new age. Although it was thoroughly new, I thought the Elmiraj was instantly recognizable as a Cadillac, and only a Cadillac. Truly a tour-de-force. With the Escala, there were elements I didn’t love (the kink in the sixth side window) but it too was a stunning design that wore its Cadillac DNA proudly and self-assuredly. It was another great design. Then came the Celestiq and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was horrible. How could the same folks that’d proven their ability to create such beautiful modern Cadillacs have foisted upon us such a monstrosity. There is little that is redeemable about the Celestiq. The front is perhaps okay but it’s a bunch of shiny light-up plastic not befitting a luxury car. The rest of it is just shockingly bad.
I think the reason I am so interested in its production saga is that I still find it hard to believe that anyone would buy it and pay north of $340,000 for it. I had a friend who bought an Aztek back in the day but he told me the reason he bought was “it’s so da** ugly that Pontiac practically gave it to me”. I don’t think GM is going to massively discount a Celestiq so as to practically give them away so I wonder why GM isn’t building any yet. They’d said they would build 400 a year and production started in January. They’d also said production was sold out for two years which presumably means that, if true, they had 800 orders at one time. Why aren’t they fulfilling all those orders and making all those customers happy? Now they say none have been built. Then, why is there no one on social media talking about getting one or going to the Tech Center to make their selections? Whatever happened to Lenny Kravitz? I don’t know but suffice it to say, I think the Escala would be faring much better.
Sollei over both of them! Bring back the big Caddy convertible.
How about Sollei with the Escala face? As noted above, the shiny black blingy nightclub look does not speak the language of classy luxury that Cadillac needs to convey.
I would Love for Cadillac to get another Large Flagship Executive Sedan to compete with the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Cadillac definitely needs to fill in this vehicle segment again and needs another Full-Size Executive Flagship Sedan in their lineup. I Loved the CT6 and XTS and it was a huge mistake to discontinue both of those models. Buick should also get another Full-Size Flagship Sedan where the LaCrosse left off and that too shouldn’t have ever been discontinued either. The Buick Flagship Sedan could compete with the Genesis G90 and Lexus LS460 and Volvo S90. Bring back the Park Avenue name and use it for a New Full-Size Executive Flagship Sedan. A Large Coupe and Convertible would be Great for Cadillac and Buick as well.
Peter: Agreed. I find it quite interesting that Cadillac wants to go directly against MB and BMW. Yes Cadillac now barely offers two sedans, no 2 doors and no convertibles. Yet walk into the MB and BMW stores and not only do you find the plethra of SUV’s, but you also find many cars as well. This is also the problem with Buick as they are sitting on the same lots (mostly) as the GMC’s who sell nothing but trucks and SUV’s. And there’s Buick trying to push their 3 1/2 SUV’s amidst all the GMC’s. Buick desperately needs sedans.
Elmiraj.
Still has poise and a presence that few car today lack.
As a proud owner of a 2021 CT4-V I like the look of the escala. It looks similar to the CT6. Would like to know what they plan to put under the hood.
Other then that I will never understand this whole EV craze, cus almost every1 on the cadillac forums is complaining about something being wrong with their POS EV!
The Escala is by far more elegant looks luxurious the Celestiq looks like a station wagon very nice but it does not looks luxury or make an statement as a RR, Bentley or MB S class the Solein or Elmiraj.
The Escala with the rear lights of the Celestiq will be a killer car but not that green house roof line just looks like an hatchback budget car
ìI hate to attack the Celesque..I so wanted to love the car , keep trying.
The worse thing about it , is the hatchback -station wagon hedge , as so obsessed is GM with the dam Crossovers.
I know people who literally loath Crossovers now , because of them being forced on everyone, and I assure you that wave will crest.
The Esacala is Cadillac & beautiful.
My only criticism are the horizontal appendages on the rear lights .
Cadillac should have the iconic vertical ” fins ” uninterrupted & should be not DISCREET, but a bold signature across the fenders.
I think the Celesque is headed for disaster.
Nobody is interested it seems, and by rolling out the GORGEOUS Convertible version. in Manila Cream, they know it.
That’s a CADILLAC!
Funnily enough, the E63 wagon was MB’s wealthiest buyer demographic. Maybe GM knows some things you don’t?
Celestiq isn’t a car to appeal to the same keyboard warriors that think the Cybertruck is ugly. It’s for 400 people/yr that have their own taste.
It’s a great production. Still, they should add another model or two in the same tier, but that should be done over about 10 years.
I am sure those Mercedes E63 buyers have more than one car !
Cadillac offers very few .
The Vanderbilt 400 no longer exists, and 400 buyers for the Celesque in its present form , apparently either …..or even many more looks on YouTube: Tik Tok, and other social media platforms.
The car is a dud .
Any keyboard warrior ls thinking otherwise should put the spear down .
The hatchback is what’s ruining it.
GM just so obsessed by Crossover push , just had to hedge.
Anyone at that price point doesn’t want a grocery hauler car .
I am not Sophie and I refuse to choose.
Escala and it’s not even close!
Both are cool, but I find the Celestiq to be the winner. Its styling explores new territory, while the Escala offers little that would break from what has been seen up to now. The picture of its rear end resembles the rear end of a station wagon. And with the side views, the Celestiq looks wickedly sporty while the Escala really doesn’t have a strong, definitive look.
Easy … celestiq interior/ escala exterior with Escalade powered engines and possibly a 2.0t hybrid for base engine.
Not surprised by results. Actually love the Escala. But you can’t compare a green Celestiq to a classic black Escala without skewing the results a little.
The Scala will keep the Cadillac glory alive
For what it is, a unique very top of the line vehicle, I like Celestiq.
For a model a bit more mainstream like a CT6 or an S, I like the Escala.
You can look in the comments and see the why. It’s just not for everyone, and you can’t waste your time trying to convince the unwashed masses that “no, the car is beautiful, they just need better taste!”
Celestiq is conceptually a tastemaker’s car. Escala is much more anonymous. Their best take IMO though was Ciel.
Both are pretty dated and cartoonish.
Cadillac Sixteen.
They should have done the Escala front end, sixteen or even the Ciel. The fact that they are building this to be a 300k+ car but it has the exact front end as every other new Cadillac that is coming out is a miss. Especially where it is electric and doesn’t need the monster grills they could have made something unique and not just copied the Lyriq.
The Escala with a V8, RWD, and a formal roofline. Get rid of the 1978 Cutlass/Century roofline. It didn’t work then and doesn’t now.
There is not a bad line on the Escala, it is a beautiful car. The Celestiq on the other hand looks like a 70’s American Motors Marlin…U-G-L-Y
Maybe if the pictures had all been of black cars the voting would have been different. Showing the Celestiq in a near neon green was “challenging” at best. Both models are handsome sedans but I preferred the Celestiq as it looked more futuristic. But then I loved Citroens in the 60’s and 70’s which were ahead of their time and too futuristic for most.
So much hate for the celestiq. I have seen the few videos online it. Has anyone here seen them? The ability to customize it anyway you want. The construction and materials used? It’s very unique. When you open the hatch it a milled billet of aluminum that surrounds the opening of the hatch. The glass roof is a one of a kind. The only one of its kind made by one company. The dash display and interior. I love it. The back end styling is controversial. I’ll have to research the claim that none have been built and our recording artist guy has backed out of getting one. That being said the escala like the lyriq is to me the most beautiful vehicles on the market. And the sixteen, ciel are also stunning vehicles.
John,
I made mention of Lenny Kravitz but I didn’t say he’d backed out of buying a Celestiq. I wonder what happened to him but I don’t know. I have no idea. GM was using him to promote the car early on and implied he would be one of the first owners but that was a couple of years ago. I wonder why Cadillac never built a car for him, or apparently for anyone. They are, after all, supposedly hand built.
That raises another question which is why GM claimed production started in January and then said it didn’t. They even invited C&D to the Tech Center to do a story with photos of cars supposedly being built. Now they say production will start later this year but as I understood the concept, there shouldn’t really be any “production”. Instead they’ll build to order and maybe hand-make 20 one month and 14 the next; whatever they have orders for but no more than 400 annually.
When GM retracted the statement about production beginning in January, they said Celestiq was on hold because the EV pickup production was getting priority but those aren’t selling. GM was planning 400,000 of those per year and instead is building about 5,000 so far. Given that reality, why would they actually need to prioritize EV pickup production and withhold the Celestiq?
The cynic in me says they’re not building Celestiqs because they don’t actually have the 800 orders they claimed to have two years ago which takes us back to the original question of which is better looking; Escala or Celestiq. I say the Escala and I really think if they were hand-building the lovely Escala at the Tech Center with the 4.2 L Blackwing, GM would be very busy instead of being so cagey about what’s going on.
It’s to bad , one cannot customize the ugly, and absurd hatchback on the Celesque, , by having it turned into a proper sedan !
That bulging year is hideous..
I vote for neither….. They are both okay if the price is around $70,000 – $80,000 but at the price they’d be asking I think they’re both terrible really…
That’s why GMA goes GAGA over the Sollei, its an ‘okay’ car but really, if all the manufacturers didn’t downsize all their vehicles there would be plenty of reasonably priced fairly decent cars with reasonable value, unlike what is presented here.
I actually like Celestiiq. But then I’m the kind of guy who drives a (pre-facelift) Porsche Panamera and loves it for its whale-shaped butt.
Ed Welburn headed many gorgeous concept cars. It’s a no-brainer to productionize every one of them. Instead they give us awkward and ugly designs.
Should the Escala and the CELESTIQ show car be compared instead of the production version of the CELESTIQ?
Was the Escala supposed to be bespoke if put in production as CT8 or was it supposed to be compared to the S Class and 7 Series? I thought the CT7 would had been a proper competitor to the S Class and 7 Series if produced instead. Anyhow, Escala would had been an easier pick if production approved but we have CELESTIQ currently in production so no contest and no pick.
Escala, Escala, Escala. Surprised there aren’t more commenters. Escala.
Mr. Luft- how about poll results in a week or so?
The Escala was my pick I thought for sure from the feedback they would build it
The Escala was nice. But it looked like just about any full sized luxury sedan. But yeah, would compete in that segment quite well.
The Celestiq, though polarizing, doesn’t look like anything else. It looks appropriate for an uktra luxury bespoke car.
escala is the nicest design GM never made which was a grave mistake. i have the diecast of it and its absolutely lovely. i’ll honestly dump 200k into a real one because it speaks to me.
ESCALA WITH A BIG V8 AND PRICED LIKE A CT6. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY AN EXTRA $20K TO GET THE ENGINE THAT SHOULD BE IN A CADILLAC IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHO IN HELL BUT AN IDIOT WOULD PAY $350,000 FOR A CADILLAC SEDAN.
The Celestiq wins this because it’s such an interesting and unique design that’s unlike anything else out there for a “halo” type car. The Escala is beautiful — I’ve seen it in person. The issue is it is that it’s nothing special — it looks like a Mercedes S-Class, a Genesis or any other luxury sedan. Much like how Corvette needed to get out of the “Boomer sports car” and make the change to “world-class sports car” Cadillac needed the Celestiq (and Solei) design language to depart from design that stays too similar to the language that’s been used in the past,
By reading all the other comments, I’m so glad it’s not just me. When they were showing the teaser on the Celestiq, I thought it was going to be an incredibly handsome luxury car, befitting the Cadillac heritage of the 57/58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. It was like, it’s about time Cadillac would start reaching for the stars again and once again, become the Standard of the World. My thoughts were coming from the looks of the front end because that’s all they showed us. Once I was able to see the car as a whole, it was all over! The updated Carol Brady grocery-getter is hideous. I’ve always been a Cadillac fan thru and thru, but they’ve been trying, for years, to kill thar. One would think that America’s #1 luxury car maker could do much more than what they’re doing. In recent years, Cadillac has shown, over and over, how talented their design engineers truly are. However, the Celestiq looks dreadful. It could look much better, if they would redo aft the b-pillar above the belt line and everything after the rear tire, below the belt line. They could use the beautiful interior, delete the hatchback and put the trunk where it ought to go. That would make a beautiful car. Matter-of-fact, a slightly updated Sixteen would be even better! Cadillac, WE AREN’T BUYING IT!!!! And… I hope Cadillac goes out of business if they decide on going full EV by their 2030 deadline.
Escala.
Escala should have become the Celestiq, or at least Celestiq should have at least had the sedan roof line and C pillar off the Escala. The C pillar and the rear quarter are what kill the Celestiq.
The Sollei is proof that the rest of the Celestiq design can work.
Just build the Cien to show you have some mojo. You know, the exotic that captured the world’s attention yet you promptly shelved it. Bring it back with a version of the LT6 or LT7. Or, a version of the original Blackwing engine. The V-BW cars have established themselves. Build on that, not more me-too luxo barge EVs.
Escala is gorgeous. Celestiq looks like a stretched, pimped out, Ford Pinto.
If Cadillac produced vehicles like the Escala, they would not be fighting Infiniti at the bottom of the sales table. The humpback Celestiq reminds me of the 1980 Seville.
Actually if memory serves, the Seville was not as bad. And a far better value.
The 2025 Model year will be an interesting test.
Do people want an under $90,000 Escalade or a $129,000 or $149,000 IQ EV?
I bet the gas version wins by far simply by being the better value.
Styling wise 1980-1985 Seville puts this ugly hearse mobile to shame; my dad owned two of them, a 1982 and a 1985.
Sales of this ugly hearse mobile is zero. Rolls Royce Spectre sales were 579 units worldwide during Q1 2024.