Cadillac’s hand-built electric flagship, the Celestiq, was meant to mark the return of American automotive grandeur. Instead, it risks becoming an expensive ghost — rarer than a Bugatti, but not by the board’s initial plan. Nearly three years since its glitzy announcement, fewer than 25 buyers have committed to the €300,000 EV, and even that figure appears optimistic.
Hand-assembled
Revealed in 2022 as a reinvention of the brand once synonymous with luxury, the Celestiq was pitched as Cadillac’s moonshot. Every vehicle is assembled by hand in a bespoke facility in Warren, Michigan. General Motors poured €72 million into the project, promising a tailor-made experience akin to Rolls-Royce, complete with a design studio where customers could match paint colours to private jets or yacht interiors.
But dreams have met a chilly dose of reality. Cadillac hoped to build as many as 500 units a year. In 2025, that number will be closer to 25. And even chillier: not all have buyers.
At launch, GM boasted of overwhelming demand, suggesting early capacity had been snapped up. That appears to have been wishful thinking. Whether it was marketing hubris or simply misreading the ultra-luxury EV crowd, the Celestiq now finds itself awkwardly alone at the top of Cadillac’s range — and somewhat unwanted.
Stark contrast
Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has entered the EV arena with the Spectre, with greater enthusiasm following. The British marque reports that demand has exceeded all projections, with the order book full well into 2025. Waiting times are now stretching beyond 15 months. The contrast couldn’t be starker.
What went wrong? Cadillac may still carry weight in nostalgic corners of the US, but it struggles to command prestige at a price point north of $300,000 among global ultra-luxury buyers. Especially when performance specs fall short of rivals: 655 horsepower, 875 Nm of torque, 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds. Solid, but no longer sensational in a world of Lucids and other eager EV startups.
Then there’s the electric part. The Celestiq’s 111 kWh battery delivers around 483 kilometers of range and supports fast charging up to 200 kW. This is respectable but not revolutionary, and certainly not enough to wow the type of customer who might otherwise consider a Spectre, or even a high-end Mercedes EQS or BMW i7.
“Super low volume”
Cadillac insists the Celestiq was never about volume. “This is super low volume,” an executive told famous car enthusiast Jay Leno in a video tour. “Think hundreds, not thousands.” But there’s low volume, and then there’s deafening silence.
The Celestiq could still find a niche, perhaps as a collector’s item or a symbol of GM’s technical prowess. But it could just as easily be remembered as another bold American luxury play that failed to resonate beyond the brand’s boardroom. Remember the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept.
For Cadillac, the Celestiq was meant to mark a new chapter. Instead, it risks being a cautionary tale: a hand-crafted halo car, exclusive not because of scarcity by design, but because even the happy few aren’t asking for it.
