Cadillac has pulled the silks from its much-teased all-electric Celestiq sedan, the design of which, ironically, is said to be inspired by 120 years of General Motors’ heritage.
Cadillac Celestiq
The Celestiq joins the Lyriq crossover as the brand’s second pure EV, and becomes the latest GM model to be built atop the Ultium architecture. The American brand first teased the EV sedan – “conceived to lead the Cadillac’s electric future” – last month, having previously targeted that at least half of its fleet would be purely electric by 2025.
Cadillac Celestiq
Despite its innovative ideals, inspiration for the Celestiq’s design in fact came from the 1957 Eldorado Brougham, hence the bold look at the front (dominated by an enormous faux grille and sculpted running lights) and the sweeping rear lines that taper into the L-shaped tail lamps on the lower bumper. A second set of LED lights – also L-shaped, but inverted – draw attention to the hatchback-style trunk, Cadillac confirming that the Ultium platform has provided a clean-slate on which to build.
“Those vehicles represented the pinnacle of luxury in their respective eras, and helped make Cadillac the standard of the world,” chief engineer said Tony Roma explains. “The Celestiq show car — also a sedan, because the configuration offers the very best luxury experience — builds on that pedigree and captures the spirit of arrival they expressed.”
Cadillac Celestiq
Alongside the Brougham, further inspiration was sought from Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect behind St Louis’ Gateway Arch, the Washington Dulles International Airport, and GM’s Global Technical Center in Michigan, the latter of which GM has already dedicated US$81 million in preparation of the Celestiq’s production.
“The Celestiq show car is the purest expression of Cadillac,” Cadillac’s Advanced Design manager Magalie Debellis continues. “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.”
Cadillac Celestiq
As well as the exterior design, flotilla of technology has also been showcased to highlight “Cadillac’s vision for the future.” The Smart Glass panoramic roof for instance uses what’s called Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology to allow all four occupants to tailor their lighting independently. An electrical digital blind on the 55-inch infotainment touchscreen meanwhile will allow the front passenger to watch video content without it distracting the driver. Perhaps the most salient is ‘Ultra Cruise,’ a development of General Motors’ ‘Super Cruise’ drivers-assistance package albeit one that’s still in pre-production guise.
Cadillac Celestiq
Though no technical specifications have been revealed yet, online speculation suggests that power on the Celestiq will be sent to all four wheels, with an estimated electric range over the 400 km mark.
