Cadillac has released details of its new luxury EV flagship model, the Cadillac Celestiq. The company expects the vehicle to go into production in December 2023, with an expected MSRP to begin north of $300,000 and increase based on the level of personalization.
According to Cadillac, each new vehicle is personally commissioned and built by hand, with no two vehicles being exactly alike. Clients will work directly with their selected dealer and Cadillac designers to devise a personally tailored vehicle.
The Celestiq has 11.59:1 front and 11.63:1 rear gear ratios, which Cadillac says it has specially calibrated to optimize range and performance. The vehicle is projected to deliver 0-60 MPH acceleration in 3.8 seconds.
The company says Celestiq’s propulsion architecture combines a 111-kWh battery pack and a two-motor, all-wheel-drive propulsion system to offer a GM-estimated 600 HP and 640 lb.-ft. of torque. GM estimates a driving range of 300 miles on a full charge.
Cadillac provided a list of features for the Celestiq:
Performance features
Adaptive Air Suspension: The Celestiq uses an air suspension system rather than the coiled springs used in a traditional suspension system.
Active Rear Steering: The Celestiq will offer up to 3.5 degrees of out-of-phase rear steering, in which the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction of the front wheels for greater maneuverability at low speeds. At higher rates, the rear wheels will turn in phase with the front wheels.
Magnetic Ride Control 4.0: Initially developed for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the system allows for greater responsiveness and enhanced isolation from road imperfections.
Advanced AWD: The Celestiq offers a two-motor electric drive unit. These motors work with torque optimizer modules that analyze torque requirements for given vehicle inputs. These modules turn the front or rear motors on and off as required to provide optimal torque to enhance ride quality and electric driving range.
Active Roll Control: The Cadillac-first Active Roll Control feature employs stabilizer bars embedded at the front and rear of the chassis to mitigate the rolling force exerted on the vehicle during turns and other maneuvers.
Active Rear Spoiler: The Celestiq Active Rear Spoiler deploys at lower speeds to help improve aerodynamic efficiency and raises at higher speeds to help keep the vehicle balanced.
Ride-focused tires: Celestiq will feature available 23-inch forged aluminum wheels with 23-inch summer-only Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires. This combination will offer strong rolling resistance performance and precision steering. Designed specifically for Cadillac, the tread pattern, self-sealing technology and foam inserts enable a quiet tire for greater ride isolation.
Electric Power Steering: The Celestiq features a variable ratio front electric power steering system, similar to that found on the Cadillac Blackwings but calibrated precisely for Celestiq, that works in coordination with active rear steering to automatically adjust to the ideal steering ratio depending on vehicle speed resulting in an engaging and intuitive driving experience.
5-link front and rear suspension: The Celestiq’s 5-link front and rear suspension provides exceptional performance tailored specifically for the high torque output of an electric vehicle motor. The suspension isolators are precisely tuned to minimize cabin disturbances yet allow proper road feel and handling response, delivering on Cadillac’s promise of isolated precision.
Charging: Cadillac equipped the Celestiq with a 200 kW DC fast charging system capable of adding up to a Cadillac-estimated 78 miles of range in only 10 minutes of charging4 at a public DC fast charging station. Drivers will also have access to Ultium Charge 360. It includes access to more than 110,000 publicly available charging points in the United States and Canada. And through the myCadillac Mobile app5, clients can find nearby charging stations, see real-time charger availability, plan routes, start charging sessions and more.
Design features
Celestiq Body Structure: In creating one of the most important Cadillacs ever, the Celestiq engineering team rethought the fundamental building blocks to accommodate its all-electric propulsion system and provide a platform for the ultimate expression of ultra-luxury and unmatched client customization, enabled by advanced manufacturing techniques.
Achieving that required an all-new architecture dedicated exclusively to Celestiq. It is based on the Ultium Platform, which integrates the propulsion system’s battery pack and serves as a structural element of the vehicle. Battery cells are mounted horizontally, enabling the vehicle’s long, low and lean proportions, while the low mounting position of the pack drops the vehicle’s center of gravity.
Additive Manufacturing: With 115 3D-printed parts in the production vehicle, the Celestiq demonstrates GM’s broadest use of this process.
The steering wheel center is the most significant metal part GM has printed in production, combining the show surface and the structural B-side of the piece, while the seat belt adjustable guide loop is GM’s first safety-related 3D printed part.
Other 3D-printed parts include: Window switches, grab handles, console decor and structural pieces under the vehicle’s surface.
Flex Fabrication: Each Celestiq vehicle will feature over 300 fabricated pieces throughout the body structure, chassis, interior and electrical components. This “Flex Fabrication” process utilizes metal sheets that can be folded and manipulated into the unique shapes required for the Celestiq design — a process more akin to metallic origami than traditional stamping.
Fixed Smart Glass Roof: Suspended Particle Device Technology, multi-color ambient lighting, and lighting choreography create a unique interplay between the exterior and the amount of light allowed into the cabin through the four-zone Fixed Smart Glass Roof.
Automated Illuminated Charging Indicators: A ring of light surrounds the charging port and responds when the Celestiq is plugged in for charging. Visual cues indicate the state of charge. Additionally, the vehicle’s vertical lighting signatures in the headlamps and taillamps offer charging status indicators, indicating 10% charging increments.
Materials: Carbon fiber comprises several areas of the exterior. The visible metallic surfaces are authentic metal, including the aluminum grille, header, rocker, taillamp and headlamp trim, brushed aluminum bodyside trim, aluminum eTrunk lining, and brushed metal liftgate body openings.
3D Printing: 3D printing and additive manufacturing produce design elements such as the steering wheel décor, window switches, grab handles, console decor and structural pieces under the vehicle’s surface.
Flex Fabrication: Each Celestiq vehicle will feature over 300 fabricated pieces throughout the body structure, chassis, interior and electrical components. This “Flex Fabrication” process utilizes metal sheets that can be folded and manipulated into the unique shapes required for the Celestiq design — a process more akin to metallic origami than traditional stamping.
Exterior Lighting: Cadillac says every single point of light in a lighting animation is its light source rather than the banks of lights used in many other vehicles. These individual LEDs are more than 1,600 per vehicle (depending on the sales market).
Power Open and Close Doors: There are no exterior door handles. Instead, the driver can power open and close the doors with a button.
Wheel Choices: The 23-inch wheels offered on Celestiq are available in a variety of color choices. All are matched with Michelin tires.
Hand-Wrapped Leather: Cadillac says it makes the Celestiq’s leather surfaces with premium leather-wrapped by artisans.
Art and Color: The client is involved in every decision regarding the colors, materials and finishes, including the opportunity to develop new colors or paint to match in collaboration with the Cadillac design team.
A Variety of Finishes: Celestiq will offer a range of exterior and interior colors, materials and finishes enabling clients to design a truly unique vehicle.
Infotainment Experience: The centerpiece of the interior and the Celestiq technology interface is a pillar-to-pillar, 55-inch-diagonal advanced HD display — the largest in the segment. It is a technological marvel, containing two separate screens under a single pane of glass. The driver-side display shows the driver and shared vehicle information while the passenger side allows the occupants to play media, use the internet, connect their smartphones, and more. In order to separate the passenger display from the driver, Digital Blinds Active Privacy technology provides a virtual privacy shield, dimming the passenger screen from the driver’s view when in use.
Additionally: The 55-in.-diagonal advanced HD screen is one of five high-definition displays in the vehicle, including a front console-mounted 11-inch-diagonal touchscreen Front Command Center and a rear console-mounted 8-inch-diagonal touchscreen Rear Command Center, which allow clients to control many features within the vehicle such as the seating positions, cabin temperature, door opening and closing, tinting the all-glass roof panel and more.
Rear passengers have their own 12.6-in.-diagonal advanced displays in front of them, mounted on the front seatbacks.
Connected Cameras: Cadillac will introduce a new connected camera platform. This platform will provide clients added peace of mind by giving them access to interior and exterior cameras through an intuitive mobile interface, theft detection, crash recording and other useful features.
Google Built-In: With Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play, you get access to hands-free help, live traffic updates, some of your favorite apps and more.
Fixed Smart Glass Roof: The all-glass roof panel employs Suspended Particle Device technology to allow variable transmission, meaning the client can control the amount of light allowed into the vehicle in four zones — one for each passenger area. The effect enables ultimate control over the amount of light entering the vehicle. The tint levels for the zones vary from less than 1%, for the darkest level of opacity, to 20%, which is the standard tint level of a traditional sunroof. The car also has infrared reflective and low-emissivity coatings that help retain heat and prevent sunlight from raising the cabin’s temperature.
Furthermore, the company says it uses acoustic laminated glass throughout the vehicle’s exterior, including all windows, to maximize sound isolation and provide a truly luxurious experience.
Advanced Climate System: Cadillac says the vehicle features a Gentherm ClimateSense four-zone microclimate system as standard equipment. It features 33 unique microclimate devices that allow each occupant to tailor their seat heating and cooling, along with advanced airflow technology that creates truly individualized comfort. All four-seating positions will feature the same level of individualized comfort, including a neck scarf, heated armrests, and heated, cooled and ventilated seats. The system can also significantly reduce HVAC energy consumption.
Ultra Cruise: Cadillac says it equipped the vehicle with all the necessary Ultra Cruise hardware to enable incremental feature growth via over-the-air updates in 2024.
