The Cadillac Celestiq signaled a new direction for the brand when it debuted nearly two years ago. The limited-production, bespoke electric vehicle gave customers near-limitless customization options—a bold new way for the luxury brand. But what comes next for Cadillac's commissioned cars? The Celestiq won't be a one-hit wonder if the new Sollei convertible concept previews the automaker's future direction.
The Sollei evokes memories of the equally sleek Ciel from 2011 that never made it to production. The Sollei—a combination of SOL, for the sun, and LEIsure—is a new design. But it's not an accident that it looks like the Celestiq, Cadillac's first new hand-built car in over half a century. The two share everything ahead of the A-pillar and a cabin and use the same Ultium platform.
Everything behind that is all Sollei, including the 5.68-foot-long doors. It has a mid-body line running down the side connecting the familiar headlights and the new taillights—they stretch across the rear in a single element. The concept lacks conventional door handles and instead has thin buttons placed in the aluminum halo that rings the cabin, giving the car a clean, minimal design that’s supposed to get out of the way of the car’s finer details, says Takahiko Suginoshita, the car’s lead exterior designer.
Cadillac tinted the metal inside and out in a new finish called "Aurora," named after the Northern and Southern Lights, including the solid billet aluminum windshield frame and grill header. The company uses genuine materials in its bespoke commissions and specifically focuses on not using plastic, said Erin Crossly, Cadillac Celestiq's design director. "Everything that looks like metal is metal," she said.
The concept truly shines inside, with meticulously hand-cut and hand-laid wood veneers with open-pore finishes. The seats feature a sunburst motif in their perforation, quilting, and embroidery, and Cadillac added a pink iridescent pigment to the Nappa leather to create a color-changing effect. The Sollei is also the first Cadillac to feature a new, renewable bio-based material called Fine Mycelium. The company uses it on the charging mats and door pockets.
Cadillac includes a custom metal and leather-wrapped case for four 3D-printed bird calls that fits in the rear center console. It sits below the integrated beverage chiller with a power glass door between the rear seats. Cadillac also created a leather-bound journal with hand-painted bird illustrations, including a leather tool roll for pens and pencils so passengers can capture the birds they see.
Cadillac revived its Manila Cream paint color for the concept, which the company had initially used on its cars in 1957 and 1958, with 23-inch aluminum wheels sitting at the corners. It didn't show the Sollei with the convertible top in the up position, but it's intended to have a fabric roof, which it previewed in a couple of sketches.
Cadillac stressed more than once that the Sollei is just a concept—a concept that just happens to share a cabin with the Celestiq, a front end with the Celestiq, and a platform with the Celestiq. It even features the brand's 55-inch, dash-spanning display.
"What a vehicle like Sollei does is that it allows us to give those creative individuals inside the Cadillac organization a chance to express themselves, and I think they've done a good job of expressing what a 2+2 convertible could look like," said John Roth, Cadillac's global vice president.
It's been 15 years since Cadillac offered a convertible, the XLR, and nearly 50 since the last El Dorado convertible. A few years ago, its dealers expressed interest in wanting a convertible in the lineup, which would stand out in the luxury segment dominated by crossovers and SUVs. If Cadillac wants to continue setting the "Standard of the World," offering a stunning, bespoke convertible would set it apart.
