Here’s our first full look at the Cadillac Celestiq ultra-luxury electric sedan

The Cadillac Celestiq is a $300,000 ultra-luxury electric sedan that General GM says is the most Cadillac Cadillac that ever existed.

Cadillac is attempting to capture some of the high-end market currently dominated by Rolls-Royce and other brands. Even though the show car version of the flagship EV is only expected to be a production ready vehicle out later this year, GM is still heaping on the hyperbole with the description of this Ultium-powered, 55-inch digital display. It was inspired by the brand's 120-year heritage, handcrafted materials and all of GM's most sophisticated technology.

What about the vehicle itself? The low-slung fastback shape is similar to the Mercedes-Benz EQS, but the comparisons stop there when you start looking at the details. There are four sets of brake lights on the rear end of the Celestiq. It is likely to be the most distinguishing design detail.

The Celestiq is referred to as a show car by GM, implying that it is not for sale. It is interesting that GM sees fit to make a distinction between the production version and the preview version.

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It got its moment in the spotlight for the first time. Most of the relevant specifications, including range, battery capacity, charge time, and acceleration metrics, are being kept out of the public eye.

The high-tech elements that are meant to distinguish this Cadillac from all of the others will only be made 500 times a year. We will get more details once the production version is revealed.

The 55-inch pillar-to-pillar digital display with electronic digital blinds is an active privacy technology that allows passengers to watch videos while blocking it from the view of the driver. The Celestiq is presented as an EV fit for royalty because of the red leather trim on the interior.

GM's "Suspended Particle Device" technology allows the panoramic glass roof to be modularly adjusted. This allows each occupant of the vehicle to set their own level of transparency.

The electric sedan, which is expected to make its debut in 2023, will be the first to include GM's new Ultra Cruise advanced driver- assist system, which the automaker claims will cover "95 percent" of driving scenarios on 2 million miles of roads in the US. The system will have the processing power equivalent to hundreds of personal computers.

GM is giving us more information about their production plans. The campus of GM's Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan was designed by Eero Saarinen. There has been no production vehicle built there since the center was inaugurated in 1957.

At its EV Day event in early 2020, GM showed off the Celestiq to a few reporters, but now it has released full images of the EV. The Cadillac Lyriq is intended to be a companion to the Celestiq.