QOTD: Can the Cadillac Celestiq Compete?

The official Cadillac Celestiq pricing is out, and the car will start at around $340,000.

That pricing puts the car in Bentley and Rolls-Royce territory. And like with cars from those brands, the Celestiq will offer a high level of personalization. That is, in fact, a big part of why the price will be so high.

Because the cars will be so personalized, the production rate will be a glacial 1.2 cars per day. Which adds up to fewer than 500 annual units.

GM/Cadillac is saying that demand is high enough that anyone who has yet to reserve a car will be waiting for quite some time before their vehicle is delivered.

That may be true, but we still have to ask -- can this car compete?

"Compete" is used loosely at this price point -- this ain't like a Mustang/Camaro pony-car pissing contest. With so few units being built, Cadillac probably isn't worried about outselling the Bentley or Roller which will be considered the closest competitor. Some might argue that the Celestiq doesn't even need to "compete" -- if Caddy sells the planned allotment, that's enough.

Of course, that might be good enough for the first year, but what about the future?

The counter-argument, or at least the argument I am working up for the purposes of this QOTD -- is that Cadillac hasn't sold a vehicle at that price for so long that buyers may shun it. At this price point, your typical buyer is likely a celebrity or CEO, and if these folks can't be moved away from Bentley and Rolls-Royce, that could be a problem for Cadillac.

Or not. As stated, volume matters little, if at all, at this price. So, again, selling the planned allotment may be enough.

Yes, it's a slow news day and thus there are slim pickings for a QOTD.

Anyway, sound off below.

[Image: Cadillac]

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from TheTruthAboutCars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/question-of-the-day/qotd-can-the-cadillac-celestiq-compete-44502259?utm_medium=auto&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=all_full