Rolls-Royce and Cadillac reveal gobsmacking ultra-luxury electric cars

Two of the world’s most famous luxury auto brands, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac, have unveiled stunning new ultra-luxury electric vehicles.

From BMW-owned British icon Rolls comes its first production EV, the Spectre coupe (pictured above).

Meanwhile, General  Motors’ flagship brand has revealed the Celestiq saloon.

Priced from 275,000 UK pounds and expected to be about $800,000 in Australia where orders have already been placed, Spectre goes on-sale in late 2023.

Slotting into the line-up where the retired Dawn and Wraith two-doors were positioned, it announces Rolls’ abandonment of internal combustion engines for EVs that is scheduled for completion by 2030.

Revealed as a concept just months ago and priced from just above USD$300,000 (AUD$474,000) when it goes into production in December 2023, the Celestiq will be the second EV from Cadillac following on from the far more affordable Lyriq SUV.

Unlike Spectre, the Celestiq is not a candidate for Australian sales – at least not for now.

Being based on the third generation of Rolls-Royce’s own aluminium Architecture of Luxury platform means the Spectre is unrelated to BMW’s expanding range of luxury EVs, including the new electric i7 Series.

Final performance figures are still being finalised, but Rolls has confirmed a 430kW/900Nm dual motor powertrain for the Spectre and a huge 120kWh battery pack is tipped. That enables a 520km claimed range, a 195kW max charging rate, 21.5kWh/100km consumption rate and the ability whisk from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

The Cadillac’s claims are similarly impressive. Based on GM’s Ultium EV tech-set, the Celestiq comes with a 447kW/868Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, a 111kWh battery pack, a 463km driving range between recharges, a 200kW max charging rate and a 0-97km/h acceleration time of 3.8 secs.

Key Spectre design features include an illuminated chrome grille that’s the widest the company has ever fitted to a production, rear-hinged doors and a cab-back silhouette.

A focus on aerodynamics has prompted a more rounded front-end than is traditional and the boat-tail rear. The aerodynamic coefficient of drag is a respectable 0.25.

The Spectre is 5435mm long and weighs in at a gargantuan 2975kg, including almost 700kg of sound deadening.

This makes Spectre the heaviest Rolls-Royce production car ever built. But with the battery integrated into the structure it’s also a whopping 30 per cent stiffer than before. The Spectre rides on Rolls’ Planar adaptive suspension with decoupling anti-roll bars.

Within its four-seat cabin the Spectre mixes traditional leather and wood trim with a new generation infotainment system called Spirt that’s been adapted from the latest BMW iDrive.

Styled under the oversight of former Holden design chiefs Mike Simcoe and Andrew Smith, the Celestiq’s exterior is highlighted by a long dash-to-axle ratio, a fastback profile, a fixed four-zone smart glass roof, power door with no handles and massive 23-inch wheels.

Highlights inside include immersive lighting with more than 450 LEDs (there are 1600 more outside), a pillar-to-pillar 55-inch HD display that comprises two screens under one pane of glass, 12.6-inch displays for rear-seat passengers, a four-zone microclimate system and a 1000-watt 41-speaker audio system.

The Celestiq uses an exclusive architecture derived from the Ultium platform which employs the battery pack as a structural element. Six large underbody ‘mega castings’ aid rigidity and reduces the parts count by up to 40 components.

The Celestiq chassis includes adaptive air suspension, active rear wheel steering and magnetic ride control damping. Drivers will also be aided by GM’s UltraCruise hands-free steering system and remote auto parking.

Both cars will be handbuilt and come with a huge degree of personalisation options that make their quoted price a mere starting point.

That’s something that’s expected from Rolls but Cadillac hasn’t handbuilt a car in nearly 70 years.

In fact, just about every part of the Celestiq interior can be personalised and the company promises no two will be alike.