Blog: Cadillac Celestiq commissioning process poses a big challenge

More than $300,000 is a big ask.

Let's assume for a minute that the new Cadillac Celestiq ultra luxury sedan launches flawlessly with zero technical or fit and finish issues, that it's perfect right out of the box.

That's not going to be good enough for the millionaire and billionaire clientele that Cadillac hopes to attract with the Celestiq, whose starting price is in the low 300s. That kind of technical excellence is expected.

The real challenge for Cadillac dealers and the designers who will work with the car's mega-rich customers is making the commissioning process an experience worthy of the car's lofty price tag.

No American automaker has any track record of doing that since at least the 1950s.

I don't know that today's Cadillac showrooms are where this kind of business can be conducted with the serene luxury ambiance required of such a major purchase. Cadillac officials are not yet revealing much about the purchase process, which is very likely a work in progress. The first cars are more than a year away from production. But earlier this week, they did say there will be a studio in Detroit where clients can meet with designers and commission their cars.

If I were Cadillac Global Vice President Rory Harvey, this is what I would do: Find $1 million in the budget. Then assign the Cadillac executive in charge of Celestiq's custom commissioning process to benchmark the competition by buying a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a Bentley Mulliner, a Mercedes-Benz Maybach built under the company's Manufaktur program, and a new Range Rover, which also has a new and extensive bespoke commissioning program. From those purchases a picture should form of what the Celestiq's ordering process must entail.

The buying experience is as important as the car, and Cadillac has to get it not just right, but perfect with the Celestiq. Right now, Cadillac, which has zero experience in custom orders, has a long, long way to go.

Virtual chatbots on the Cadillac website are not going to cut it. And neither are 20 minutes of mind-numbing pablum phone music waiting to find out if Cadillac can build an Escalade for me in a custom color. The company can't, according to a representative I spoke with at Cadillac's customer assistance center.

The Celestiq is the first of a new breed of Cadillacs that will be hand built to order. Providing a commissioning process befitting a car that will likely cost more than a third of a million dollars will help ensure Celestiq owners come back for whatever bespoke vehicles come next.