Electrifying Exclusivity
MOVEMENT: TRACKING NOTABLE MOVEMENTS IN MOBILITY
Cadillac, Rolls-Royce, and GMC offer ultra-luxury EVs. Thoughts on a preferred mobility future and designing across the pond.
Originally published: December 22, 2022
Cadillac Set to Produce The “Cadillac” of EVs
Cadillac will begin production of the Celestiq in limited quantities starting in 2023. The bespoke luxury electric vehicle will include a personalization service akin to what Ferrari and Rolls Royce offer. Vehicles will be hand-assembled in GM’s pre-production design facility. The Celestiq purchase price is anticipated to run over $300,000.
Setting the Standard of The World Once More
Decades ago, “The Cadillac of X” was used globally to refer to products at the top of their class. The Celestiq is Cadillac’s latest effort to recapture its once-vaunted “Standard of the World” status. Some of Cadillac’s new design DNA that debuted on the Cadillac Lyriq has been applied to the Celestiq. However, due to the long and low dimensions of the Celestiq, the elements have been modified and stretched dramatically and appear as distinct yet familiar forms. The front of both vehicles uses vertically stacked, gem-like light modules and back-lit font facias that support animated lighting sequences with linear patterns. In the rear, prominent vertical brake lighting, a hallmark of the Cadillac Escalade, is featured.
Building On Innovative Concepts
The Celestiq display seamlessly serves both driver and passenger.
Technology is highlighted within the Celestiq interior. It features large displays accommodating the driver and passenger. For those that prefer physical interactions, a centrally located angled display accompanies a rotary input knob. Otherwise, physical controls are kept to a minimum. Celestiq’s display layout is similar to the one shown in the Byton M-Byte SUV concept, although it has no steering wheel display. The passenger display can only be viewed while seated directly in front of it, minimizing driver distraction. Above, a multilayer glass roof allows different amounts of light to enter the cabin. Rear displays and touch panels and the world’s first ClimateSense™ individualized four-zone microclimate system ensure that luxury abounds regardless of where one is seated. Rich, linear hand stitching adorns the multifunction seating.
Referencing the Past to Define the Future
Cadillac has done an excellent job with the Celestiq. The design references bold designs from the past while being squarely focused on the future. Cadillac references futurism in its promotions. A design approach informed by futurism is reflected in the Celestiq and other recent vehicles, including the ELR, a hybrid plug-in that evokes aspects of the futurist Syd Mead’s vehicle designs. Navigating the future of a brand over decades involves celebrating elements that have social relevance. For Cadillac, the vertical tail lamps we know today pay homage to the tail fins of yesteryear. Overall, the Celestiq represents a bold new North Star for the brand that is shining strongly again.
Long and progressive design. Future vehicle envisioned by Syd Mead.
Rolls Royce Rolls Out The New Spectre EV
Rolls Royce introduced the all-new Spectre EV to keep the brand relevant in October 2022. The first deliveries will be arriving in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Spectre is the brand’s first production electric vehicle. Styled similarly to the Wraith coupe, the Spectre brings several established brand elements and styling cues to the new electrified offering.
A Conservative Entry
Luxury automotive manufacturers are sensing a void at the top of the hyper-luxury electric vehicle market. This is evidenced by the Cadillac Celestiq’s celestial $300,000 price point and the Rolls-Royce Spectre’s frightening starting price of $400,000, respectively. One can imagine Bentley, now offering plug-in hybrid versions of its high-end luxury vehicles, will soon introduce its battery-electric hyperluxury vehicle. The range for the Spectre is estimated to be around 260 miles, which frankly does not even compete with current luxury EVs such as the Tesla Model S or the Lucid Air. Rolls-Royce will likely leverage advanced driver assistance features from its parent company, BMW, which also falls well behind current market leaders.
Admirable Physical and Digital Detailing
Rich and novel material cues in Spectre display.
The approach towards integrating technology within the cabin is similar to that found in the Cadillac Celestiq with prominent driver and passenger displays. However, the Spectre is slightly more restrained, without a full-width display and a lower center touch screen. Instead, Rolls-Royce designers retained some traditional physical controls. Driver and passenger displays are not as seamlessly presented as in the Celestiq. An iconic analog clock module separates the two display zones. However, interface graphic elements artfully integrate skeuomorphic design cues with subtle references to physical dials of the past. This is enhanced through the skillful use of shadows while avoiding cliche visuals like chrome rings in the instrument cluster. Further shading, layering, and particle effects enrich the cockpit's digital aesthetics.
Forms of Heritage in Motion
Rolls-Royce has characteristically paid meticulous attention to the Spectre’s details. For example, 830 hours of wind tunnel testing went into modernizing the famous Spirit of Ecstasy figure that adorns the hoods of Rolls-Royce vehicles. From a historical perspective, it is interesting to note the similarities between the Rolls-Royce robe-draped Spirit of Ecstacy figure and Cadillac’s Flying Goddess hood figure. It remains to be seen which of these ultra-luxury vehicles will lay claim to defining the “standard of the world” in the coming electric mobility era. Here’s hoping that some of the craft and beauty found in these vehicles will influence other more attainable offerings in the future.
Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy
Cadillac Flying Godess
MORE ELECTRIFYING EXCLUSIVITY
Electrifying the Truck Segment
The electric truck segment continues to be energized by new entries. The GMC Sierra EV Denali represents a serious step forward in truck design. Arguably one of the best-looking EV trucks yet, the GMC Sierra EV Denali offers unprecedented electrified truck luxury. Given a likely starting price of over $100,000 for the First Edition model, this vehicle is another example of electrified exclusivity. While the price of the First Edition model is likely to be prohibitively high, other models will follow at more accessible prices.
The First Edition is set to begin production in early 2024. With the ability to power accessories, a home, or to lend a charge to other EVs, this GMC EV truck entry appears quite capable. With over 400 miles of predicted range, an innovative mid-gate that folds to accommodate longer loads, and the ability to charge up to 100 miles in 10 minutes on a fast charger, GMC is moving the truck segment forward with this bold new premium electric truck entry.
Learn More About the GMC Sierra EV Denali
Curious to learn more about other electric trucks? Here are links to the mosts notable ones that are on the market or that have been announced.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Know for its ability to power the home and mass market F150 series appeal. Well designed and easily accessible frunk.
Learn More
Chevy Silverado EV: Accessible styling and greater range than F-150 Lightning. Pass through tailgate accommodates longer items.
Rivian RT1: Solid progressive design, quality battery power train, and user-centered features like the pass-through tunnel behind the rear seats.
Learn More
Lordstown Endurance: Known for targeting the fleet truck segment and unique in-wheel hub motors.
Hummer EV: Brash “moonshot” styling, 16 inches of ground clearance, crab mode, four-wheel steering, heavyweight, and “Watts To Freedom” launch mode.
Learn More
Tesla Cybertruck: Unconventional stamping construction, stainless steel panels, and edgy design. Shipping date TBD.
MORE MOVEMENT
Helping to Shape a Preferred Mobility Future
While it is challenging to predict the future, observing persistent human needs and technological progression can help align creative action with people’s future hopes and needs. Science fiction films, future vision work, and concept vehicles are ways authors, film directors, and vehicle designers have sought to solicit feedback on future concepts and influence the future.
While at IDEO, I worked with many of the world’s leading automotive companies with advanced research facilities in Silicon Valley. Over several years, common themes and needs emerged repeatedly across our work.
These needs, societal pressure, sustainability concerns, new business models, and emerging technology inspired a small team at IDEO to craft the Future of Automobility series to spur conversations and thinking about how we might move people, things, and spaces around the year 2030.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, the state of disruptive shared mobility services and autonomous vehicle work at that time was considered. A follow-up chapter was created in 2017 that focused more intensely on shared mobility and how we might design vehicles to encourage shared mobility and moving better together.
As the mobility industry moves forward, some aspects of the work are already coming to fruition. Cruise and Waymo have launched driverless ride services in several markets. There are also similarities between the vehicle featured in the 2017 “Moving Together” chapter and Google’s Waymo/Geely vehicle. Both designs address persistent needs, including ease of ingress and egress, personalized zones, and connectivity. Both vehicles have clear lines of sight and a means for communicating vehicle intent.
Here’s to continued progress in moving from future vision work toward a safer and more accessible future of mobility!
Future of Moving Together Vehicle - IDEO Future of Automobility Series 2017
Waymo Geely Vehicle - Google/Geely 2022
MEMORY BANK
Dateline 1996: Designing Across the Pond
It was January 6th, 1996. I arrived at a characteristically gray and drizzly Heathrow airport to start a three-month creative sabbatical at IDEO London. Years earlier, while in graduate school, I had spotted some compelling product design work done by the firm and could not shake the idea of someday working there.
I distinctly recall my first weekend in London. After taking in the city extensively by foot, I caught a bit of BBC programming on the “telly.” During my first jet-lagged Saturday afternoon there, I watched a darts competition program and a fascinating shepherd dog handling competition. How quaint, I thought. But as I took in a few commercials, my tired eyes were opened to just how much more advanced design was in Britain.
I first noticed things were slightly different just as I exited the plane. Well-designed signage and excellent directional mapping within the tube made wayfinding easy. Posters and placards covering walls around Camden Town were heavily influenced by Neville Brody and other remarkable designers, thus bringing design literacy right out to street level. But it was the supposed mainstream adverts on television that stood out. I was shocked by the different design approaches that Ford, a classically American yet global company, applied across two regions.
Comparing two contemporary commercials promoting the mid-1990s Ford Probe illustrates the two worlds of design I was straddling. I was stunned by the quality of the UK Ford Probe commercial. It included everything I was passionate about as a young designer. A perfectly coordinated soundtrack, sophisticated motion graphics with rich, layered scientific diagrams, crisp and clear aspirational messaging, and even a reference to Area 51. It all led to deep intrigue in just 30 seconds. Given the uninspiring state of most American car commercials, which focused on promoting discount prices, it was as if I had indeed been flown off to the moon.
Take a look at the two commercials below and see for yourself. Like Neil Armstrong’s first footprints on the moon, that 1996 Ford Probe advert made a lasting impression on me. I knew I would have to up my design game if this were how everyday items like the European Ford Probe were marketed. And lest the Ford Probe commercial had been just a one-off, I soon encountered the Ford Mondeo “Senses” commercial, proving that a higher level of sophisticated design was the norm in Europe.
I will always be grateful for that time in the UK, learning and practicing design in the dynamic environment of the mid-1990s when even car commercials could sweep us away to another world.
What advertisements have inspired you over the years?
Image Credits: GM, Rolls-Royce, Waymo, Ford