Cadillac has unveiled its new ultra-luxury Electric Vehicle the Celestiq, which reportedly will feature a $300,000 price tag. The price was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, however Cadillac has not yet confirmed or denied the reported price’s accuracy.
So far, GM has not announced a date when official production will begin. The vehicle GM presented was a “show car” version of the vehicle, however GM has said the production version will be very similar in appearance, although it will be highly customizable by buyers.
Cadillac has offered vehicles which cost six figures before, however these were almost all just above $100,000, and they were usually Escalade SUVs loaded with options. The Celestiq is Cadillac’s first foray into direct competition with brands such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce, which routinely offer cars at this price point.
The last ultra-luxury vehicle made by Cadillac was the Eldorado Brougham, in 1957. GM made 400 of those vehicles, which were entirely hand-assembled, rather than produced using an assembly line. When it was offered, the Eldorado Brougham was priced at $13,000, vs the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, which cost $16,000.
Cadillac has said it will be one of the first luxury car brands to become fully electric by the year 2030. Analysts such as Brian Moody of Autotrader.com notes that in the shift to full electrification, lies the opportunity for car companies to completely rebrand themselves, by aiming their new offerings at a completely new market, as they entirely retool new production facilities.
Noting the uniqueness of the Celestiq, Moody said, “That’s exactly what they need to do to differentiate themselves.”
Cadillac has pointed out that each Celestiq will be built at GM’s technical center in Warren Michigan, rather than at a standard production factory. The technical center is a central hub for GM engineers and designers, complete with its own test laboratories and wind tunnels. Typically vehicles produced there are concept vehicles for testing or display, and not vehicles sold to the public.
What is said to set the Celstiq apart from other Cadillac vehicles will be the level of customization available to consumers.
Rory Harvey, GM’s vice-president for Cadillac said, “Each vehicle will be a custom-commissioned celebration of a client’s individuality, leveraging innovative design, authentic materials and the latest in automotive technology.”
Buyers will even be able to chose any paint color they wish, a feature companies like Rolls-Royce have been offering for over a century.
In a statement, Rory Harvey, GM’s vice-president for Cadillac said, “The overall experience for the customer” will be an important part of what makes the Celestiq stand out.
