Cadillac has gone all-in on electrification and its first vehicle, the Lyriq crossover, goes on sale later this year. Following that will be the Celestiq, a new flagship sedan for the U.S. market. It’s been some time since we heard about it but today, Cadillac dropped some fresh teaser photos of its new halo car and we’re liking what we see.
The Cadillac Celestiq will be super-futuristic based on the four photos shown today. One of the standouts is the taillights, which look like LED light blades out of Tron. They protrude out of the car, too, which is likely to pay homage to Cadillacs of the past and their iconic fins. There’s also a driver’s side front fender shot showing a design accent that appears to be illuminated along with large aerodynamically optimized alloy wheels. There’s also a small logo that looks eerily similar to Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Ecstasy ornament except this one’s about to take flight, hinting that Cadillac could be bringing back the Flying Goddess. Looking closely at the hood lines, the Celestiq appears to have a clamshell hood because the cutouts are off to the side and curve over the wheel arches.
Cadillac Celestiq teased with futuristic design cues
Two of the four shots show an Easter egg and another portion of the Celestiq. The former appears to be a bolt of some type and has “Standard of the World” written around it. This could be a lock or some piece from the interior of the car that’s been purposely exposed as a way to show off the car’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. One detail could be a trim piece on the exterior or interior and it appears to be a metal trim on top of another metal piece. It’s most likely a chrome accent on the Celestiq’s interior; however, its location remains unknown.
When it arrives by the mid-2020s, the Celestiq will be the second Cadillac vehicle underpinned by the Ultium suite. Unlike the Lyriq, this will be a no-holds-barred flagship full-size sedan, meaning it will be extremely expensive and get the latest features from the General Motors parts bin.
Expect the Celestiq to have powerful electric motors with a RWD bias on high-output AWD models. The car will also be the first vehicle to get the Ultra Cruise semi-autonomous driver assistance system. This expands the capabilities of the current Super Cruise system with the ability to follow internal navigation routes and react to traffic lights or other traffic control devices. Ultra Cruise will also allow the Celestiq to execute turns, change lanes, evade collisions, and automatically park itself. The system uses a set of cameras, radar, and LiDAR sensors to see 360 degrees around the vehicle.
Like Super Cruise, alerts from Ultra Cruise will be shown via lights on the steering wheel and the gauge cluster. It will also go one step further by showing what’s in your line of sight via a display called the Ultra Cruise Dynamic Display. To ensure you’re paying attention to the road ahead, there’s a camera facing you.
The Celestiq will also get Cadillac’s new infotainment with a massive display spanning the entire dash. This should be the next evolution of what first appeared on the Escalade and is now in the Lyriq. Expect the Cadillac Celestiq to debut soon as a near-production prototype and will be followed by the final iteration soon after.
