This story has been revised and updated with new teaser photos and information obtained on June 8, 2022.
Cadillac is providing us another glimpse of its upcoming flagship CELESTIQ electric sedan with a second drop of teaser images that preview some of the details of the hand built “showcar”, including the sharp looking front quarter panel and lighting signatures.
“From its unique proportions and a new effortless, sophisticated form language, to the precision and attention to detail, CELESTIQ is unlike anything on the road today,” said Magalie Debellis, manager of Cadillac Branded Advanced Design. “From its inception, the CELESTIQ show car was crafted to reincarnate the ‘Standard of the World.’”
Read: Cadillac Celestiq Will Likely Be GM’s First Car To Feature Ultra Cruise
These latest photos of the showcar – which sounds to be manufacturer talk for a pre-production model – come more than a year after Cadillac had first teased the high-performance, ultraluxury sedan previewing its full glass roof and massive, free-form display spanning the entire width of the dashboard
At the time, GM had said that the roof won’t just be clear all the time, but the Celestiq will be the first vehicle to offer suspended particle smart glass. Moreover, it will be divided into four quadrants to allow each occupant to select their own level of tint. Suspended particle glass, essentially, sandwiches little particles between two panes of glass. An electrical charge can be sent through them, which lines all the dark particles up, making them more or less opaque.
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And that shade will be important to keep the glare off all the screens in the Celestiq. Not only will it have a screen stretching from one end of the dash to the other up front, Cadillac has also thought of back seat passengers. In the rear, occupants will have their own entertainment screens as well a little screen between them to control comfort setting.
Cadillac adds that the Celestiq will feature a “curated selection of hand-crafted materials.” It sounds like there might also be a bespoke option that allows customers to build their own, special Celestiq.
No matter what materials they choose, though, the car will be built on GM’s Ultium platform. Because it isn’t as big as the Hummer, reports have suggested that it will be capable of up to at least 400 miles of range. It will also feature 350 kW fast-charging, all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering.
The design, which will feature some of the same design language as the Lyriq, was originally intended as a combustion engine vehicle. But with the arrival of the Ultium platform and Cadillac’s intent to become GM’s electric halo brand, it was redesigned as an EV. From what little we know of the design, it will be a fastback-style sedan with a “polarizing” silhouette, if Cadillac Design Director Brian Smith is to be believed. No matter where you fall on the love-it-leave-it spectrum, Cadillac wants you to be stunned.
Could Cost Over $200,000
While GM hasn’t given a specific date, given these latest teaser pictures, it seems that we could see the “showcar” being unwrapped as early as this year with the first, production Celestiq EVs arriving in 2023. Recent reports have hinted that, given its hand-built, bespoke nature, Cadillac plans to keep the Celestiq a low-volume production model with pricing expected to be over $200,000, though this is something that GM has not confirmed.
