When was the final time Cadillac was really thought-about the Customary of the World? In the event you’re like us and should telephone a pal to reply that query, then you definately would possibly have to have your grandparents’ landline on pace dial. The purpose is it has been a very long time, however the model appears to return to these former glory days as a legit luxurious coachbuilder with the 2024 Celestiq, a moonshot mannequin the corporate claims is likely one of the most essential in its 120-year historical past.

For these already acquainted with the Celestiq idea that Cadillac revealed again in July, the manufacturing automobile’s specialness will not be a shock, particularly because it’s almost equivalent to the previous present automobile. Cadillac principally simply changed the idea’s camera-fed exterior mirrors with conventional ones and known as it good.

Nonetheless, here is a fast recap or primer: The Celestiq is a battery-electric avant-garde four-passenger hatchback that is constructed by hand and tailored for particular person prospects. It additionally encompasses a bespoke platform primarily based on Basic Motors’ Ultimum battery expertise.

A Caddy for Kings and Queens

If you have not already related the dots, this Caddy is not attainable for blue-collar people, regardless of how fats their yearly bonus test is. And that is the purpose. Cadillac commissioned this bold automobile to reconnect with its heritage, reboot its picture, and be the flagship of the model’s plans to go fully electrical by 2030.

For sure, the Celestiq is extraordinarily costly, with a $340,000-plus base worth that’ll rise primarily based on prospects’ particular person customizations. Cadillac additionally says it can solely construct a restricted quantity yearly at GM’s World Technical Heart in Warren, Michigan. These allocations will solely be accessible to these on a waitlist.

So, what does Celestiq imply and the place did the identify come from? That is not essential. What’s essential is that it would not have a generic alphanumeric moniker like another fashions Cadillac sells.

It additionally maintains Cadillac’s plan to make use of the suffix “iq” on the finish of its electrical autos’ mannequin names, a pattern that started with the not too long ago launched Lyriq electrical SUV. That is higher than the Celestiq being known as the CT7 or one thing equally uninspiring.

Dramatiq Celestiq

What’s not uninspiring is the Celestiq’s dramatiq (see what we did there?) proportions. We had been fortunate sufficient to see it in individual, and to name it gorgeous is an understatement.

Shining in hand-painted Santorini Blue (simply certainly one of 200 accessible exterior colours Cadillac mastered for the Celestiq, not counting the infinite color-match choices), the large EV appears extremely lengthy and low-slung. We’re advised its windshield is angled steeper than that of the most recent Corvette.

In contrast to the mid-engined Chevy sports activities automobile, the electrical Celestiq’s bodywork is tastefully sculpted. Its slippery floor hides intensive carbon-fiber physique panels which are just about void of outlined strains.

There is no belt molding or door handles, both. The massive power-operated entrance and rear doorways open on the contact of discreet buttons on the B-pillar, however not earlier than the Celestiq welcomes the driving force with a lightweight present when it detects the important thing fob is inside 15 ft. We’re advised the sequence takes benefit of Cadillac’s first-ever “digital micromirror” headlights that function 1.3 million pixels every.

Whereas the Celestiq’s grille design and hockey-stick-like taillights look just like these of the Lyriq, its remaining particulars provide a singular showcase of the actual manufacturing processes Cadillac employs to construct this machine. The Celestiq’s underbody consists of six mega-sized aluminum castings which are mentioned to scale back usually mandatory elements by 30–40 elements apiece.

Each mannequin additionally options 300-plus fabricated bits which are made via a course of that may bend and fold steel like origami (versus conventional stamping methods). Cadillac additionally went loopy with 3-D printing on the Celestiq, and the EV boasts 115 such elements on the likes of its steering wheel and inside trim.

Let the Cabin Be Your Canvas

Cadillac’s elegant method to design is mirrored contained in the Celestiq, which encompasses a refreshingly easy format that is supposed to function a canvas for purchasers. The corporate needed the inside supplies entrance and middle, and the individualization provided is just about infinite.

It is all about how far down the rabbit gap you wish to go, as one Cadillac spokesperson advised Automotive and Driver. There’s even an possibility for leather-wrapped flooring due to course there may be. The cast-aluminum piece on the sprint permits for customized engraving; the identical goes for the steel parts on the door sill, edges of the ground mats, and so forth.

In the event you suppose the 38 inches of curved OLED screens within the Cadillac Escalade are spectacular, put together to select your jaw up off the ground. The Celestiq options 55 inches of glass that spans from the left entrance pillar to the best entrance pillar.

The only piece of glass hides two separate screens, with the driving force going through one and the entrance passenger going through the opposite. For security causes, the passenger’s aspect has a privateness function that shields it from the driving force’s view to allow them to’t side-eye a film whereas driving.

The Celestiq’s inside expertise additionally consists of an 11.0-inch touchscreen that sprouts up from the entrance middle console. Whereas there’s an ominous lack of bodily buttons, there is a rotary controller and a quantity knob on the middle console. Phew.

These within the Celestiq’s two particular person and extremely adjustable rear seats even have their very own digital command middle by means of an 8.0-inch touchscreen show. The setup contains settings for the Gentherm four-zone local weather system that is mentioned to permit intimate tailoring of temps, together with these for the heated and cooled cushions.

Whereas among the Celestiq’s options would not be misplaced on a Mercedes-Benz S-class, others are extra in keeping with the Caddy’s hefty price ticket. Take the Celestiq’s sensible glass roof that makes use of permits individuals to regulate the quantity of sunshine that comes via in 4 separate sections.

Each Celestiq can also be outfitted with GM’s Extremely Cruise hands-free driving-assist expertise that makes use of a mixture of cameras, radars, and lidar as a way to work on greater than two million miles of assorted roadways (together with however not restricted to highways) in the USA and Canada.

The Flagship of Electrical Cadillacs

Cadillac did not simply construct the Celestiq to be a giant cozy cruiser that appears like greater than 1 / 4 of one million bucks, and each certainly one of these large EVs comes outfitted with an air suspension system and the fourth era of GM’s magnetorheological shocks. Moreover, the Celestiq additionally has rear-wheel steering and a variable-ratio electrical steering system. It additionally marks the debut of Cadillac’s lively anti-roll bars.

The entrance and rear suspension each function impartial five-link configurations. Giant 23-inch wheels, that are wrapped with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport EV summer time tires that had been specifically developed for the Celestiq (they also have a distinctive sidewall graphic), function the mediators between the Caddy’s chassis and the highway under.

The Celestiq is motivated by a pair of electrical motors (one at every axle) that work collectively to generate an estimated 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac claims this permits the all-wheel-drive Celestiq to race to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

Preserve a lightweight sufficient proper foot, although, and Cadillac estimates the Celestiq will go 300 miles on a full cost of its 111-kWh battery pack. (That is gross capability, as Cadillac’s presently mum on the pack’s useable capability.) To maximise inside house, Cadillac positions the Celestiq’s battery cells horizontally.

As with most ultra-luxury automobiles, the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq, which enters manufacturing in December 2023, actually must be seen in individual to be appreciated. Sadly, its unique nature will probably make it a uncommon sight. In fact, that is what Cadillac needed when it got down to design the Celestiq.

Senior Editor

Eric Stafford’s vehicle habit started earlier than he might stroll, and it has fueled his ardour to write down information, opinions, and extra for Automotive and Driver since 2016. His aspiration rising up was to change into a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like automobile assortment. Apparently, getting wealthy is tougher than social-media influencers make it appear, so he averted monetary success fully to change into an automotive journalist and drive new automobiles for a dwelling. After incomes a journalism diploma at Central Michigan College and dealing at a each day newspaper, the years of principally burning cash on failed undertaking automobiles and lemon-flavored jalopies lastly paid off when Automotive and Driver employed him. His storage presently features a 2010 Acura RDX, a handbook ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.