It’s official—Cadillac is taking on Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
When rumors started swirling of the Cadillac Celestiq costing Rolls-Royce-money, I was pretty skeptical. Cadillac had never really dabbled in cars at that price point before. However, those rumors are true, as the Celestiq will carry a starting price of $340,000.
Cadillac global chief marketing officer Melissa Grady Dias took to LinkedIn earlier in the week to not only announce its price but that each car will be heavily customizable, much like a Rolls or Bentley.
“Since its introduction, we’ve seen extremely high demand for Celestiq. Clients who begin this bespoke journey can personalize their Celestiq and make it a true reflection of their personality—the possibilities are endless. The bespoke spirit of Celestiq will be determined by the client’s level of curation, but the blank canvas will start at approximately $340,000 MSRP,” Dias said.
Customers will be guided through their buying process by their Celestiq-certified dealer of choice and they’ll be able to build and customize their car. It’s unknown just how deep the customization will go and if it will rival brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley, who will cut down a tree in your backyard and use it for trim if you’d like.
Without being able to drive, or even sit in, the Celestiq just yet, it’s hard to tell if it’s going to measure up to the standard of car that customers are used to at that price point. However, on paper, it certainly stacks up. Its 111-kilowatt-hour battery is claimed to provide 300 miles of range, which is more than the new Rolls-Royce Spectre’s 102-kilowatt-hour battery and EPA-estimated 260-mile range. It also has 680 horsepower, which makes it good for 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, besting the Spectre’s 577 horsepower and 4.4 seconds, respectively.
The Cadillac Celestiq will be hand-built at GM’s Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. In the photo accompanying Dias’ post, you can see some of the potential paint, interior, and trim options Cadillac could offer and they do look pretty funky and interesting. But even more interesting will be seeing a “Hand Built in Michigan” plaque in the door sill of a $340,000 electric luxury car.
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