Eyebrows were raised when Cadillac suggested a circa-$300k price for its Rolls Royce-rivaling Celestiq luxury sedan last year – the poshest GM division hasn’t attempted to sell anything as unaffordable for over 70 years.
But as production draws closer the automaker has revealed that the true price will be much higher. In a post on Linkedin, the company’s CMO, Melissa Grady Dias, announced that “the blank canvas” will start at “approximately” $340,000. That’s an MSRP, so doesn’t include destination, taxes, dealer fees and optional equipment, or the special personalizing touches that owners at this level like to add, and which Cadillac is keen to indulge.
“I’m excited to share that starting today, Cadillac Celestiq clients will be invited to begin their design process,” Grady Dias wrote. “This engagement experience, like the vehicle, is tailored to the client’s unique tastes and preferences. Engaged clients and their Celestiq Certified Dealer of choice will be guided through a design consultation process by a Cadillac concierge, dedicated to assisting them with every aspect of their vehicle design journey.”
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By the time customers have designed a Celestiq to their liking they could be looking at a much bigger bill, and Grady Dias conceded that getting carried away adding personal touches wasn’t the only danger that might inflate the $340k base price. “Dealer sets final price,” reads the final sentence on the Linkedin post, which is the kind of thing that strikes fear into the hearts of most car buyers who’ve watched dealers charge massively over MSRP for low volume cars in recent years. Not that buyers at this price level should have as much problem swallowing a markup as a regular Joe being shafted over a new Civic Type R.
The striking Celestiq will be hand-built at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, and Cadillac is busy converting a building on the tech center campus into a personalization center where buyers can come to design their cars.
H/T to Auto News