Cadillac Sollei Concept Reimagines the Celestiq as a Convertible

The drop-top Cadillac may be making a comeback.

The luxury automaker unveiled a new concept called the Sollei on Monday. The exquisite EV reimagines the company’s new flagship, the Celestiq, without one of its sets of doors and, most importantly, its roof.

It’s hard to believe today, but there was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when Cadillac was one of the biggest names in luxury automaking. The Celestiq, which was unveiled in 2022, is an ambitious attempt to redefine the brand and return it to its former glory. The graceful 18-footer is the company’s first new hand-built model in over a half-century and offers plenty of bespoke potential. The Sollei—the “sol” stands for sun, the “lei” for leisure—suggests that goal may actually be within reach.

You’ll see plenty of the Celestiq in the Sollei. From the front fascia to the A-pillar, the two EVs are essentially the same. But once you get to the side-view mirrors, the latter begins to transform into something else entirely. Whereas the Celestiq is a four-door grand tourer with a coupe-style roof, the Sollei is a stretched-out two-door without a roof in sight. This drastic revision necessitated some more changes, of course, including doors that now stretch over five-and-a-half feet in length and new full-width LED taillights. The concept is finished in Manilla Cream, a hue the company used in 1957 and 1958, has rose-gold-tinted trim, and a convertible top is covered in a metallic fabric called Daybreak.

Just as much attention has been lavished on the drop-top’s sophisticated interior. Again, the Celestiq appears to have provided the blueprint for the space—including the 55-inch glass dashboard that has two integrated screens—though there’s now a beverage chiller between the rear seats that has a glass door and matching crystal glasses. The exterior’s yellow theme carries over to the interior, with the Nappa leather seats featuring a sunburst motif and a pink iridescent pigment that changes colors in the right light. Beautifully laid wood trim can be found throughout the cabin, including on the back of the front seats, and ambient lighting that offers 126 color options. Rounding things out is a custom case that features four 3D-printed bird calls and a leather-bound journal where the driver and their passengers can record what they saw.

Cadillac makes no mention of the concept’s powertrain, though Car and Driver reports that it uses the same Ultium platform as the Celestiq. The production EV utilizes a dual-motor setup that produces 600 hp and 640 ft lbs of torque. It gets its juice from a 111-kWh battery pack and is purported to have a range of around 300 miles.

The Sollei is just a concept and, as of now, there are no concrete plans to put it into production. But that was also the case for the Celestiq when it debuted a couple of years back, so it wouldn’t be a complete shock if the company were to commit to building at least a limited run of examples in the future.

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Click here for more photos of the Cadillac Sollei concept.