Cadillac cars are renowned for their high levels of luxury and confident amount of power lurking under the hood. But there’s no avoiding the fact that gas-powered cars at the higher end of the performance range are becoming less affordable and desirable to drive, and the future is steadily moving in the electric direction.
The good news for Caddy fans is that there’s an ultra-luxurious all-electric Cadillac making its way to Canadian showrooms in the near future, combining all the traditional qualities of the brand with a thoroughly modern, eco-friendly powertrain that dispenses with the gas engine altogether.
Known as the Cadillac Celestiq, the new car’s specifications are yet to be finalized and there’s no fixed release date to look forward to. But with an arrival expected to be in plenty of time for the 2025 model year, it looks like it’ll be an electric vehicle that’s well worth waiting for. Here’s everything we know so far about the Cadillac Celestiq, and why it’s set to turn the luxury EV market on its head.
EV technology is advancing at such a fast rate it’s impossible to say what kind of power outputs and driving ranges will be available by the time Celestiq’s specifications are finalized. What we do know, however, is that Cadillac aims to put the latest and greatest EV tech into the Celestiq engineering, so expect high-end horsepower, twisting electric torque, and a driving range beyond any luxury vehicle available today.
The Celestiq is predicted to use the same Ultium battery and motor tech as the GMC Hummer EV, which leads us to expect a range close to the 650km mark and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of under five seconds. But whatever the final drivetrain power, it’s confirmed that the Celestiq will boast all-wheel drive as standard – almost certainly meaning dual electric motors for high-end power – and four-wheel steering on every model for pinpoint control and handling.
It’s not only under the hood where Celestiq’s unique qualities will shine through. In an expected first for production car models, the new Cadillac will feature a full-length transparent roof design, made up of four panels of smart glass. The level of tint and transparency can be changed for each panel independently, allowing each passenger to set their own amount of shade or sunlight.
The exterior profile of the Celestiq also looks intriguing from the details revealed so far, with outsize wheels combined with a swept-back roofline to give the dynamism of a coupe alongside the practicality of a sedan.
The Celestiq interior is thought to be based on a 2+2 design, with the two rear occupants enjoying real bucket seats and the same level of comfort as usually found in the front row. As you’d expect from a Cadillac, upscale features such as leather upholstery, metal accents, and open-pore wood trims will be supplied as standard.
One striking detail of the Celestiq’s interior technology is that the driver and front passenger will share a pillar-to-pillar digital touchscreen display, stretching across the entire width of the car’s dashboard. This huge, uninterrupted display will show essential driving information behind the wheel, navigation, infotainment, and comfort controls in the centre, and a dedicated entertainment section on the passenger’s side.
In the rear, each passenger can enjoy their own displays, with the ability to watch media, browse the internet, or adjust the comfort controls for their own section of the cabin. And to ensure each passenger can enjoy their choices to the full, each display will be partially separated by screening to reduce distraction.
Lastly, the Celestiq is reputed to be the first car to offer GM’s advanced Ultra Cruise software, which allows hands-free driving across a huge range of situations and conditions. The makers say the autonomous system can handle 95% of driving scenarios across the paved roads of North America, with the internal database covering 3.2 million kilometres of the road at launch and 5.44 million kilometres as the system develops further.
Although the Celestiq is slated for release in the 2025 model year, we’re likely to see the final design revealed much sooner than that. An official unveiling is expected sometime in 2022, possibly as soon as July, with production starting in 2023. However, it’s thought that the current worldwide chip shortage is likely to put at least some delay into real-world availability, with the Celestiq potentially arriving only in small numbers, to begin with.
Put yourself at the head of the line to experience the all-new Cadillac Celestiq by signing up for our information service to keep you informed of the model’s arrival. As Cadillac’s flagship sedan, the Celestiq promises to deliver a whole new level of luxury and EV performance that will revolutionize the upscale sedan market.
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