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It isn’t every day that Cadillac and Rolls-Royce release – within hours of each other – vehicles which may very well be going toe-to-toe for the same moneyed customer. If you’re a one percenter with designs on placing an enormous EV in yer fleet (one that is decidedly not an SUV), then there soon will be a brace of new options.
Our man Mr. Lewis will have an op-ed about the realities of a $300,000 all-electric Cadillac and its place against a similarly priced Rolls, so this post will largely focus on the specs of both cars. Feel free to argue amongst yourselves in the comments, both here and on Corey’s article.
Cadillac is insisting that every Celestiq will be a ‘custom-commissioned reflection of its owner’s individual tastes and preferences’, meaning there will be a raft of choices in terms of details from which to select. An approved Celestiq dealer (likely not all Cadillac stores and certainly not all GM outlets) will apparently collaborate with a one-on-one concierge to guide them through what the brand is touting as the Custom Commissioned build process. Volume? Roughly two per day, says Cadillac.
Rolls, of course, is known for the same. With phrases like ‘limitless freedom’ and ‘spellbinding vision’ splashed across the Spectre’s welcome page, it is clear the mighty RR isn’t ditching its penchant for exclusivity as it sails into an all-electric era. Their own Bespoke program permits buyers to adorn their luxo-yacht with color combinations heretofore unseen or liven up the interior wood trim with a pattern of their own.
Seems roughly on par, then. How about power? Rich people tend to like a lot of the stuff, and Cadillac is taking care of them with an estimated 600 horses and 640 lb-ft of torque. Expect a run to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Two of those three numbers outstrip the Spectre, which is listed as having 577 ponies, 664 pound-feet of twist, and a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 4.4 seconds. RR would surely describe it as ‘adequate’. Rolls is hush on battery size for now but has suggested an EPA-estimated driving range of 260 miles on a full charge (the 323-mile range parroted elsewhere is on the endlessly optimistic WLTP scale). The smart money places this battery at 102 kWh, the same as the BMW i7. Back in Detroit, the Celestiq has a 111 kWh Ultium battery good for a projected 300 miles before running dry.
Both are huge brutes. Sure, the Spectre has two doors instead of four but the thing measures almost 18 feet long and a wicked 7 feet wide. Wheelbase checks in at 126 inches, half a foot more than an entire OG Mini, and weight is approximately 6,600 lbs. Official dimensions of the Celestiq are more difficult to source but ‘longer than an Escalade’ has been frequently mentioned, if unofficially. That’s 212 inches, or about 17.7 feet if you’re wondering.
Prices for each machine will apparently start at roughly $300,000 (maybe $350k for the Rolls) and go upwards from there.
[Image: GM / Rolls-Royce]
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