The Cadillac Celestiq is the brand’s new flagship product that is going into production about a year from now. It is a true masterpiece that will be assembled as a custom commission with prices starting at $300,000 – and that’s before options and customizations are added. It may seem way too expensive and extravagant for a mainstream manufacturer but it turns out the demand for the Celestiq is very strong. In fact, it exceeds the company’s expectations by much.
The Autoline Network’s weekly podcast had Tony Roma, the Celestiq’s chief engineer, as a guest last week and he revealed some quite interesting facts about the development and production of the electric vehicle. Roma also confirmed the demand for the luxury battery-powered cruiser is way beyond what everyone in the company expected and this basically means the model is sold out for the first 12 to 18 months after production begins.
Gallery: 2024 Cadillac Celestiq reveal
“We already have quite a few hand raisers, like, many many more than we're going to be able to build in the first year or 18 months,” Roma said during the podcast. However, there are no exact numbers regarding Cadillac’s production capacity for the Celestiq, though Roma hinted no more than two units will be assembled daily. “The rate we're going to build these things is around two per day; they are essentially hand-assembled,” Roma added. Maybe 400 will be assembled in the first year? Maybe.
Just like the production process of the Celestiq, the buying process will also be unique. Dealers of the brand will connect the customer with a concierge who will coordinate the communication with a designer, who will make each car built look exactly as its owner wants. Or, put simply, no two examples will be alike as there are almost countless customization options available. The production will take place at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, with the team working on no more than six vehicles at a time.
As a reminder, Cadillac’s halo car rides on GM’s Ultium Platform and is powered by two electric motors with an estimated total output of 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) and 640 pound-feet (868 Newton-meters) of torque. This is enough power to propel the Celestiq from a standstill to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in just 3.8 seconds.
