Will Cadillac put this electric convertible into production to compete with Rolls-Royce?

Cadillac has revealed a stunning electric convertible, but for now it’s just a concept or design exercise.

The Cadillac Solei very similar to the handcrafted luxury brand Celestiq The flagship model, but ditches the five-door liftback body style in favor of a more streamlined two-door convertible.

The brand said “this groundbreaking convertible explores the possibilities of bespoke vehicle design” and said “this imaginative design exercise will push the boundaries of future bespoke orders”.

Up front, the styling is essentially identical to the Celestiq. While the rear doors are gone, the side profile is also very similar to the Celestiq.

There are no door handles, instead, occupants must enter and exit the car by pressing discreet buttons.

The lack of a roof requires significant changes at the rear, and the Sollei’s rear end is much smoother than the Celestiq’s.

The lower taillights remain the same as the Celestiq’s and Escalade iQbut the trunk lid slopes gently down below the full-width light bar.

Cadillac says the design is inspired by iconic cars of the past.

Including a revived version of Cadillac’s Manila Cream paint, used on its cars in 1957 and 1958 – although cream yellow was available in the 1980s.

Chrome plating on the wheels is also a traditional Cadillac feature.

Inside, the car has a 2+2 layout with a spacious-looking second row of seats, as well as a pillar-to-pillar 55-inch screen like on the Celestiq.

Luxurious touches include electric glass-door beverage coolers and crystal glasses, as well as unstained veneer panels that are hand-cut and hand-applied using a mosaic technique.

The windshield is also framed in brushed aluminum, while the ambient lighting features multiple zones and 126 color options.

The sun-drenched exterior finish combines with many sun-themed design elements inside.

There’s a sunburst pattern on the perforations, quilting and embroidery on the seat motif, while the iridescent pink-tinted Nappa leather creates a “subtle colour-changing sunrise effect”.

The beverage cooler doors and glass trays also feature an iridescent pink hue that Cadillac says “reflects varying degrees of exposure to sunlight,” while the metallic finish is an ‘Aurora’ color that evokes the geomagnetic phenomenon.

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 door map pockets and has an iridescent finish.

The concept includes an unusual accessory: a custom brushed metal and leather-wrapped box containing 3D printed acrylic birdsong, a leather-bound diary with hand-drawn bird illustrations, and a leather pen and pencil case.

As for the name Sollei, it’s not a misspelling of Soleil, the French word for ‘sun’. Instead, Cadillac says it comes from… well, the name of the sun (sol), but also the word leisure (‘lei’). It’s a misspelled brand of ‘lyric’ and ‘optic’.

No specifications have been released, but the Celestiq uses an all-wheel drive system with 447kW of power and 868Nm of torque.

The car is equipped with a 111kWh battery pack, has a claimed range of 483km and a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) acceleration time of 3.8 seconds.

Cadillac hasn’t offered a convertible since the XLR was discontinued in 2009, and hasn’t offered a four-seat sedan since the Eldorado Convertible was discontinued in 1985.

While rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue to offer convertibles, neither brand offers an electric convertible, and there’s not much activity in the luxury electric convertible segment overall.

Maserati has revealed the electric Folgore version of its new model GranCabriohas been pegged for an Australian launch, while Genesis has put its X Convertible concept on display in Australia and Rumor has it that it will go into production.

The Sollei concept may remain just that – a concept. Cadillac is no stranger to revealing boldly styled flagship concept cars, only a few of which eventually foreshadow a production model.

1999 Evoq concept previewed Chevrolet Corvette-XLR luxury convertible sports car, but the 2002 mid-engine Cien concept car did not spawn any subsequent production version.

In 2003, Cadillac unveiled the spectacular Sixteen sedan concept with a 16-cylinder engine, as its name suggests.

Again, no production version was ever unveiled, nor did the 2011 four-door Ciel convertible concept and the 2013 two-door Elmiraj coupe concept make it to showrooms.

Plans to produce a concept version of the 2016 Escala were scrapped, but Cadillac eventually broke that record with the Celestiq.

First previewed as a concept in 2022, the model was revealed in production form later that year with a largely unchanged appearance.

It is positioned as the brand’s most luxurious flagship in decades, far outstripping the rest. Each car will be personally ordered by the customer.

The price point for customers? Over $300,000 USD (about AU$450,000).

There are no plans for the Celestiq to be offered here. Cadillac will return later this year with Lyricselectricity BMW iX The rival shares many design features with the Celestiq.

THAN: Cadillac won’t chase Bentley in Australia with the ultra-luxury Celestiq