Cadillac has revealed a stunning electric convertible, but it's only calling this a concept or design exercise for now.
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The Cadillac Sollei closely resembles the luxury brand's hand-built Celestiq flagship but ditches the five-door liftback body for a more flowing two-door convertible silhouette.
The brand says the "forward-looking concept convertible explores the possibilities of custom commissioned vehicle design" and says this "imaginative design exercise pushes the boundaries of future bespoke commissions".
Up front, the styling is essentially identical to the Celestiq. Despite the two rear doors disappearing, the side bodywork also closely resembles the Celestiq.
There are no door handles, with occupants instead gaining access by pressing discreet buttons.
The lack of a roof necessitated significant changes down back, and there's a much smoother tail on the Sollei than on the Celestiq.
The lower tail lights still resemble those of the Celestiq and Escalade iQ, but the boot lid gently slopes down towards a full-width light bar.
Cadillac says the design is inspired by iconic vehicles from its past.
That includes a revived version of Cadillac's Manila Cream paint, which it used on its vehicles during 1957 and 1958 – though creamy yellows were available well into the 1980s.
The chrome finish for the wheels is also a very traditional Cadillac touch.
Inside, there's a 2+2 layout with what looks to be a spacious second row, as well as a 55-inch pillar-to-pillar screen as seen on the Celestiq.
Luxurious touches include a beverage chiller with a power glass door and crystal glasses, as well as swathes of unstained wood veneer that's been hand-cut and hand-laid using marquetry techniques.
The windscreen is also framed in milled brushed aluminium, while the ambient lighting features different zones and 126 colour options.
The sunny exterior finish is paired with various sun-themed design elements inside.
There's a sunburst motif to the perforation, quilting and embroidery on the seat patterns, while the Nappa leather has a pink iridescent pigment for a "subtle, colour-changing sunrise effect".
The beverage chiller door and glass tray also has a pink iridescent hue which Cadillac says "reveals different sunlight exposures", while metal finishes have an 'Aurora' tint to evoke the geomagnetic phenomena.
The Sollei is Cadillac's first concept vehicle to use a bio-based material – mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, is used for the charging mats and the door map pockets and has an iridescent finish.
The concept features an unusual accessory: a custom brushed metal and leather-wrapped case housing 3D-printed acrylic bird calls, a leather-bound journal with hand-painted bird illustrations, and a leather tool roll for pens and pencils.
As for the Sollei's name, it's not a misspelling of Soleil, the French word for 'sun'. Instead, Cadillac says it comes from… well, the name for the sun (sol), but also the word leisure ('lei'). This is the brand that misspells 'lyric' and 'optic' after all.
No technical specifications have been released, but the Celestiq uses a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain with 447kW of power and 868Nm of torque.
It features a 111kWh battery pack, and offers a claimed range of 483km and a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) time of 3.8 seconds.
Cadillac hasn't offered a convertible since the XLR exited production in 2009, and it hasn't offered one with seating for four since the Eldorado Convertible was discontinued in 1985.
That's despite rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz continuing to offer droptops. However, neither brand offers an electric convertible, and there's been little activity in the luxury electric convertible space overall.
Maserati has revealed an electric Folgore version of its new GranCabrio, locked in for an Australian launch, while Genesis has taken its X Convertible concept on an Australian roadshow and is rumoured to be putting it into production.
The Sollei concept could remain just that – a concept. Cadillac is no stranger to revealing boldly styled concept flagships, only some of which end up presaging a production model.
The 1999 Evoq concept previewed the Chevrolet Corvette-based XLR luxury roadster, but the mid-engined Cien concept of 2002 received no such follow-up production vehicle.
In 2003, Cadillac revealed the breathtaking Sixteen sedan concept featuring, as the name suggests, a 16-cylinder engine.
Again, no production version followed, nor did the 2011 Ciel four-door convertible and 2013 Elmiraj two-door coupe concepts reach showrooms.
Plans for a production version of the 2016 Escala concept were scuppered, but Cadillac finally broke this streak with the Celestiq.
First previewed as a concept in 2022, it was revealed in production form later that year looking essentially unchanged.
It's being positioned as the brand's most opulent flagship in decades, sitting far above the rest of the range. Each vehicle will be personally commissioned by customers.
The price tag for customers? North of US$300,000 (~A$450,000).
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
