On July 22, the Cadillac Celestiq made its formal debut. The manually constructed battery-electric sedan/shooting brake is meant to restore Cadillac’s status as the Standard of the World, a moniker it gave itself after introducing the V-16 Roadster in 1930. With masterpieces like the 1953 Cadillac Eldorado and the 1959 models , a car that came to represent the disgusting excess of post-war America, it continued to push the boundaries of automotive design over time. Their crazy designs even prompted songs by the Bruce Springsteen and others who referred to them as the tail fin road locomotives. .
Then, in 2003, under Bob Lutz’s leadership, General Motors unveiled the Cadillac 16 Concept , a vehicle that took the traditional long nose, short deck design to the nth degree. A custom 829 cubic inch (13,584 cc), 16-cylinder engine under the hood produced more than 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque, which is the torque needed to melt asphalt. The V-16 Concept was introduced at a time when fuel economy was top of mind for Americans, just like the original V-16 Roadster did, and it was never put into production.
Readers need to be aware of Cadillac’s thinking in order to understand why it has struggled for years to find its footing in a time when the market demanded smaller, more efficient cars and most of its models were warmed over versions of a Chevrolet ( Cimarron ) or Opel ( Catera ). It didn’t start to recapture some of its swagger until it grabbed a Chevy Suburban, plastered a Cadillac emblem the size of a dinner plate on the grille, and named it an Escalade. The business anticipates that with the Celestiq, it will once again be The Standard of the World.
IMAGES ARE WORTH THOUSAND WORDS There aren’t many details regarding the Celestiq, but the firm isn’t short on praise for it in its press release, which insisted on printing the name in all caps, a ridiculous habit we refuse to follow. As CELESTIQ gets closer to production, the Cadillac design and engineering teams will use it as a reference point as they continue to develop it. CELESTIQ was designed to guide Cadillac’s electric future and was inspired by the brand’s 120-year history.
According to Magalie Debellis, manager of Cadillac Advanced Design, the CELESTIQ show car is the most authentic manifestation of Cadillac. It brings to life the brand’s most cohesive displays of design and innovation, which come together to form a true Cadillac flagship’s defining statement.
The design and engineering teams immersed themselves in the craftsmanship and customisation that characterized early Cadillac cars, including the hand-built 1957 Eldorado Brougham and the bespoke V-16 powered coaches of the pre-war era. The culmination of that heritage is the CELESTIQ, which was created using cutting-edge production techniques and modern technology.
According to chief engineer Tony Roma, those cars represented the height of luxury in their respective times and contributed to making Cadillac the industry benchmark. The CELESTIQ show car is also a sedan since that design provides the best luxury experience and builds on their history and expresses the sense of arrival.
The photographs, whether they are in all caps or not, actually tell you everything you need to know about the Celestiq now that the hyperventilating has been put to rest. Initially, the outside.
And now for the inside.
WHO WE ARE Numerous intriguing qualities are included in the Celestiq. It will introduce the newest hands-free driving system from GM called Ultra Cruise. According to Cadillac, Ultra Cruise will cover 95% of driving situations on the 2 million miles of US roads. The system is the first to use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Ride Platform, which will have the processing power of several hundred personal computers, according to The Verge .
Thanks to GM’s Suspended Particle Device technology, which emphasizes customization, personalization, and privacy for all the fortunate few who ride inside, the panoramic glass roof allows each occupant of the vehicle to establish their own level of transparency. A 55-inch digital screen that spans the length and width of the passenger area with active privacy measures like electronic digital blinds that restrict the driver’s view while allowing passengers to watch films.
HYPERBOLE FROM CADILLAC ADDED Let’s continue the press release’s puffery, shall we?
The mid-century masterpieces of architect Eero Saarinen and other iconic American designs, which were unveiled at the dawn of an age and have persisted with a distinct timeless quality, served as further sources of inspiration for designers.
For the CELESTIQ show car, realizing and incorporating those ideas into an Ultium-based EV design led to a fresh expression that views the entirety of travel as a customized experience meant to elicit an emotional response. The outcome is a vehicle that creates a lasting personal connection and leaves a captivating first impression.
According to Cadillac Color and Trim creative designer Laetitia Lopez, we have matched the beauty of form with the beauty of function. Through the use of the best real materials, exquisite detailing, and cutting-edge technology, we had to reevaluate every aspect in order to fully immerse the consumer and all of their senses and establish a relationship with the car.
The Eero Saarinen-designed GM V-16 Roadster 0 in Warren, Michigan, which made its debut in May 1956, will be where the Celestiq is put together. Since then, it has served as the focal point for all engineering and design work done by the organization. The Celestiq, the company’s first production vehicle built there since it began production, will be built there thanks to a $81 million expansion by GM.
THE WORLD’S STANDARD? You cannot dismiss the Cadillac Celestiq as a vehicle. Its large, brash, and overt aesthetic will divide people. The point is that it is a love-it-or-hate-it proposition that you can’t ignore. Cadillac may only sell a handful of them at $300,000 each, but they don’t mind. The Celestiq is a true halo car—an aspirational automobile whose goal is to cast a welcoming glow over each and every other vehicle the firm produces. Its purpose is to entice clients to showrooms so they can admire it before stepping behind the wheel of a brand-new Lyriq. That’s the Celesiq’s purpose, and for Cadillac, that’s sufficient.
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