Cadillac has unveiled a new hand-built electric car with a starting price tag of more than $300,000, marking the brand’s first foray into the ultra-luxury segment alongside competitors like Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
The 2024 Celestiq will be almost entirely customizable in terms of interior trim, exterior color, and other non-mechanical elements. Customers will work with designers and a Cadillac concierge to customize their vehicles. Rory Harvey, Global Vice President of Cadillac, told CNBC the Celestiq is a “brand builder.”
“It’s a halo vehicle. It will lift people’s perception of the brand,” Harvey said. “The business case has and continues to evolve, but it’s not just purely about the Celestiq. It’s about what it does for Cadillac and how it lifts the other Cadillac variants.”
General Motors will be able to build fewer than two vehicles per workday, meaning they will only produce hundreds of Celestiq units per year. The Celestiq will be available in global markets, including the US and China.
The company also announced a planned investment of $81 million at its tech center in Detroit to hand-build the ultra-luxury vehicles.
The Celestiq will feature adaptive air suspension, magnetic ride control, rear steering, and 115 3D-printed parts. It is broader and longer than a Cadillac Escalade SUV, at 18 feet long and 7 feet wide. GM says the vehicle is expected to achieve more than 300 miles on a single charge and will have 600 horsepower, 640 foot-pounds of torque, and reach 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
Inside, the Celestiq will feature five LED interactive displays, a “smart glass roof” with customizable transparency options, and Ultra Cruise – GM’s next-generation advanced driver-assist system.
Harvey said buyers must make a “significant deposit” to begin the build process. Orders will start later this year, and production is slated to begin by December 2023. He declined to offer details on the vehicle’s profit margins or if the company plans to add more hand-built models to its lineup in the future.
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