Cadillac's 2024 CELESTIQ Is A Badly Needed Beapoke Halo Car

[Auto Styling News]

Cadillac is set to release an all-electric bespoke halo vehicle that will come in just over $300,000.  Each all-Electric CELESTIQ will be a bespoke, fully customizable vehicle on the level of the Bentley Continental or Bentayga and will have a similar price point.

Cadillac gushes that the car will be "the ultimate manifestation of ultra-luxury redefined through the spirit of futurism and the avant-garde." And it looks like that isn't an exaggeration at all.

A Cadillac lowest-ever coefficient of drag coupled with Cadillac’s most technologically advanced suspension ever - including Adaptive Air Ride with the latest generation of Magnetic Ride Control - will create, says the American brand, "an addicting intensity."

As you can see from these photos, the cars exterior and even interior are absolutely gorgeous. Like the Bentley, they will likely be thousands of individual combinations of materials and colors inside and out of each of these, making them utterly unique and customized to each individual buyer. 

As for styling, this vehicle will stand out on whatever road it chooses to drive on. The gorgeous rear featuring massive tail lamps and a gently sloping bobtail that gives it it's incredible drag coefficient alone make it stand out. But it's front grill is large and impressive, reflecting a natural evolution of Cadillac styling that nonetheless is somewhat surprising, in a pleasant way. 

That's not a given in the auto industry, as a decade of horrendous Acura front ends, with a buck tooth grill that was distracting and not at all upscale, will testify to. And BMWs recent laughable foray into massive grills will haunt the German automaker for the next decade if they don't do a major design U-turn in the mid-20s. 

A bespoke Halo vehicle is long overdue for a so-called luxury brand like Cadillac, which has in recent decades falling into a potentially brand killing process of nameplate switching with other GM vehicles like GMC, Buick, and others in the GM stable. The vehicle will never be a mass market blockbuster seller, but that's the point.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

Cadillac Teases 2023 All-Electric LYRIQ [Auto Styling News]

Cadillac has announced that the first of its electric vehicles will be the LYRIQ, a show car planned for a 2023 launch.

The car takes the current angular styling and puts it on steroids with nary a curve to be found on the entire vehicle.

Cadillac’s first electric SUV makes a bold design statement that introduces a new face, proportion and presence for the brand’s new generation of EVs. It’s a forward-looking vision unconstrained by the needs of a traditional internal combustion engine, says the company.

The face of the vehicle is undoubtedly unique. Whether it will prove too much for the buying public, or whether it will fit right in among other cars of the year 2023, remains to be seen.

“The LYRIQ represents the next iteration of the iconic brand’s styling, enabled by electrification, as only Cadillac can express,” said Andrew Smith, executive director, Global Cadillac Design. “Inside and out, LYRIQ is a thoughtful integration of design and technology and is intended to make every drive an occasion.”

The company's launch releases the LYRIQ is "assertive and modern," and they are not wrong. The vehicle is characterized by its low, fast roofline and wide stance that emphasize agility and convey confidence. Additional details such as a flow-through roof spoiler express the careful attention paid to aerodynamics to optimize efficiency on the highway.

A distinctive “black crystal” grille in the front is one of the LYRIQ’s most unique and expressive design elements. It is also a dynamic feature, as it is part of a dramatic lighting choreography that — along with bold vertical, slim LED signature lighting — greets the owner upon approach. At the rear, a split taillamp design incorporates slim LEDs that are also integrated into the lighting choreography.

Internally, the LYRIQ will be based on GM’s next-generation, modular electric vehicle platform and driven by the Ultium propulsion system, allowing Cadillac to deliver customers a variety of range and performance options. 

With range being one of the biggest factors when it comes to selecting an EV, the LYRIQ will deliver over 300 miles of range on a full charge.

Squarely aimed at Tesla buyers, Cadillac EV well also offer a hands-free driver assistance feature, along with remote self parking.

Of note is the LYRIQ's Ultium battery system. The Ultium’s NCMA (nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum) chemistry uses aluminum in the cathode to help reduce the need for rare-earth materials such as cobalt. In fact, GM engineers reduced the cobalt content by more than 70 percent, compared to current GM batteries