Is Cadillac's Latest HIGH FLYING Approach To Its All-new EV, The Celestiq, GENIUS or DUMB?

Is Cadillac's Latest HIGH FLYING Approach To Its All-new EV, The Celestiq, GENIUS or DUMB?
Of last week's news surrounding General Motors' "EV" day, one of the most perplexing announcements came in form of the all-new electric flagship sedan, the Celestiq.

Initially, it was due to the name. Simply put, it sucks. Now though, we may have a bigger concern.

That's because it's becoming clear that Cadillac is going to be extremely ambitious. It will be hand built locally with only several hundred copies to be sold on an annual basis. Expect it to have a range of about 400 miles and hit 60 mph in under 3 seconds.

So far, so good. Right? This is where it goes pear shaped.

According to reports it will cost upwards of $200,000. Yes. You read that correctly.

$200,000. For a Cadillac.

We've got to ask: Is this a GENIUS move or straight up DUMB?



Cadillac has every reason to be timid when it comes to its forthcoming electric flagship sedan. The company's first foray into electrification—the Volt-based ELR—was a stunning flop. Its sedan lineup as a whole is struggling. And its tech-forward CT6 flagship sedan is now officially dead. No matter; the company is pushing forward with a top-shelf electric sedan. It won't be cheap.

According to Wall Street Journal autos reporter Mike Colias on Twitter, Cadillac President Steve Carlisle said that the upcoming Celestiq will have a six-figure price tag. "[A]nd it won’t have a 1 in front of it," Carlisle added. That puts the lower bound of the price at $200,000...

 


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runninglogan1runninglogan1 - 3/11/2020 1:25:28 AM
+4 Boost
Cadillac has needed a true flagship sedan for ages.

At only a few hundred produced per year they'll sell every single one - and it will serve its purpose as a halo vehicle for the brand.


valhallakeyvalhallakey - 3/11/2020 1:40:12 AM
+3 Boost
It must have stand out styling without being bizarre and a no expense spared designer interior. Cadillac has needed this for years.


MDarringerMDarringer - 3/11/2020 8:08:53 AM
+2 Boost
At $200K it's straight-up dumb.

I would encourage them to make it look like the Cadillac Sixteen.

$125K would be more appropriate.


CANADIANCOMMENTSCANADIANCOMMENTS - 3/11/2020 4:53:06 PM
+2 Boost
They should have made something like the Sixteen. Every rapper and ball player and playboy would have wanted to have one. At least for a while. It could have been an "It" car and the one to have once you made it.


countguycountguy - 3/11/2020 8:44:44 AM
+4 Boost
Was excited about this until the price. Off my list.


DeutschlandDeutschland - 3/11/2020 9:19:13 AM
+5 Boost
If they priced it under an S-Class it may be a cool vehicle, but alas 200k is painfully dumb. Heck a Bentley Continental V8 is like 260k




SuperCarEnthusiastSuperCarEnthusiast - 3/11/2020 10:55:43 AM
+1 Boost
Cadillac is always trying to draw interest in concepts that look outstanding at the time but we’re never built and they just recycle the design concepts for past 15 years over and over again! LOL!


1lostVW1lostVW - 3/11/2020 4:52:17 PM
+2 Boost
A 450 mile range Escalade would be a much better use of GM resources than building a sedan of any iteration. This is an BIG SUV country, there are no long-range Big Suv's, go for the market, not the show!


xjug1987axjug1987a - 3/11/2020 6:53:16 PM
-1 Boost
This is yet another swing and miss for GM. They don’t know how to make a $200k vehicle they only know how to price a vehicle at $200k.

The Allante - swing, priced at MB SL levels = failure.
The Catera - swing, 3 series pricing = failed,
The XLR once again SL priced and The XLR-V at $100k = failed.
The ELR @ $75k = failure... finally the CT6 was a great effort but only 75% finished = failure... the total idiots running this company need to be tarred, feathered, fired and then chased out of town. They’re an embarrassment and they’ve made GM a very bad joke...


MDarringerMDarringer - 3/11/2020 7:17:29 PM
+1 Boost
XT5 total miss
XT4 total miss
CT5 total miss
CT4 swing...but too late


TomMTomM - 3/11/2020 7:46:06 PM
+2 Boost
Remember - the Escala was a Hatchback too - and that would be a BIG miss in the Halo Car Range

WHile I might have said that the price won't be a factor a month ago - the stock market has really tanked since then - and a lot of would be buyers will be worrying about their 401Ks now more than a prestige EV. In fact - I would expect the sale of higher priced cars to soften at least - Because the low interest rate had a lot of people highly leveraged - who now have lost 20-25% of their portfolio value if heavily in the market. My losses are in the 7 figures too.


MDarringerMDarringer - 3/11/2020 8:30:07 PM
0 Boost
It could have easily been produced as a sedan though given that modern sedans look like hatchbacks.


xjug1987axjug1987a - 3/12/2020 9:26:55 AM
-1 Boost
i disagree that lift back would have been a failure... If they were to build the El Miraj and the Escala, as presented (production ready) they'd sell because they're stunning and different....


NewQNewQ - 3/12/2020 12:28:18 AM
+4 Boost
It depends on what you mean by "genius". Do you mean a good idea in theory, or whether it will be a success?

In theory, this is a great idea. A super-luxury Cadillac to put the marque back where it used to be, alongside Bentley and Rolls-Royce, what a return to form!

In reality, I do worry about the baggage the Cadillac brand now carries after 40 years of mismanagement, especially at that price point. And never underestimate GM's ability to screw this thing up. "Accounting says we'll save a nickel if we put a Chevy Traverse window switch here, so we're going to do that. I'm sure customers in this segment won't even notice."


xjug1987axjug1987a - 3/12/2020 3:09:00 PM
0 Boost
Great article on GM:

https://www.motortrend.com/news/general-motors-shrinks-holden-big-pic-may-20
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