Is Cadillac finally getting its groove back? It’s starting to look like it.
EVs might just have be the kick in the pants Caddy needed to find itself. Over the past month Cadillac has unveiled two new concept EVs and is working on shifting its entire lineup to electric.
We’ll start with my favorite. The SOLLEI is a gorgeous full-size convertible that’s based on the Celestiq sedan that EV Rider brought you an up close look at during the 2023 Amelia Island Concour d’Elegance.
Like the Celestiq, the SOLLEI would be a high-end bespoke EV that customers could heavily customize.
The Celestiq is being rolled out now and being largely hand-built to customer orders with an eye-popping starting price of $340,000. Odds are good that if the SOLLEI is greenlit its starting price would likely climb even higher, although on the other hand, perhaps increased volume could help bring prices on both EVs down just a bit.
As you can see in the video at the top of this post, the interior of the SOLLEI is just stunning, with the type of flare and quality Cadillac was known for until downsizing hit the brand in the late 70s.
Given the SOLLEI shares its powertrain and much of its coachwork with the Celestiq, the odds of the convertible making production are definitely stronger than the next Cadillac dream machine on our list.
Cadillac Opulent Veocity Name Describes Its Attributes
This one’s called the Opulent Velocity, with the name describing its two distinct driving modes.
In Opulent mode the EV becomes a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, meaning the driver and passengers can just sit back and enjoy a hands-free, immersive experience with the help of a widescreen display and next-gen augmented-reality heads-up display system on the windshield.
In Velocity mode the EV transforms into what Caddy describes as a hypercar with the steering wheel and pedals presenting themselves to the driver.
It also includes a ghost car on the infotainment screen to help you improve your lap times when you hit the track.
The self-opening sissor doors would be standard. Before you ask, there are no real details available since the Opulent Velocity is likely nothing more than a design exercise, but given Cadillac is calling it a hypercar, should it actually make production a 0-60 time in the two second range would be likely.
Perhaps most importantly, Cadillac’s actual production volume EV, the Lyriq, is enjoying strong sales growth this year.
It’s sales shot up 441% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year, according to GM Authority, with 7,294 Lyriqs sold from April through the end of June.