In a move that screams tone-deaf extravagance, Cadillac has unleashed the Celestiq, a $330,000 electric vehicle so absurdly overpriced it’s practically begging to be mocked. This hand-built, ultra-luxury EV is GM’s attempt to rival Rolls-Royce and Bentley, but instead, it’s a glittering monument to corporate hubris. With a measly 25 units planned for 2025—most already spoken for by the ultra-rich who clearly have more money than sense—the Celestiq is less a car and more a punchline. Who greenlit this fiasco, and should heads roll for it?
Let’s start with the price tag: $330,000 for a sedan that offers 650 horsepower and a 300-mile range. For comparison, a Tesla Model S Plaid, with nearly double the acceleration and a longer range, costs a third of that. The Celestiq’s bespoke battery, with its oddball module heights to fit the low roof, screams over-engineered nonsense. Did Cadillac’s engineers think they were crafting a spaceship? The 55-inch dashboard screen and Magnetic Ride Control suspension are nice, but they’re hardly groundbreaking in a world where luxury EVs like the Rolls-Royce Spectre already exist—and actually sell.
The approval process for this boondoggle must have been a masterclass in delusion. Picture GM executives, drunk on their own “Standard of the World” nostalgia, convincing themselves that buyers would flock to a car priced like a mansion down payment. Reports from Motor1 and TechCrunch confirm Cadillac’s struggling to sell even these 25 units, with production capped at “less than two a day.” Meanwhile, the brand’s own Lyriq EV, priced at a sane $60,000, is flying off lots. How did no one at GM pause to question whether the Celestiq made any sense in a cooling EV market?
Heads should absolutely roll. The Celestiq’s failure isn’t just a misstep; it’s a betrayal of Cadillac’s push to electrify sensibly. While the Optiq and Escalade IQ show promise, this vanity project diverts resources from vehicles people actually want. Whoever signed off on this needs a reality check—preferably in the form of a pink slip. Cadillac, take note: luxury doesn’t mean ludicrous.
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