Rolls-Royce Spectre, Cadillac Celestiq Redefine Electrified Luxury
Two legendary car brands with over a century’s worth of tradition recently unveiled new, fully electric models that highlight their efforts to have an EV-only lineup by 2030. We’re talking about the Rolls-Royce Spectre and Cadillac Celestiq.
Clearly, no other electric car that came before has managed to reach such remarkable levels of elegance and opulence. We’ll try our best to paint a good picture of both, but don’t miss the incredible shots we also included at the bottom.
Spectre: “The Most Perfect Product We’ve Ever Created”
That’s how Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös describes the Spectre, whose development will only be completed next year following more than 2.5 million kilometres of testing from Northern Sweden to South Africa.
The Spectre’s split headlight treatment is intersected by the widest grille ever bestowed on a Rolls-Royce. The latter is aerodynamically tuned, just like the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine at the tip of the hood. The Spectre is also the first production two-door coupe to be equipped with 23-inch wheels in almost one hundred years. And with a curb weight of 2,975 kg, including nearly 700 kg from the battery alone, it’s even heavier than the Cullinan SUV.
The magnificent interior is provisioned with the most technologically advanced bespoke features yet, again drawing inspiration from the night’s sky. For the first time on a series production Rolls-Royce, it is available with Starlight Doors, which incorporate 4,796 softly illuminated ‘stars’. Furthermore, the illuminated dashboard incorporates the Spectre nameplate surrounded by a cluster of over 5,500 stars.
Elsewhere, the new Spectre benefits from an evolution of Rolls-Royce’s “Architecture of Luxury” platform, which is 30 percent stiffer than before. It retains the world-class planar suspension with active anti-roll bars that contributes to the supremely comfortable ride the brand is renowned for. The electric powertrain is projected to deliver 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque for 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.5 seconds, but these are preliminary figures. Same thing for maximum range, which is estimated at 520 km based on the WLTP cycle used in Europe and Japan.
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is available to order immediately, with the first customer deliveries slated for fall 2023.
Celestiq: Re-establishing Cadillac as the “Standard of the World”
Seeking to recapture its former magic and prestige, Cadillac is set to launch a breathtaking new sedan that embodies its vision of luxury for the future. The Celestiq will enter production in December 2023 and have an expected MSRP to begin north of $300,000 USD, or more than $400,000 CAD. Each unit will be assembled by hand and specifically tailored to the customer’s wants and needs—what Cadillac calls the “Custom Commissioned” build process—ensuring a unique and ultra-premium buying experience.
Inspiration for Cadillac designers and engineers came from the legendary V-16 of the 1930s and the 1957 Eldorado Brougham. The stately, one-of-a-kind Celestiq rides on gigantic 23-inch wheels and is underpinned by GM’s Ultium platform. The ultra-long wheelbase accommodates a large 111kWh battery that will enable up to 483 km of range and feed dual motors producing a total of 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque according to the automaker’s estimations. Look for 0-100 km/h sprints in less than four seconds.
Under the four-quadrant, suspended-particle-device smart glass roof allowing each occupant of the vehicle to set their own level of roof transparency (a world first), the spectacular cabin of the Celestiq boasts stunning attention to detail—the kind you won’t see in a Bugatti or Koenigsegg according to Cadillac’s interior design manager, Tristan Murphy. Over 450 distinct LEDs help deliver an immersive sensory experience, and the 55-inch, pillar-to-pillar digital interface is equally stunning.
To top it all off, the Celestiq will offer a 41-speaker AKG Studio Reference audio system, GM’s next-generation hands-free driving assistance technology, called Ultra Cruise, as well as remote park assist. Seems like a pretty good place to relax in, don’t you think?
