Every so often, a concept car comes along that’s made of pure distilled essence of want. Something that tugs on your heartstrings, for you know it’s unobtanium, but it’s begging to be unleashed on the streets. This is one of those concept cars. Say hello to the Cadillac Sollei, an electric convertible concept so exquisite, Cadillac ought to put it into limited production.
The Sollei isn’t something alone the lines of a drop-top CT5. It’s a Rolls-Royce-tier ultra-luxury car, a wax-sealed declaration to the Spectres and Baturs of the world. From the long silhouette to the subtle boat tail rear end, it just exudes elegance, and while a huge part of that is the form factor and luxurious appointments, you can’t deny that the colorway of this concept also plays a role.
See, the creators of the Sollei painted it Manila Cream, a factory Cadillac paint option for 1957 and 1958. Paired with a similar warm cream interior, the result is nothing short of stunning. Add in a little bit of pink lemonade on the doors for the beverage chiller and glassware storage compartment, and voila. This is some serious high-fashion stuff, but as I say, spec matters. This convertible still would’ve made an impact in a deep burgundy or pearlescent green, but the colors Cadillac chose make the whole thing look as decadent as fine silk.
For now, the Cadillac Sollei is just a concept, and that’s a shame. Cadillac should put this sumptuous convertible into production, and from a technical standpoint, it very well could. The Sollei is a Celestiq from the firewall forward, and it rides on the same Ultium platform as Cadillac’s ultra-luxury electric sedan. This means it has DOT-approved headlights, side markers, and front end panels that are already in use on a production car. What’s more, the Sollei also features actual side mirrors, a proper rearview mirror, the airbag-equipped steering wheel and dash pad from the Celestiq, and real running gear. The only real concept car flight of fancy here is the lack of visible exterior door handles, an issue that would be totally solvable, especially when playing in entry-level Rolls-Royce territory.
What’s more, the electric luxury convertible space is currently completely empty. There’s nothing quite like this on the road, and it’s not hard to imagine how fascinating an experience it would be motoring along with the top-down on near-silent electric power. The loudest thing, depending on speed, would likely simply be the sound of the tires, and that can be substantially reduced by simply slowing down and enjoying nature.
Cadillac hasn’t offered a convertible for sale in 15 years when the XLR bowed out in 2009. What’s more, Cadillac hasn’t sold a four-seat convertible since 1985, when the last factory-sanctioned Eldorado convertible was built. It’s about time we had a new Cadillac convertible, and the Sollei could very well be it. Come on. Be the standard of the world again.
(Photo credits: Cadillac)
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I think it’s gorgeous, unique and distinctly American. It’s been a long time since Detroit offered a rolling patio for you and three friends. Solid like.
They took a Ciel and made it way worse. That giant grille looks like a tacky co-branded electric razor. The rear was shamelessly stolen from the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Cabriolet, and then they added their awful recessed blades that look like ingrown toenails. But they forgot to delete the lightbar, so now it has two sets of tail lights, which looks even worse. The only word I can think of for those heinous wheels is “cyberdonk.” Then there’s the complete lack of dashboard. Just an absurdly wide touchscreen that looks like it’s set too far forward to reach easily. Congrats Cadillac, you came up with something even worse than a Tesla.
They had a nice run there with classy, beautiful concepts. That streak is over.
Cars that cost ~10x as much (etc) as a typical car are uninteresting. Sure, it’s gorgeous, amazing and all that, but these mortgage priced cars are often just parked somewhere, effectively (or totally) unused.
Besides, GM already has a long history of amazing concepts that it does nothing with, especially Cadillacs.
I’ll both agree and disagree with your point, though I’ll argue it applies more to the 10x cost hypercars. They all kinda look the same and they just compete on some random very fast unusable speed that is eclipsed rather soon by the next hyper car you’ll never see or remember. Cars like this, the Rolls boat tail and such are very different, they don’t chase a standard that is quickly bested, they offer something else and I think that’s far more interesting.
I actually really like it. My only question is why GM thinks chrome clad alloy wheels are a good thing? That car has food processor blades for wheels. I guess if I could afford a $500k luxury cruiser I could splurge for decent wheels.
Love it. Not in banana though, black, white, red, green. Could tone down the grill a little. Id be interested if they’d put a roof on it. It’s too cold up here to drive a convertible year round.
One color Itd ooze opulence is the carmine red the did on eldorados in the 90s, but add some white pearl with the metal flake for a tri coat, and maybe a cream top.
That works for me with a white top delete. I’ve already got sufficient white on top.
Course GM, being GM, will either not do it, build it as a Blazer variant, and faf it up so badly it will look like a Nissan Pao in suv/cuv drag with a glandular problem.
Ohhh yeah, been in a gm family for soo long and have been let down so many times by so many promises.
My last gm product was an 11 cruise. Decent enough once they replaced a good deal of the cooling system on recalls and warranty. Looked at the new one in 18 and politely declined. Also shopped the same year Malibu. Dealer FA pissed me off so much I walked across the road to toyota and tried a Camry. Didn’t fit so tried the honda dealer next door. Bought an 18 Accord Touring the next day. GM is now on my not ever again list.
Vast majority of ours was 80s and 90s stuff, and then finally millenia ones, and by gawd… them interiors.
Had long assumed that’s just how they were, especially when all my friends and family had big 3 stuff, then I tried a 94 accord after a 92 eldo, and WTF, it was like a starship compared to an old money yacht. No squeaks, rattles, leaked oil, and logical.
And the honda had 220k mi on it.
Even today, I can’t recommend gm stuff to anyone, too many duds and issues.
The older, pre 2005 stuff, I’ll still gamble on with certain picks, or just the trucks, but yeah, idk how they could build such mediocre boxes and expected them to sell. Yet somehow, I still yearn for a gen 2 gts viper, a prowler, and a ssr. Kill me. Lol
Owned in order, 64 olds f85, 66 olds dynamic 88, 68 impala ss 396, 70 olds w30 442, 71 corvette lt1, 02 zr1 corvette, 98 olds intrigue, 11 cruize. Various and sundry mercan, japanese and british and german metal in between that gm set. I’d love to find a late model 2dr corvair for a project car, but I’m off all big 3 and euro metal now.
I have no doubt this would sell in the low hundreds of units at six figure prices.
The real question is if they can build and sell them in the $60-80,000 range. If so, I would likely stretch my budget for one.
We’re long overdue for a four seat electric convertible, and I hope they are both luxurious and reasonably accessible when they finally arrive, because this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.
The Celestiq is $300k. If this existed, it would be most optimistically offered around $500k, or more probably as an ultra-low-production of around 20 examples in the million-dollar range. And I will still find it cool if they do it like this. It is imo a far better flagship than the Celestiq.
The same thing will happen to this for all reasonably attractive concept cars… the Penny-Pinching Department will do a little “cost-saving” on the specifications and it will end up looking like a child used the Free Transform Tool on an Edsel…
They need to lower the waistline by an inch or two, to reduce the visual heaviness of the sides.
Otherwise it’s spectacular.
I’d prefer an EV Miata…
It’s a 1975 Eldorado cabriolet for 2025 and in my opinion it’s exactly what Cadillac should be going for. Hope they make it.
I think there’s about a 99% chance that this was originally named was Soliq by the Cadillaq Marketiq Department(iq). I wonder whether Mary Barra has a daughter named Sollei.
Don’t be ridiqulous.
We have fire.We must kill it.
How can it look so good from the back and side, and so much like an electric razor in the front? Nobody, and I mean nobody, needs that much grille.
Agreed, the whole thing is elegant except for the front, and those wheels are a little bit jarring as well.
The seatbacks look like something Ed McMahon would wear during the 1970s.
It does look like in the interior picture, the front seats are scooted all the way forward and the seatbacks are tilted frontward in order to maximize the rear seat spaciousness and legroom.
Agreed, an electric convertible would be terrific. Toyota should bring back the Avalon with an all-electric system, since Cadillac just built a slightly stretched electric Lexus LC500.
This looks terrific, but in the final analysis, it would be about as fun as a VW Thing as far as open-air driving goes. It needs to be available to the general public, because it will be a wonderful car, and people need to be able to smile and enjoy life more.
Is it utterly gorgeous? Yes it is.
Is the name purposely misspelled? Yes it is.
(Soleil is the word you’re looking for)
The color is a throwback to the Palm Beach LeSabres and yellow Biarritz of days gone by – and that’s a good thing. (and I don’t even like most yellows)
“….the electric luxury convertible space is currently completely empty”
Unless you count the Maserati GranCabrio Folgore.
Will Cadillac build it?
Don’t hold your breath.
We’re far more likely to see the Genesis X Cabriolet before GM does anything brave like this.
At least they didn’t try to spell it with a Q.
I fully support the context of this article. . . Even though if they do build it, I will never be able to afford it.
Doubt I could afford it, but if I could…
I can totally see the Terminator cruising one of these on Rodeo Drive.
Or Danny Bonaduce’s new uber car?
The front seat backs are making me concerned though. And not in a good way.
Now seeing that this applies to the rear seats as well. Sort of like a dinette set I once saw on The Price is Right, circa 1978. A look that has not aged well. YMMV
With that much Celestiq content, I’m actually rather hopeful we’ll hear about a variation of this entering production at some point.
My preferred Vogues might be a bit pedestrian for this ride. Given the likely price point, I’d hope to be able to order one with some bespoke cream-wall tires to match that paint.
Won’t someone think of the .01%? I get the Halo car appeal, and GM/Cadillac have always had the ability to put out stunning concepts. A quick search said 100-150 Celestiq per year planned, with first year sold out, starting at $340,000, but every one is custom built to buyers specs. So likely $400k range for this Sollei. Wow, they want to play in RR/Bentley territory for the shine. I don’t see how this could be a net positive for their image in the minds of the 99.99%. Also from a bumper background, looks like a $40k bill for the lightest of taps to that fascia.
Didn’t they do that already, with a car for the Entourage movie?
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1096054_drama-drives-a-cadillac-ciel-four-door-convertible-in-entourage-movie-video
god i wish they actually made the ciel, that thing was beautiful. this is Caddy’s chance to right a wrong.
Meh. If they make it it’s just going to be another six figure vanity piece for the 1%. Cadillac has stated they want to go upmarket and try to compete with the Bentleys and Rolls Royces of the world, so I’m assuming they’re going to be making a lot more unobtanium and a lot less Blackwings…
That’s what Cadillac always should have been imo. Buick can be the proper European premium brand fighter that it was always supposed to be as well. GM can even keep making Blackwing style sedans, just make them a “Grand National” and “GNX” sub brand of Buick.
Cadillac was arguably most successful when it did both – selling $13,000 Eldorado Broughams at the same time they were building $4,700 Series 62s, or $7,200 Sixteens alongside $1,700 Series 61s. Abandoning any serious product at the high end is one of the several things that destroyed their credibility as a proper luxury make over the past 5 years, selling the Celestiq makes it more possible for them to also credibly challenge the X5 or RX350
This will never see the light of day as Mary won’t allow it. You people must buy her over-priced electric trucks.
I’m very curious how well the Celestiq (no idea if I spelled that right) is selling as it’s the first real moonshot Cadillac they’ve done in a while.
They sold out the first 18 months of production capacity, but sustaining that level of interest is an open question. Also, production capacity is in the three figures.
Hmm, very interesting, we’ll see where it goes…
“Come on. Be the standard of the world again.”
Never happen. They don’t have the chops anymore.
The front end doesn’t even come close to cashing the check that the rest of the design writes. All the headline photos are from the rear. It’s not a mistake
The Ciel was perfect, i wish they didn’t deviate from that design standard