[Cuthundreville97]

Pretty sweet vehicle Caddy is coming up with here. This has a ton of promise.

Cadillac Celestiq EV teased at CES 2021 with bright front end, wild glass roof

The roof is split into four quadrants, each capable of dimming on its own.

www.cnet.com

 

[dchavezo]

Cooooool can’t wait to see moar. Love that it’s a sedan

 

[Submariner409]

Lotsa bells and whistles to give you the screaming mimis after 6 months of ownership. Xbox on wheels. Pass.

 

[FTSS]

According to narrator:
"Soouuper Expensive"
"Reminds me of a '50's Hudson Hornet"

Cliffs: and expanding on Sub-'s take:
-Worrisome that promotions tout that "topping everything off is a ground-breaking ['60's era quality Vegas Strip light show] full glass roof"!
-Started to remind me of a '49 Cady Fastback, but without any attractive '49 Cady Fastback cues
-Distracted Driving "To Infinity And Beyond!" Will make wrongful death class-action suit attorneys a fortune
-A car to wait at least 15 years to get all the bugs out
-Front-end busier than a Queen Family Truckster

 

[Cuthundreville97]

Lotsa bells and whistles to give you the screaming mimis after 6 months of ownership. Xbox on wheels. Pass.

Rolls Royces and Bentleys have tons of bells and whistles too, and last I checked, no one complains about them. Maybach can be thrown in there too. It comes with the territory of building ultra high-end luxury sedans, something Cadillac hasn't done in, oh, about 50 years. Not to mention that electric drive components won't give you the mechanical headaches of the current high luxury players.

And please don't take this the wrong way...but you aren't exactly Cadillac's target demographic with this thing anyway.

According to narrator:
"Soouuper Expensive"
"Reminds me of a '50's Hudson Hornet"

Cliffs: and expanding on Sub-'s take:
-Worrisome that promotions tout that "topping everything off is a ground-breaking ['60's era quality Vegas Strip light show] full glass roof"!
-Started to remind me of a '49 Cady Fastback, but without any attractive '49 Cady Fastback cues
-Distracted Driving "To Infinity And Beyond!" Will make wrongful death class-action suit attorneys a fortune
-A car to wait at least 15 years to get all the bugs out
-Front-end busier than a Queen Family Truckster

Interesting take. I guess I'd say this.

• The glass roof doesn't top everything off, but it does present a fully dimmable feature that actually segments the entire thing into quadrants that can dim separately for each occupant, and even match the ambient lighting. Call me insane, but that's far, far more desirable to me than the RR starlight headliners, which everyone loves for some reason but seems a little tacky to me.
• You can barely even see the back end (on purpose), so I'm not sure how you made that judgement. Though you are right that it is indeed a fastback sedan, similar to an Audi A7/RS7. That's undoubtedly to increase legroom and to stretch the headroom further towards the back of the car.
• Not hardly. This will have the most advanced safety features around, including some which hasn't even been revealed yet (wink wink). Hardly crashproof, but making the claim that a massive screen will contribute to more crashes is kind of silly. The larger and more intuitive, the less likely you'll need to divert focus from the road. Not to mention that there were actually more crashes 30 years ago than today, even if only negligible. Statistically, phones are far more likely to cause an accident compared to infotainment screens. That's your issue.
• 15 years? Why is that? It's a far, far simpler vehicle to build when compared to, say, a CT6, simply looking at components and engineering.
• Front end is subjective, so I can't argue there. I like it, but some won't, only a matter of taste.

 

[Submariner409]

And please don't take this the wrong way...but you aren't exactly Cadillac's target demographic with this thing anyway.

What "demographic" is Cadillac targeting? I could walk into a Cadillac dealership anywhere in the U.S. and write a personal check for the entire car/tax/tags/deal of six figures and never hiccup. Too old? I can still run the devil out of the STS, out-drive many people in autocross, and did three Friday Night Test & Tune runs at Cecil County Dragway last fall. BUT, in the long run, you may be correct: I'll never own or set foot into a battery powered or "smart" car - I still enjoy driving too much to go riding in a computer-operated wheelchair.

 

[FTSS]

.............
And please don't take this the wrong way...but you aren't exactly Cadillac's target demographic with this thing anyway.


.........

Damn Sub-, you always getting the best compliments.

Now regarding the actual car. My perspectives are tainted by over a half-century's accumulated history watching equally enticing and exciting and forward-leaning concepts diluted into 'never got produced' milquetoast eventual offerings. The poorly lit 'shiny objects' abound here, but regrettably come off as so much vaporware and strike this aged curmudgeon as just studies in corp. AI heuristics research and test marketing ever since this model name got dropped on the public.

The blurb makes sidelong swipes at returning the marque as the supreme ultra-luxury benchmark, after the past half-century as not-so-much. I'm not the brand's target market either, but at Millennial's current age my gen commanded over 30% of the nation's wealth while they have plummeted to under 5%. If they anticipate satisfying only Rolls Royce's, Bentley's or Maybach's segment, then that sorta lines out the majority of this country's demographic. Come to think of it, that seems to match the Chinese angle perfectly.

 

[Blastphemy]

The glass roof doesn't top everything off, but it does present a fully dimmable feature that actually segments the entire thing into quadrants that can dim separately for each occupant, and even match the ambient lighting.

I saw that in the video, but it appeared to just be a special CGI effect as the virtual camera zoomed back out of the vaporware vehicle. Is there any official documentation stating that the Celestiq will actually have electrochromic glass? (I get the sense that CNET watched the video and just assumed it was a feature.) And will it be just the roof, or will all windows that have this functionality?

Let's hope this car does better than the ELR or CT6-PHEV (or laughable Lyriq).

 

[Cuthundreville97]

I saw that in the video, but it appeared to just be a special CGI effect as the virtual camera zoomed back out of the vaporware vehicle. Is there any official documentation stating that the Celestiq will actually have electrochromic glass? (I get the sense that CNET watched the video and just assumed it was a feature.) And will it be just the roof, or will all windows that have this functionality?

Let's hope this car does better than the ELR or CT6-PHEV (or laughable Lyriq).

Indeed, it is official. It took a while to find yesterday, but this came out from the company that is introducing the tech, Research Frontiers. It's not just for show, even if the teaser used CGI...it's actually coming in the very near future. The company already makes electrochromic glass, this version is just segmented with lighting effects.

As far as the windows, I don't know. I got the sense that the windows will use power shades like today's luxury cars, as no mention was made of them in the video or press releases. But who knows at this point.

RESEARCH FRONTIERS’ SPD-SMARTGLASS TECHOLOGY DEBUTS AT CES IN CADILLAC CELESTIQ ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Woodbury, New York, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In conjunction with General Motors CEO Mary Barra’s keynote address at CES, Cadillac announced the...

www.globenewswire.com

 

[Cuthundreville97]

What "demographic" is Cadillac targeting? I could walk into a Cadillac dealership anywhere in the U.S. and write a personal check for the entire car/tax/tags/deal of six figures and never hiccup. Too old? I can still run the devil out of the STS, out-drive many people in autocross, and did three Friday Night Test & Tune runs at Cecil County Dragway last fall. BUT, in the long run, you may be correct: I'll never own or set foot into a battery powered or "smart" car - I still enjoy driving too much to go riding in a computer-operated wheelchair.

Like I said Sub, don't take it personally. First of all, I don't know your finances, but if you're talking six figures, think starting at $200,000, not $100,000. This isn't aiming for the Genesis G90 or Audi A8, it's shooting for Bentley and Maybach. Are those your type of vehicles? I never took you as a prospective buyer of that class. Now, whether Cadillac can actually pull that off is anyone's guess...but that's their hope.

Also, I wasn't referencing your age or driving ability, either. This definitely won't be a driver's car, and I don't think any age is being targeted. I was talking about extremely wealthy people with tons of cash to burn who want an image car with absolutely no compromises that is on the cutting edge of the entire automotive market. Did that describe you? If not, it's not a criticism, it's not me either. You need to be almost vain to buy a car like this...it's the classic Rolls Royce/Bentley buyer. Same exact demographic. And with the way our governments are about to (unfortunately) regulate the hell out of ICE engines, these people will be switching to EV's likely before anyone else.

I will say this though, I think you need to adjust your perceptions of the car a bit. It may be a very "smart" car, and it's definitely all-electric, but it's not going to be a fully autonomous pod. Cadillac is simply trying to be the first company to enter the ultra high-end luxury EV space before anyone else. The classic ride, exquisite materials, privacy, comfort, etc. that you expect from today's best luxury cars, only electric. It's not going to be an appliance, that's for sure.

 

[Cuthundreville97]

Damn Sub-, you always getting the best compliments.

Now regarding the actual car. My perspectives are tainted by over a half-century's accumulated history watching equally enticing and exciting and forward-leaning concepts diluted into 'never got produced' milquetoast eventual offerings. The poorly lit 'shiny objects' abound here, but regrettably come off as so much vaporware and strike this aged curmudgeon as just studies in corp. AI heuristics research and test marketing ever since this model name got dropped on the public.

The blurb makes sidelong swipes at returning the marque as the supreme ultra-luxury benchmark, after the past half-century as not-so-much. I'm not the brand's target market either, but at Millennial's current age my gen commanded over 30% of the nation's wealth while they have plummeted to under 5%. If they anticipate satisfying only Rolls Royce's, Bentley's or Maybach's segment, then that sorta lines out the majority of this country's demographic. Come to think of it, that seems to match the Chinese angle perfectly.

I wasn't trying to go after Sub, he has always had my respect. It's simply the truth.

And I get your point about future generations and wealth distribution of the country. I'm unfortunately a millennial (hate the term, it's depressing), and I'm well aware that we don't have anywhere near the share of wealth your generation did at out age. A lot of that probably has to do with the laziness of my generation, but I digress. I don't think Millennials need to be behind it either way though, because Cadillac doesn't need them to be. This will be a very limited production car, something like 500-600 units/year, according to Mark Ruess. It's not intended to be a sales king. It's also not intended to make GM a killing, though it likely will be very profitable per vehicle. It's solely about image, to get people excited for future down-market offerings. For better or worse, our favorite luxury brand will be all-electric very soon, so they need a true halo. Now they finally have the capacity to do it.

Will it be a success? Who knows. I know what you mean about watered-down concepts, or no production versions at all. Very disappointing. The reason I think this will be different is because, unlike before, the Celestiq doesn't need a high-end, exclusive platform to come to market, because the BEV3 electric platform is so modular and scalable. It's cost-effectiveness like Cadillac and GM as a whole have never known. Dozens of cars will use it, so Cadillac needs to only focus on a beautiful body and world-class interior. Now a stunning Cadillac concept can finally come to life.

 

[FTSS]

Cherry-picking just where I can contribute worthwhile response:

......................

- You can barely even see the back end (on purpose), so I'm not sure how you made that judgement. Though you are right that it is indeed a fastback sedan, similar to an Audi A7/RS7. That's undoubtedly to increase legroom and to stretch the headroom further towards the back of the car.
What little I have caught appears more of a last gen Lincoln tail with much less of a bonafide fastback. It really reminded me of an updated and rounded small '80's-'90's BMW or Dodge kammback. The Sedanette 62 I refer to had a quite classic sloped backlite ending in line with the rear of the fenderwell, and with a tapered deck even as part of the tail. This one wouldn't need be quite as strong as a boattail Riviera, but something differentiating it from what I think most of the herd of CUVs look like. I hate to admit it, but since everyone but me knows this thing will be strenuously attempting to sell for ~$1/4M it's obviously going to be tilted to 50/50 split front/rear seat riders for space, comfort and amenities. So, I can understand the extensive rear seat area taking priority over an 'abundant' trunk.

......
And I get your point about future generations and wealth distribution of the country. I'm unfortunately a millennial (hate the term, it's depressing), and I'm well aware that we don't have anywhere near the share of wealth your generation did at out age. A lot of that probably has to do with the laziness of my generation, but I digress.

Haha so can use Y-Gen if it lessens the depression. And it ain't got nothing to do with laziness. If there's one thing us boomers got good at was pitching all in on work, work, and more work. OT pay, and more OT for the bonus, double income household, and riding the home appreciation train. One of mine is a Y-Gen, and just one of the by-products of having raised the spoilt lil $HTT is that he's developed both EQ and IQ far surpassing mine. I really think his gen is the best salvation for this country overridden with nasty old creatures in gov't. more wedded to $$ and power than its people. And IMHO the real reason you're depressed is 10,000 of us bommers retiring EVERY DAY (?for the next 15 years??) and sucking SS dry. And here, you thought YOU digress.

...... This will be a very limited production car, something like 500-600 units/year, according to Mark Ruess. ....... It's solely about image, to get people excited for future down-market offerings. .......

Will it be a success? Who knows. ..............

Ok, so it's a loss leader. I could swear at least one GM assembly plant I worked on was pumping out 500+ per day! As far as success, maybe - maybe not. Considering how many grenaded differentials, DOA modules, crappy (let's replace the fluid just one more time) trannys, instant-dead headlights, CUE heart attacks (I hear some on their 3rd one - still under warranty???), and all the other 'not ready for release' engineering and design gets slapped on the company's current cars just to beat the competition, it won't take long for an entire year's low run of production to be imprisoned in service bays. Not a preferred trickle down business model.

I'm all ranted out.