Cadillac was serious when it said pricing for the Celestiq EV flagship would start above $300,000.
In a LinkedIn post last week, Cadillac chief marketing officer Melissa Grady Dias announced the start of customer commissions for the hand-built hatchback, and confirmed the base price is approximately $340,000 before destination.
That base price is for what Dias called a “blank canvas,” meaning actual transaction prices of specific customer cars will likely be higher once factoring in personalized options. Cadillac hasn’t provided full details on what those options will be, but they’re expected to be extensive, more in line with Rolls-Royce or Bentley than a typical Cadillac.
2024 Cadillac Celestiq customization at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt
Customers will be put in touch with an on-call concierge, as well as Cadillac’s designers, to spec their cars. Customers will also be invited to visit, either physically or virtually, a new Cadillac House location at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, where the Celestiq will be built in limited numbers.
Production starts in December at an anticipated rate of just 1.2 cars per day, meaning annual production will be less than 500 units. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2024, a relatively quick turn considering the initial Celestiq show car was only revealed in July 2022. Dias said there’s been “extremely high demand” for the Celestiq, but didn’t confirm whether all of the first-year build slots had been filled.
The Celestiq is based on GM’s Ultium component set, in this case using a 111-kwh battery pack expected to enable about 300 miles of range. Electric motors for each axle provide a combined 600 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque, which Cadillac says will get the Celestiq from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
2024 Cadillac Celestiq customization at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt
DC fast charging at 200 kw can add an estimated 78 miles of range in 10 minutes. The Celestiq will also feature four-wheel steering, a four-panel glass roof, and a 55-inch dashboard-spanning display with elements (called “digital blinds”) that can darken part of the screen to help prevent driver distraction.
GM aims to make Cadillac all-electric by 2030. The Celestiq won’t contribute much to that goal in sales volume, but it might produce a halo effect for other Cadillac EVs, such as the Lyriq and forthcoming Escalade IQ.