2024 Cadillac Celestiq: What We Know So Far
Electric and priced in Bentley territory, the Celestiq awakens a long-dormant side of Cadillac.
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Cadillac calls the 2024 Celestiq one of the most important vehicles it has ever released, and that’s not an exaggeration. Futuristic looking and electric, the big sedan will compete in a segment that the company hasn’t been present in for many decades. As Cadillac’s new flagship, the Celestiq also previews some of the design cues and technologies that will likely trickle down to more affordable EVs.
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2024 Cadillac Celestiq: Range and Charging
Built around the Ultium technology developed by Cadillac parent company General Motors, the Celestiq rides on a 111-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that zaps a pair of electric motors (one per axle) into motion. The all-wheel-drive system has a total output of 600 hp and 640 lb.-ft. of torque, and Cadillac estimates that the battery pack delivers about 300 miles of driving range. Cadillac claims the luxurious sedan will reach 60 mph from a stop in about 3.8 seconds.
Using a 200-kW DC fast charger adds about 78 miles of range to the battery pack in roughly 10 minutes. Cadillac’s Ultium Charge 360 app gives owners access to more than 110,000 public charging stations.
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2024 Cadillac Celestiq: Technology
On paper, the Celestiq lives up to its flagship positioning with the longest list of technology features Cadillac has ever offered. The driver faces a steering wheel with a 3D-printed metal insert and a 55-inch wide screen that stretches across the dashboard’s entire width. It encompasses the instrument cluster, the infotainment system’s display, and a screen that lets the front passenger play media or browse the internet on the go. Cadillac also added an 11.0-inch touchscreen to the front center console, an 8.0-inch touchscreen to the rear center console, and a 12.6-inch display integrated into each front seatback.
Ultra Cruise allows the driver to take both hands off the wheel when the right conditions are met, though it doesn’t make the Celestiq autonomous. Cadillac plans to gradually improve the system and pledged to beam new features to the Celestiq via over-the-air software updates. In the meantime, the Celestiq can detect a parking spot and maneuver into it on its own, thanks to a feature called Remote Auto Parking. Cadillac notes the driver needs to be present for this system to work but not necessarily in the car. The same function enables the Celestiq to leave a parking spot in the same manner.
The Celestiq is equipped with a 38-speaker sound system that includes three amplifiers and an ambient lighting setup that consists of 450 LEDs.
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2024 Cadillac Celestiq: Pricing and Availability
Cadillac expects the Celestiq will enter production in December 2023 with a base price pegged at more than $300,000. That figure vaults the sedan into an arena traditionally reserved for companies such as Bentley and positions it far above Cadillac’s existing models. For context, the most expensive member of the brand’s 2023 lineup is the supercharged 6.2-liter V8-powered Escalade ESV-V, which starts around $155,000.
Don’t look for a new Celestiq on your local Cadillac dealer’s lot. Each example will be built to order, the firm promises no two examples will be identical, and buyers will work directly with Cadillac designers via a concierge to configure the car to their exact specifications.
It may be a high-tech model, but it will be at least partially hand-assembled at the automaker’s factory in Detroit.
