Cadillac and GM as a broader whole shocked the world yesterday by opening the door on its electrified future, while the company stopped short of formally allowing its vehicles of the future to be photographed, one vehicle in particular stood out to us the most, the Cadillac Celstiq.
Designed to be a truly proper flagship offering, the Celestiq checks all the boxes, with a hand built exterior, and an old world chic luxury interior all built on top of the Ultium infused EV modular platform. The Celestiq will also have a limited production run, though it is way too early at this point to find out just how many examples Cadillac intends to build. The upcoming Lyriq CUV will serve as a compelling glimpse into what the Celestiq will be all about, with some of the cues from that model also being seen on the bigger Celstiq. The front grille for example is identical to the Lyriq’s, and it even has the same lighting effects. Reports from the event GM hosted that featured both models could indicate that these basic touches could form the core of a new design theme for Cadillac, but it is unknown if the new duds will be exclusive to the EV Cadillac’s, or if they will filter down to their non EV counterparts. But moving back to the Celestiq, and there is still plenty more going on here. It is said to have a tear drop-esque shape with the design being described as having a combination of elements from both the current generation Jaguar XJ and the Audi A7. These are two very potent benchmarks in the segment, and while the current generation XJ will make its way to retirement soon, its inert design appeal is hard to ignore.
The interior is also said to be truly worthy of being a flagship, with Cadillac designers given free reign to play around with a wide range of premium materials and designs. The Celestiq uses the same OLED dash display technology as the recently unveiled 2021 Cadillac Escalade, but takes things up a notch by making the entire dashboard one giant display. This extreme level of luxury could be a good first step towards reminding the world that Cadillac is still a big name in the luxury segment, and it could bring back memories of old school flagship Cadillac sedans from the 1930s-1940s as well as wilder examples from the 1950s.
Cadillac is keeping further details about the Celestiq (including the date of its official debut) under wraps, but it will certainly take place after the Lyriqs April 2nd introduction and its subsequent debut at the New York Auto Show. In the meantime, we will keep an eye out for more information on the Celestiq, including new images and details that can help shed just alittle more light on the biggest and most extravagant Cadillac model yet.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.