Cadillac seems to be evoking its past to create the car of the future. The highly anticipated Celestiq EV is set to go into production in December of this year.
This ultra luxury car will have the lowest production numbers since the 1950s, when a specific Cadillac model was hand built, and that is because Celestiq is going to be hand built. According to Cadillac, once production starts, only two vehicles will be produced per day.
What?
The all-electric vehicle has a base price of $340,000, according to Automotive News, and that is basically just for the frame, overall body and drivetrain.
Back in the early days of luxury vehicles, the consumer would buy just the engine and frame and then work with the manufacturer or a coach builder to design their own unique car.
The last time Cadillac tried this was the 1957-58 Series 70 Eldorado Brougham, which was a limited production fully customizable vehicle that rivaled the top-of-the-line Rolls Royces of the time. The car’s base price was $13,000, nearly triple that of other Cadillac models.
Cadillac is attempting to relive that magic. Buyers can choose custom colors, special leathers, wheels and the company will offer over 100 custom 3-D printed parts, according to MotorTrend.
Inside the cabin, the all-digital cockpit display and other parts of the interior are finished with brushed metal as well as ecologically produced open-pore wood. Car and Driver magazine gushes over how all four passengers can adjust the glass roof overhead to the lighting they desire, creating a unique view from every seat in the car.
Each rider will have their own entertainment screen and even the cargo area is lined with expensive leather.
As a final nod to the Caddys of the 1930s to 1950s, customers can order Cadillac’s famous flying goddess hood ornament.
Celestiq is said to achieve 600 horsepower from its dual-motor all-wheel drive electric powertrain and provides enough torque to snap one’s neck. The car can reach 60 mph in an amazing 3.8 seconds.
Try that Rolls Royce!
Cadillac has not released any fuel economy stats as to how many miles the vehicle can travel on a single charge, but it is suspected to match or even exceed Tesla and other high-end EVs.
So, why is Cadillac spending $81 million to produce a car that only a tiny fraction of the population can afford?
The answer is simple, after years of offering brand-tarnishing land yachts with cheap fake wood dash treatments, cars that could not compete engineering-wise with the likes of BMW and Audi and, of course, the hideous badge-engineered Cimarron of the 1980s that didn’t even try to hide the fact that it was a gussied-up Chevrolet Cavalier, Cadillac wants to finally regain its banner of “the standard of the world.”
Cadillac first used that slogan in 1908 after it won the coveted Dewar Trophy for engineering excellence.
It is a gamble, to be sure, since Cadillac likely will not make any money on the Celestiq due to its development costs, low production numbers and sticker price; however, many of the advancements will make it into lower priced models and will set a benchmark for other luxury brands to try to keep up with.
Let’s see if the gamble works and it just might since there is already a waiting list for the car.
See you on the road!
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
