Photo: vburlapp / Instagram
General Motors reached 2.6 million sales across the US automotive market last year, while the second-placed Toyota stopped at 2.24 million – all without the help of too many EV nameplates.
The Chevy Bolt sold great, but now it's out of commission as the company waits for the development to finish on the next generation. Meanwhile, the Chevy Equinox and Blazer EV have massive software issues, the Silverado EV Sierra EV are not universally available, and the list of EV problems could go on.
Interestingly, there is one brand that's incredibly confident that its parent company will overcome the current problems and let them reap the benefits of an extensive EV lineup – Cadillac. Indeed, the premium US automaker wants to have a complete EV family composed of the already-available Lyriq crossover SUV, the upcoming Celestiq flagship five-door liftback, as well as the recently announced Escalade IQ, compact Optiq, and the three-row Vistiq.
Frankly, if you want to know our two cents on the matter, each of them has the potential to become a top sales performer in their respective fields – bar one. The Lyriq is a great starting piece, if not for the same software problems that plague GM's BEV3 platform and Ultium plus Ultify architectures. The Escalade IQ is a statement for anyone looking to stand out in the ritzy crowd. The compact Optiq could be perfect as an 'affordable' luxury EV crossover SUV, and the Vistiq should make families more than happy.
But there's also the Celestiq flagship – which doesn't actually look like a sedan or a crossover. Instead, its fastback design is a bit quirkier than the average, at least for its intended $300k pricing range. So, what could be done to alleviate concerns about it attracting the unwanted type of attention? Well, the transformation is pretty simple if you ask the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
For example, Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he recently decided to revisit the Celestiq and make it a classic four-door luxobarge – or a land yacht, if it's more palatable. In doing so, the pixel master subtly retconned the flagship to slightly more normal sedan looks, and he also dreamed that it wouldn't cost $340k to own one.
That's interesting but also entirely wishful thinking. For starters, GM has already invested heavily in developing the Celestiq as we see it – a true EV statement, not a mass-market luxury item. So, they are not going to change it anytime soon. Secondly, with three new EVs announced last year, we presume that GM and Cadillac will focus on bringing them to market rather than adding another model to the roster.
Interestingly, there is one brand that's incredibly confident that its parent company will overcome the current problems and let them reap the benefits of an extensive EV lineup – Cadillac. Indeed, the premium US automaker wants to have a complete EV family composed of the already-available Lyriq crossover SUV, the upcoming Celestiq flagship five-door liftback, as well as the recently announced Escalade IQ, compact Optiq, and the three-row Vistiq.
Frankly, if you want to know our two cents on the matter, each of them has the potential to become a top sales performer in their respective fields – bar one. The Lyriq is a great starting piece, if not for the same software problems that plague GM's BEV3 platform and Ultium plus Ultify architectures. The Escalade IQ is a statement for anyone looking to stand out in the ritzy crowd. The compact Optiq could be perfect as an 'affordable' luxury EV crossover SUV, and the Vistiq should make families more than happy.
But there's also the Celestiq flagship – which doesn't actually look like a sedan or a crossover. Instead, its fastback design is a bit quirkier than the average, at least for its intended $300k pricing range. So, what could be done to alleviate concerns about it attracting the unwanted type of attention? Well, the transformation is pretty simple if you ask the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
For example, Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he recently decided to revisit the Celestiq and make it a classic four-door luxobarge – or a land yacht, if it's more palatable. In doing so, the pixel master subtly retconned the flagship to slightly more normal sedan looks, and he also dreamed that it wouldn't cost $340k to own one.
That's interesting but also entirely wishful thinking. For starters, GM has already invested heavily in developing the Celestiq as we see it – a true EV statement, not a mass-market luxury item. So, they are not going to change it anytime soon. Secondly, with three new EVs announced last year, we presume that GM and Cadillac will focus on bringing them to market rather than adding another model to the roster.
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