At the heart of the Cadillac CELESTIQ’s fabrication, lie a solid EV strategy and additive manufacturing 

 

With over $81 million of investment into its Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan – investment which will serve to purchase dedicated manufacturing equipment and for campus renovation work – , automotive manufacturer General Motors is preparing to build the Cadillac CELESTIQ. 

The new hatchback will be the first production vehicle to be built at GM’s Global Technical Center, the center of the company’s engineering and design efforts since its inauguration in May 1956.

“As Cadillac’s future flagship sedan, CELESTIQ signifies a new, resurgent era for the brand,” said Mark Reuss, president, General Motors.  “Each one will be hand-built by an amazing team of craftspeople on our historic Technical Center campus, and today’s investment announcement emphasizes our commitment to delivering a world-class Cadillac with nothing but the best in craftsmanship, design, engineering and technology.”

A solid EV strategy and additive manufacturing 

GM said, the Cadillac CELESTIQ will be built on its Ultium Platform, which is the rock of its EV strategy. The platform encompasses a common electric vehicle architecture and propulsion components like battery cells, modules, packs, Ultium Drive units, EV motors and integrated power electronics.

Through the Ultium Platform, GM will realize a strategic value chain shift across its network of vehicle assembly plants as the company commonizes and streamlines machinery, tooling and assembly processes. This flexibility enables lower capital investments and greater efficiencies as additional assembly plant transformations occur.

CELESTIQ embodies Cadillac’s commitment to reimagine what’s possible and sets a new standard for the artful integration of technology.

  • CELESTIQ’s roof is expected to be one of the first to feature a four-quadrant, suspended-particle-device smart glass. With this smart glass, each occupant of the vehicle can set their own level of roof transparency.
  • The driver and front-seat passenger will enjoy a pillar-to-pillar freeform display with active privacy to help mitigate driver distraction.

As far as AM is concerned, the manufacturer will rely on his supplier community to deliver what’s expected to be the highest volume of 3D printed components — more than 100 — of any GM production vehicle.

This will include both structural and cosmetic parts, and both polymer and metal pieces. Additionally, the CELESTIQ production facility itself will leverage additive manufacturing for tooling, fixtures and gauges in the assembly process.

As a reminder, the Additive Industrialization Center the company opened two years ago, has enabled Cadillac to be among the first to integrate functional and aesthetic 3D-printed components in the automotive industry. The Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V were GM’s first vehicles to benefit from additive manufacturing with parts including the shifter emblem, transmission components and HVAC ducts.

“This investment is a great example of our commitment to GM’s EV transformation as we apply our manufacturing expertise to a one-of-a-kind, ultra-luxury vehicle for the Cadillac brand," said Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability. “The advanced manufacturing technology and tools we are utilizing on CELESTIQ will help our team deliver the highest quality vehicles to our customers.”

 

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