Cadillac's New Electric V-Series Concept is Far From a Silent EV
It was easy to make fun of Dodge and the “fake” exhaust it chose to employ on the new Charger EV, but it’s no longer the only one trying to capture the thrill of a performance gas engine with a silent electric powertrain underneath. We’ve seen “exhaust” systems for the Mustang Mach-E that mimic a V8 sound, and now, Cadillac’s getting in the game with a new concept car. While we haven’t seen a complete picture of the new electric Opulent Velocity concept, the automaker’s short teaser film let us hear the car, which sounds somewhere between a spaceship and an eight-cylinder’s roar.
The car’s announcement coincides with the 20th anniversary of Cadillac’s V-Series, which debuted at Sebring in 2004 with the CTS-V. Cadillac has since created several performance cars, including the most recent and most rowdy, the Escalade-V.
Cadillac currently sells two EVs, the Lyriq SUV and the Celestiq sedan. While the Lyriq is a somewhat traditional premium electric vehicle, the Celestiq pits the Cadillac name head to head with luxury heavyweights Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The brand doesn’t currently offer a performance EV, but hot sedans are nothing new to the company.
That said, GM hasn’t had the smoothest rollout with its other electric models. After announcing that future EVs would be delivered without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, GM released and quickly issued a stop-sale for the Chevy Blazer EV over software issues. Several GM EVs also lost federal tax credit eligibility, though that will likely change before too long.
[Image: Cadillac via YouTube]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Utter rubbish. This company cannot get out of it s own way. If EvilGM had 50 % fewer sales from pickups and Tahoes. They d be gone. $15-20,000 profit per Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Silverado and Sierra, are literally keeping this evil rubbish garbage generator alive. #2. UAW -demoncat voting block assures eternal life $upport from the Imperial Federal Govmert. Like a vampire. They will never die. EvilGMvampire name is birthed !!!!!!!!
May Mary Barra's eternal hotness bless all of our damp dreams.
I am interested to know if GM will make any money on the Celestiq. I've read they are sold out through 2025. But that means nothing. I've also read they "planned" on producing no more than 150 per year. What I cannot find out is how many have actually been built and put in customers hands. What is the per model production cost including development cost if in fact they produce 150 per year? My guess is they will lose millions on this project but I'd love to be wrong about that. It would be a real coup if an American car maker could sell world class luxury at over 300000 grand per copy and have customers genuinely impressed while at the same time make a hefty profit.
I want the sound of an Iron Dule in a mail truck!