GM has finally shined the spotlight on Cadillac's forthcoming luxury electric sedan in true Cadillac form. The ultra-sleek, tech-infused Cadillac Celestiq, which will fetch upon launch a whopping $300,000, is a testament to GM's push into the EV market, costing the firm an absurd $81 million in assembly support for the purposes of mass producing the ride via the art of hand-craftsmanship.
The Celestiq has one of the most stunning interiors in the industry, sporting a 55-inch digital display that spans the entirety of the EV's dashboard and runs on GM's Ultium platform. The display itself even has so-called "electronic digital blinds," described by GM as being a passenger-focusing entertainment feature that ensures the driver doesn't get distracted by videos on display while in motion.
It will also come equipped with an incredibly intelligent panoramic glass roof that uses GM's "Suspended Particle Device" technology, which essentially entails that each passenger can set their own preferred roof setting. For instance, the copilot may want more sunlight filtered in as opposed to the driver, allowing the transparency of the glass roof to fold to a particular occupant's needs.
Featuring GM's Ultra Cruise system, the Celestiq will leverage the automaker's newfound advanced driver-assist program that purportedly covers 95% of all potential driving scenarios set across two million miles of US roads. The Ultra Cruise system boasts Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride platform, being one of the first to utilize the chips that supposedly have processing capabilities comparable to over 100 PCs.
Cadillac's Celestiq is now being billed as a mere "show car" by GM, despite heading into mass production later this year. For that very reason, GM has remained tight-lipped on all of the necessary specs underlining its sleek and sporty EV, mainly battery capacity, acceleration potentials, overall range capabilities, and more.
Yet, even without these metrics, the Celestiq still proves to be a hallmark of a vehicle, one that will undoubtedly put a dent into the sales of similar luxurious EV efforts by the likes of Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls-Royce. The EV's tagline, "Be Iconic," is a testament to GM's endeavors with the Cadillac Celestiq unveiling and its newfound lurch into the luxury EV space.
The ride also acts as a companion piece to Cadillac's Lyriq, the EV SUV that went into production starting in March and is set to arrive, like the Celestiq, in 2023, officially. The Cadillac Lyriq and Celestiq are GM's answer to the high-end EV auto market, boasting impeccable design ethos in addition to a string of sophisticated technological integrations to set them apart from the rest.
GM is planning on building a total of 500 Celestiqs each year. As mentioned previously, the vehicles will be handcrafted at the automaker's 710-acre Warren, Michigan-based campus, GM's Global Technical Center, serving as the very first vehicle to be produced at the site since it first opened all the way back in 1956.
It's currently unclear how many alterations will be made on the forthcoming production version, but it's safe to say GM won't veer off too much from this concept iteration. Additional details, like overall specs, battery highlights, and performance metrics, will debut soon as GM gears up for mass production.
