It’s been a long and bumpy road, but Cadillac is one step closer to returning to the “Standard of the World” as the first Celestiq was delivered to its owner during a private ceremony at Cadillac House. The moment was years in the making as the model debuted in the fall of 2022 and was originally slated to go into production the following year.

Of course, the company’s return to the ultra-luxury segment started long before this happened. In fact, it can probably be traced back to Cadillac’s reinvention in 2002, which saw the unveiling of the CTS. Not long after, in 2003, Cadillac unveiled the stunning Sixteen concept and hinted at their return to the upper echelons of automotive elegance.

More: We Visit Cadillac House, Home Of The Celestiq

However, fans had a long wait ahead of them and Cadillac kept them on their toes. To help keep the faith alive, they introduced a string of high-profile concepts including the Ciel and Elmiraj. The latest is the Sollei, which is essentially a drop top Celestiq.

Cadillac didn’t say much about the first production model, but they released a single picture of a brown car with a brown interior. The company noted the model was “built to the client’s individual specifications” as every customer can work with a Celestiq concierge and Cadillac designer to create a unique car that fits their “tastes and desires.”

While a lot has changed in the past few years, the Celestiq is more powerful and capable than originally announced. The production model has a 111 kWh battery pack that feeds a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing 655 hp (488 kW / 664 PS) and 646 lb-ft (875 Nm) of torque. This setup enables the car to rocket from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.7 seconds and travel an estimated 303 miles (488 km) between charges.

Besides the beefy powertrain, the Celestiq is notable for having power open and close doors as well as massive 23-inch wheels. The car also has an undeniable presence as it measures 217.2 inches (5,517 mm) long, which makes it longer than an Escalade.

The interior is dominated by screens as there’s a 55-inch pillar-to-pillar display, an 11-inch Front Command Center, and an 8-inch Rear Command Center. Customers will also find two 12.6-inch rear passenger displays. Other highlights include Super Cruise, a dimmable fixed glass roof, and a 38- or 42-speaker audio system.

Pricing starts in the “mid-$300,000 range,” although the actual cost is determined by a customer’s individual level of curation.

The Standard of the World. That’s what Cadillac wants to be, and it’s not just us saying it. The automaker declared it, and it’s dead set on achieving that goal with the new Celestiq. Forget forging ahead with a big V8 or a super-luxe version of the long-loved Escalade. It went with an all-electric super sedan, priced like a Rolls-Royce. A new photo of one in the wild has us wondering if it’s going to miss its target.

A Suburban Reality Check

The car in question was spotted by an eagle-eyed Redditor just ten miles from GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. It wasn’t parked outside a multi-million-dollar mansion either. This appears to be an everyday home in the suburbs. In this setting, one we rarely see surrounding cars of this caliber, the Celestiq almost seems pedestrian. It’s worth noting that it had manufacturer plates, so it’s highly likely driven by either a GM employee or a journalist, as Cadillac has been providing testers to the press recently.

More: Cadillac’s $340K Celestiq Doesn’t Force You To Crawl Through The Trunk To Fix A Dead Battery After All

Sure, the Celestiq’s styling is no doubt more aggressive and out there than common cars. Still, it looks quite at home. The average passerby probably wouldn’t recognize that the car they’re looking at might cost more than the house it’s parked at. Nevertheless, everything we’re hearing about the Celestiq indicates that it’s a real moonshot worthy of praise.

After testing one, Jethro Bovington of Road and Track said that “Cadillac has been brave here, and I commend the sheer madness of it all.” What madness is he speaking of? Cadillac went all-out when it came to engineering here.

The Celestiq is packed with tech that’s as over-the-top as its price tag. It comes equipped with Magneride 4.0 shocks to smooth out the bumps and reduce chatter from the road. Under the hood, the electric motors deliver a respectable 655 horsepower and 646 lb-ft of torque. The dashboard? A 55-inch screen stretches across it like a sci-fi movie set. Passengers aren’t left out either, with two 12.6-inch screens in the back row.

Oh, and did we mention there are 38 speakers in the car? That’s almost certainly more than is in the entire house this one is parked at. Cadillac didn’t stop at just the opulent materials and high-end engineering side of things.

Customization Like You’ve Never Seen Before

The customization process is just as wild. According to Motor Trend, potential buyers get to be a part of the design process, and that includes rocking up to Cadillac House, the site, in Michigan. Once there, customers who have a connection to a previous Cadillac will likely find that model along with the Celestiq sitting on the floor of the venue.

From there, they can pick different fabrics, carpets, leathers, specific bits of interior trim, and yes, wheels too. Cadillac is only hand-building around 25 of these a year, and it says that there are some 350,000 combinations available with the options buyers have. Essentially, you’ll never see two of these that are identical.

Will Cadillac’s Celestiq Succeed?

At the same time, none of this means that the Celestiq will be a success. Cadillac has been slower to start production than it had hoped. Bovington rightly points out that Rolls-Royce is struggling to sell its all-electric Spectre. That could indicate that the Celestiq will be an even harder sale.

AutoNews points to a connection to the Lincoln Continental Mark II. “Launched by Ford’s separate Continental division for the 1956 model year, it was a masterpiece of mid-century design and exclusivity. It was also, at around $9,966 (about $117,000 in today’s money), the most expensive American-made car of its time. The result? It was a commercial flop.”

So, Will It Be a Success or a Footnote?

Looking at the Celestiq sitting in a suburban driveway, you might wonder if this is a preview of its future – a short-lived experiment destined to be a trivia answer. Will Cadillac’s electric dream get lost in the shuffle, or will it become the thing that pushes the brand into a whole new era?

Only time will tell, but at least we know one thing for sure already. Cadillac went all-in on this project, and whether it’s a massive hit or not, you can bet that history won’t forget it anytime soon.

Credit: Daily-Delay193

The Cadillac XLR is nearly 20 years old, but it’s still fondly remembered today. While it wasn’t perfect, the idea of transforming a Corvette into a luxurious flagship to battle the best Germany has to offer still packs plenty of appeal.

That’s especially true now that the Corvette moved to a mid-engine layout. This would seemingly make a new XLR a perfect addition to Cadillac’s lineup, and a V-Series variant based on the 1,064 hp (793 kW / 1,079 PS) ZR1 would be wonderfully insane.

More: Cadillac’s Opulent Velocity Concept Is The Electric Hypercar Of The Future

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen as GM President Mark Reuss recently told CNBC that a modern-day XLR wouldn’t mesh with Cadillac’s brand strategy. It calls on vehicles to share platforms with mainstream brands, but be truly unique thanks to bold designs, special interiors, and additional changes.

While the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon have a lot in common, the luxury SUV feels like its own vehicle thanks to an exclusive cabin. It features a 55-inch pillar-to-pillar display as well as an available Executive Second Row package, which adds a rear center console with a digital command center, dual wireless smartphone chargers, and retractable tray tables. Buyers can also get the Escalade-V, which has a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 developing 682 hp (508 kW / 691 PS) and 653 lb-ft (885 Nm) of torque.

A modern-day XLR, on the other hand, would have reportedly been too much like the Corvette. As Reuss explained, “It was developed as a secondary car to the Corvette” and “we would never do that” now.

Celestiq Is Being Relaunched, Despite Never Launching

Michael Gauthier / Carscoops

The Cadillac Celestiq debuted in 2022, but you’ve probably never seen one. That’s not surprising, as it still hasn’t been delivered to customers. Production was expected to begin in December of 2023, with deliveries set for the following year. As part of the preparations for launch, we visited Cadillac House in 2024 and were told the Celestiq has attracted “many” customers.

Hopefully, they’re a patient bunch as Reuss told the publication “We didn’t want to execute the car without everything being perfect on the software front.” He added they’re “relaunching the car.”

That’s a disappointing return to the ultra-luxury segment, but the first customer deliveries will reportedly begin by the middle of the year. Interestingly, if the model proves successful, it could reportedly spawn a line of hand-built vehicles. This suggests the well-received Sollei concept could eventually go into production.

Cadillac Primed For Success, But Still Isn’t The Standard Of The World

While several luxury brands are in a bind due to Trump’s tariffs, Cadillac could benefit as most of its vehicles are made in the United States. The CT4 and CT5 are made at Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan, while the Celestiq and Escalade IQ are built in Detroit (or nearby). The standard Escalade is made in Texas, while the Lyriq and Vistiq call Tennessee home.

One of the few models made outside of the United States is the Optiq that’s built at the Ramos Arizpe Assembly plant in Mexico.

Cadillac has made a lot of progress in the past few years, but there’s still room for improvement. Reuss acknowledged as much as he said the brand was not the ‘standard of the world’ and “still isn’t.” However, he contends the “vision is there and it’s pretty clear.”

Update: Turns out, you don’t have to crawl through the Cadillac Celestiq like some kind of luxury burglar to jump-start the 12V battery, as originally reported. Thanks to the manual, we now know there’s an easier way to do it. We’ve updated the article to reflect this new, less claustrophobic method.

Automotive design has come a long way, but sometimes it feels like we’re taking a few awkward steps backward. A prime example? The Cadillac Celestiq. This $340,000 (starting price) all-electric, hand-built super sedan is Cadillac’s big play to remind everyone that it’s “the standard of the world.”

If the method for accessing the battery is the new benchmark, though, we might all want to collectively hit the rewind button. The good news it’s that it isn’t as bad as was first reported.

More: Cadillac Projects EVs Will Make Up 35% Of Its Sales This Year

Originally, it seemed like a dead 12V battery would trap owners in a strange, high-end version of a luxury escape room. According to GM Authority, if the car lost power, you’d have to access the cabin through the trunk like a burglar on a mission, and then dig your way to the manual release system. Only after all that could you finally jump-start the 12V battery back to life.

Apparently, that’s not the case after all. While Cadillac hasn’t responded to our email from earlier today when we asked them about the procedure, Carbuzz reported (and we’ve also confirmed via the owner’s manual that you can see below), that Celestiq owners have a simpler option.

The automaker provides jump leads that can relay power directly to the 12V battery in the trunk. It’s still not exactly a walk in the park, as owners will need to remove an interior panel to access the leads, but it’s certainly a far cry from crawling through a $340,000 car like it’s a secret agent mission.

First, owners will need to access the trunk by opening it with the physical key and remove the load floor. After that, they’ll take out the storage bin underneath and look for the jumper leads on the left side of the trunk. Once they’ve located the leads, they can jump-start the 12V battery, get into the car, pop the front trunk, and either charge the battery directly or replace it if necessary.

The Celestiq is built-to-order, and maybe buyers with deep enough pockets can request something radical like… a mechanical frunk latch that is unlockable via a key? If the trunk can have it, why not the frunk too? Sure, most owners will probably call Cadillac to come deal with it, but at this price point, convenience should be a feature, not an upgrade.

We’re also waiting for Cadillac’s response and will update the article if we hear back from them.