Sollei Concept proves Cadillac wants to go high-luxury again

Cadillac has revealed the Sollei Concept, an exquisite two-door convertible that is, in fact, a Celestiq, Cadillac’s new high-luxury limousine, minus a roof and two doors.

Once heralded as one of the premier luxury marques worldwide, Cadillac’s status faltered as its cars increasingly shared parts with other, more common General Motors vehicles. That is set to change with the imminent arrival of the hand-built, highly bespoke electric Celestiq.

Roofless Celestiq

At its core, the Sollei Concept is a roofless Celestiq with two fewer doors. This is evident from the illuminated grille that dominates the front end, with everything ahead of the A-pillar shared with the Celestiq.

The Sollei and Celestiq also have the same wheelbase and overall length. While Cadillac was very quiet on powertrain specifics, company representatives did say that the Sollei utilizes the same Ultium battery platform.

However, the Sollei concept is less about the driving experience and more focused on design and craftsmanship. The name comes from ‘sol’, which means sun, and ‘lei’, which means leisure, and the design exudes tranquility.

The Sollei is hand-painted in Manila Cream, a color first found on Cadillacs in 1957 and 1958. The convertible rolls on 23-inch wheels with a gleaming silver finish, while the other metal trim, such as the brushed aluminum windshield surround, glows with a rose gold look. Instead of door handles, subtle buttons are integrated into the door trim.

Luxury hand-made

The doors are colossal, easily 1,5 m long, and glide open to reveal an elegant interior with swaths of rich leather and acres of the finest wood. The wood was left unstained to show off the natural color and grain patterns and has an open-pore finish.

Each strip of wood is hand-cut and hand-laid using marquetry, a furniture technique. In an Art Deco pattern, the paneling runs down the side of the cabin and up the rear of the seats.

The dashboard is essentially the same as the Celestiq, with the same 55-inch pane of glass spanning the width and containing two separate screens.

Between the rear seats, an integrated chiller with a powered glass door holds a bespoke crystal decanter and glasses. The interior ambient lighting has 126 color choices and several zones that can be individually adjusted.

Exclusive series?

Cadillac’s press release mentions a fabric roof, although Cadillac didn’t show pics of the closed Sollei.  The concept was officially unveiled at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, a newly restored, state-of-the-art facility at GM’s Global Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan. This location is dedicated to providing a bespoke design experience for Cadillac Celestiq clients.

Cadillac describes the Sollei as a design exercise but also says that it “pushes the boundaries of future bespoke commissions.” There’s a fair chance that several Celestiq reservation holders will phone Cadillac wanting a Sollei, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see a very limited production run. In any way, the concept reaffirms Cadillac’s commitment to high-end luxury and hand-crafted, bespoke vehicles.