The Cadillac Celestiq is quite different from any other vehicle in the luxury marque’s present-day product portfolio. The hand-built, $340,000 fastback doesn’t roll off an assembly line like a Cadillac CT5 or Escalade do. Instead, production is closer to that of an Aston Martin or Ferrari. So much so, that Cadillac expects to build one to two units per day.
Adding to the complexity is the magnitude of customization available to customers as well as the intricate software development needed to bring the ultra-luxury all-electric flagship to market. Due to the unique challenges associated with this rollout, Cadillac has opted to delay deliveries of the Cadillac Celestiq yet again. A relaunch is set to take place soon, and the very first Celestiqs should finally begin to reach customers this summer.
When prompted for comment, a Cadillac spokesperson articulated such sentiment. “Before delivering to clients, our team is ensuring Celestiq is held to the highest standards and perfected for the superior driving experience they deserve,” said the spokesperson.
Mark Reuss, president of Cadillac parent, General Motors, recently explained some of the growing pains associated with bringing the Cadillac Celestiq to market.
“Just to be really transparent, we struggled launching our regular EVs, and so we’ve built our software capability to really execute and execute on time,” Reuss told CNBC. “We didn’t want to execute the car without everything being perfect on the software front,” he added.
For reference, Celestiq deliveries were originally expected to begin for the 2024 model year. Notably, there have been a few changes since then. For instance, the maximum output from the dual electric motors was revised to 655 horsepower and 646 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 55 horsepower and 6 pound-feet of torque compared to the original figures. The acceleration time and estimated driving range also saw slight changes. Current estimates include a 3.7-second sprint from 0-to-60 mph and a maximum driving range of 303 miles per charge.
The Celestiq’s core components include a 111-kWh battery pack, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive propulsion system, and a unique variant of the BEV3 architecture.
