The 2025 Cadillac Celestiq Is a $400,000 American Rolls-Royce

Cadillac Celesteic: The Ambition for Ultra-Luxury [00:00]

• The 2025 Cadillac Celesteic is positioned as a full-size luxury car designed to compete with the most esteemed brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
• It is an ultra-limited production vehicle with a starting price around $400,000, offering extensive customization.
• The car possesses significant road presence, making a striking visual impact.

"That may seem ambitious for a Cadillac, but this is an ultra limited production car with a starting price of around $400,000 and with endless customization options."

The Legacy and Return to "Standard of the World" [01:17]

• Cadillac historically positioned itself as "the standard of the world," building desirable luxury cars in the 1930s and 40s, with the Eldorado Brougham being the most expensive car in the world in the 1950s.
• The Celesteic aims to revive this legacy and return Cadillac to its former status in global luxury.
• This is a full-size luxury sedan, longer than the Cadillac Escalade, weighing around 6,500 lbs, and it is fully electric, placing it in competition with vehicles like the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

"So, how do they justify a $400,000 price tag for a Cadillac? We begin with the design, the style."

Striking Design and Unconventional Hatchback [03:10]

• The Celesteic features a truly striking, engaging, and exciting design that stands out on the road, looking unlike anything else.
• Despite being called a sedan, it functions as a hatchback, with the rear opening like a Porsche Panamera, intended to give it a fastback profile.
• The design originated from a sketch at the GM design center and retained its essence throughout development.

"Amazingly, it's also a hatchback. Cadillac calls this a sedan, but the rear opens like a hatchback, like a Porsche Panamera."

Materials and Craftsmanship: Beyond the Ordinary [04:16]

• Two of the car's biggest hallmarks are its materials quality and customization.
• Unique material applications include billet aluminum for the tailgate surround and rocker panels, a departure from typical plastic components.
• The steering wheel's polished aluminum trim is hand-polished over weeks, and surgical instrumentation was used for the precision-cut, backlit buttons.
• Interior trim features a unique checkerboard pattern made from recycled newsprint, with visible letters in some squares.
• Fasteners and visible screws throughout the car are stamped with "Standard of the World," reinforcing the brand's historical slogan.

"Amazingly, they've also used billet aluminum for the rocker panels going down the side of the car."

Bespoke Customization: Every Car is Unique [06:35]

• Every Celesteic is built to order, with no stock units at dealerships, ensuring a customer-specific build.
• The hand-built process takes many weeks, with fewer than two cars completed per day at current production capacity.
• Customers can choose from approximately 90 exterior colors in glossy or matte finishes, or even provide their own paint samples.
• Cadillac will integrate customer-provided materials, such as from favorite handbags or cloths, into the interior, with minor regulatory exceptions.
• Customers are encouraged to visit Cadillac House at the GM Tech Center in Detroit to finalize their configurations, seeing all material and color options in person.

"So, how about this? Cadillac will do the same with materials."

Target Audience and Usage Patterns [08:47]

• Current buyers are predominantly business owners and individuals excited about American luxury over German or British options.
• Buyers fall into two categories: those who park and rarely drive them for collections, and those who use them as everyday drivers.

"So far it's virtually all been business owners buying this car and people who are excited about the idea of American luxury rather than your German or your British, which is fairly typical."

Door Handles and Access: A Seamless Entry [09:28]

• The Celesteic eliminates traditional door handles; doors open automatically via buttons located on the B-pillar (front) and rear pillar (rear).
• The tailgate is opened by pressing the Cadillac logo, which acts as a hidden button.
• The front trunk opens automatically by pressing the key fob button twice.

"You walk up and you don't see door handles, and that's not because they've hidden them behind some pop out panel. There simply are no door handles."

Exterior Details: Illuminated Goddess and Lighting Sequences [11:05]

• The Cadillac "Goddess" hood ornament from historic models is revived and lights up on illuminated panels on the front fenders.
• A button next to the passenger-side Goddess panel opens the chargeport door.
• The car features a dramatic welcome lighting sequence that illuminates various exterior lights, including hidden ones in the grill.
• The rear lighting is unusual, with an upper light stretching several feet down the side of the car, and the turn signals involve massive light signals.

"The goddess was a hood ornament that used to appear on Cadillac models back in the day when they really were the standard of the world."

Interior Ambience: Smart Glass, Climate, and Comfort [12:27]

• The interior is described as absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous layout, design, and top-quality materials.
• The smart glass roof can be brightened or dimmed, and crucially, it's adjustable by quadrant for each seat occupant, allowing for individual control of light and privacy.
• Climate vents are integrated into a bar across the dashboard and are controlled via the lower infotainment screen, with an oscillating feature for gentle air distribution.
• The car offers heated seats and heated armrests, and a unique feature is a warm current of air blown from the headrest onto the back of the neck, similar to Mercedes-Benz's Airscarf but in a closed car.
• A 38-speaker stereo system is featured, including speakers in each headrest for an immersive audio experience.

"The crazy part is this roof can be adjusted by quadrant, one for each seat. And they all have five different brightness settings."

Console Details and Infotainment Dominance [16:03]

• The center console features panels that open to reveal a cup holder, with profile images of three historic Cadillac models (1934 Aerodynamic Coupe, 1957 Eldorado Brougham, and the Celesteic) etched on the inside.
• The Cadillac Goddess emblem appears on the infotainment control knob, staying stationary as the knob rotates.
• A massive, pillar-to-pillar infotainment screen spans the dashboard, displaying driver information, maps, and music, with a separate passenger entertainment screen that requires headphones for sound.
• A lower, more functional screen houses climate controls, seat adjustments (heated, massaging), and safety features, and can also be used to open and close doors.
• Even small details like the aluminum label for the side curtain airbag, mounted on an Alcantara B-pillar, highlight the car's commitment to high-quality materials.

"It spans from pillar to pillar, the entire width of this vehicle, and you can really use this infotainment screen to do anything."

Rear Seat Experience: Screen Overload and Microclimate Control [19:31]

• The rear seat area is spacious, with the hatchback design contributing to an airy feel.
• Passengers are greeted by three screens: a central control screen for doors, climate, and seat adjustments (all four seats are 20-way power seats with full adjustment, heating, cooling, and massaging functions).
• The rear seats also feature the neck-warming "microclimate" feature.
• The center screen includes "Conversation Enhance," which amplifies rear-seat voices to the front for better communication.
• Two large entertainment screens are mounted on the backs of the front seats, offering built-in apps and requiring headphones.
• Rear materials are exceptional, including aluminum hinges on storage compartments and precise aluminum trim, demonstrating extreme attention to detail.
• A hidden coat hanger integrated into a leather grab handle is stamped with "Standard of the World."
• The Celesteic name appears in only a few places, such as etched into aluminum trim beneath the rear grab handle.

"Cadillac says that all four seats in this car are 20way power seats."

Cargo Area and Powertrain Details [21:40]

• The hatchback design provides a decent-sized cargo area, though its height is limited by the sloping roofline.
• The load floor is surprisingly high, requiring a lift to place items.
• A drawback of the open cargo area is the lack of a divider, allowing items to roll into the cabin.
• The carpeted cargo floor can be lifted via a leather strap (with "Standard of the World" fastener) to reveal a small storage space for charging cables.
• The Celesteic is fully electric, with no gasoline or hybrid options, producing 655 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque.
• Standard all-wheel drive allows for 0-60 mph in approximately 3.7 seconds, and the estimated range is just over 300 miles.

"Obviously, this car wasn't intended to be extra ultimate practical, but it does have a decent sized cargo area."

Driving Impressions: A Surprising Conversion [26:23]

• The reviewer, initially skeptical, becomes a convert after driving the Celesteic, acknowledging its ability to be a world-class car at its price point.
• The design is praised for its striking appearance and the attention it garners.
• The car is exceptionally tranquil and serene, isolating occupants from external noise and distractions.
• Ride comfort is excellent, comparable to top-tier luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Maybach S-Class, and Bentley Flying Spur.
• Dynamically, the 6,500 lb vehicle is surprisingly spry with quick steering, showing good handling for its size and weight.
• The car conveys a sense of solidity often missing in American competitors against German rivals.
• While fast and smooth, the electric powertrain lacks the distinct character of a V12 engine, but it aligns with the car's quiet, smooth luxury intent.

"And the difference I think between the XJ220 and this this is good. And I I mean this is like seriously good."

The Brand Challenge and Final Score [31:10]

• Despite its impressive engineering and luxury, the Cadillac brand name is identified as the primary obstacle to the Celesteic's success at its $400,000 price point.
• The reviewer believes the price is reasonable for what the car offers, but convincing consumers of a Cadillac at that level will be difficult, even when compared favorably to rivals.
• The Celesteic is described as "Cadillac fantastic" and "really fantastic" overall.
• The vehicle receives a "Doug Score" of 69 out of 100, placing it high among ultra-luxury rivals, with scores matching or exceeding Rolls-Royce and Bentley in ride quality, materials, fit and finish, design, and tech.
• The low "Value" score (3 out of 100) is attributed to the brand name not supporting the Rolls-Royce-level pricing, foreseeing significant depreciation and slow sales until the Cadillac brand is elevated.

"Rolls-Royce level, but it's priced like a Rolls-Royce without the badge to back it up."