The 2024 Cadillac Celestiq EV Will Be the Most Expensive Cadillac Ever Built
Cadillac is returning to the world of ultra luxury for the first time in a generation, and with upper-crust appointments comes an astronomical price tag.
The Cadillac Celestiq is the brand's new super-luxurious handbuilt flagship sedan, and it has a price to match its exclusivity. No more than one of the land yachts will be built per day when production kicks off in December 2023. As such, prices start at a hefty sum. "North of $300,000," will be necessary to get your foot in the door, according to Cadillac, but seeing that no two Celestiqs will be alike, it's very likely that no one is opting for the base model.
That price puts it on par with the Rolls Royce Ghost and the Bentley Flying Spur Mulliner. The Rolls Royce Phantom still beats the Celestiq out at around $460,000. We'll just have to wait and see how the customers spec up their Celestiqs before saying one will never touch that price point, though. Speaking to the design and engineering executives at the launch of the Celestiq show car, the automaker sounds very willing to accommodate any customer's needs. All buyers will after all have the opportunity to work directly with the company's designers to ensure their machine is exactly what they want.
It's hard to compare the Celestiq with other ultra-luxury cars because it does not have a combustion engine. Its closest competitor for eco-conscious millionaires will likely be the Rolls Royce Spectre, a two-door coupe that will be the brand's first foray into a fully electric car. Pricing for the Spectre hasn't been announced, but it likely shares many parts with the BMW i7. Current Rolls Royces, after all, sit on modified BMW chassis and feature BMW engines.
The Celestiq is similar. It uses GM's Ultium electric architecture although its 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack and other parts like the electric motors' final drive are specific to the car. It's likely the two drive motors are very similar to those found in the Lyriq, although that hasn't been confirmed.
Drivetrain parts sharing or not, the Celestiq features 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque from its two motors. This power enables sprints to 60 in just 3.8 seconds, and the big battery provides 300 miles of range according to Cadillac. It also charges at 200 kW, which means 78 miles can be recouped in just 10 minutes at a DC fast-charging station.
With numerous luxury features, an extremely sophisticated suspension system, and a slew of 3D-printed parts, the Celestiq is set to impress. It will be some time before any owners or the press gets their hands on one, but what we can see so far is enticing.
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