Cadillac has unveiled its first all-electric luxury vehicle – the Celestiq show car. Conceived to lead the car manufacturer’s electric future and inspired by the brand’s 120-year heritage, it serves as a touchstone for the Cadillac design and engineering teams, who continue to develop Celestiq as it moves closer to production.
Cadillac describes its first electric luxury car as “a vision of innovation and purpose that previews the brand’s future handcrafted and all-electric flagship sedan”.
The Celestiq show car is the purest expression of Cadillac. It brings to life the most integrated expressions of design and innovation in the brand’s history, coalescing in a defining statement of a true Cadillac flagship.
Magalie Debellis, manager, Cadillac Advanced Design
In developing the show car, the design and engineering teams immersed themselves in the artisanship and customization that defined early Cadillac sedans such as the bespoke V-16 powered coaches of the pre-war era and the hand-built 1957 Eldorado Brougham. “Those vehicles represented the pinnacle of luxury in their respective eras and helped make Cadillac the standard of the world. The Celestiq show car — also a sedan, because the configuration offers the very best luxury experience — builds on that pedigree and captures the spirt of arrival they expressed”, said Tony Roma, chief engineer.
The luxury sedan features 200 kW DC fast charging technology, which should make it possible to provide 125 km range after just 10 minutes of charging at any public DC fast charging station. The 111-kWh battery pack and two motor all-wheel-drive propulsion system give the Celestiq a range of 483 km at full charge as well as 600 horsepower.
We’ve combined the beauty of function with the beauty of form.
Laetitia Lopez, creative designer, Cadillac Color and Trim
“We had to reconsider all aspects to immerse the customer, all of their senses, and create a connection with the vehicle through the finest genuine materials, exceptional detailing and advanced technology”, said Laetitia Lopez, creative designer, Cadillac Color and Trim.
The show car previews some of the materials, innovative technologies and hand-crafted attention to detail harnessed to express the company’s vision for the future. Highlights include five high-definition, advanced LED interactive displays, including a 55-inch-diagonal advanced LED display, along with expected industry firsts such as a variable-transmission Smart Glass Roof and Ultra Cruise1, General Motors’ (GM) next evolution of available hands-free driver assistance technology which Cadillac plans to offer on Celestiq.
Every Celestiq will be instantly identifiable as one of a kind, giving each client a personal connection to Cadillac’s newest flagship. With Cadillac reimagining the future of American luxury, we are entering an era of limitless possibilities and the future of design.
Erin Crossley, design director, Cadillac Celestiq
The Smart Glass Roof features Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology that allows for four zones of variable lighting, enabling passengers to fine-tune their cabin experience for completely personalized comfort and visibility. Additionally, the 55-inch-diagonal advanced LED display introduces a passenger display with electronic digital blinds, an active privacy technology, which is designed to allow passengers to enjoy video content while blocking it from the view of the driver.
Cadillac says all these technologies will make Celestiq its most advanced vehicle ever, with a start of production date still to be announced. GM is investing $81 million to support its assembly at GM’s Global Technical Center, the landmark campus originally designed by Eero Saarinen and the heart of the company’s engineering and design efforts.
