The Cadillac Sollei is an all-electric, 2+2 convertible that’s a “design exercise”, at least for now.
This is far from the first time Cadillac has introduced a larger-than-life convertible concept. A little over a decade ago, the automaker introduced the hybrid-electric Ciel concept, and now they’re back with this: the Sollei.
“Sollei reimagines the discovery of travel,” says Cadillac design director Erin Crossley, “envisioning a personalized driving experience that connects one with the natural world around them.” It’s high luxury, she goes on, and a nod to the brand’s long-running history of building memorable droptop models, right down to the Manila Cream paint used on 1957 and 1958 Cadilacs. The Sollei doesn’t have massive fins, granted, but it does have a boattail design endemic of other luxury roadsters (like this Rolls-Royce), and a host of other neat touches like vertical taillights and the Celestiq-like front end that gives it some serious presence.
Speaking of the Celestiq, you could reasonably boil down to the Cadillac Sollei concept to being a cabriolet version of the brand’s $340,000 flagship. The Sollei brings a range of bespoke and hand-crafted touches to suggest a low production volume and eye-wateringly high price tag, were Cadillac actually to put this into production. And they aren’t, at least for the moment — they’re being rather emphatic on saying this “explores the possibilities of custom-commissioned vehicle design.” So, maybe a few will make it into the collections of the ultra-wealthy, then on to the likes of Pebble Beach? The concept will make its appearance at the Concours d’Elegance in August, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens beyond that.
The Cadillac Sollei brings a host of other special touches to the party, including the 55-inch pillar-to-pillar display shared with the new Escalade. The automaker also mentions more renewable interior materials, including the charging pad and map pockets made from ‘Fine Mycelium’ (mushroom roots) by specialist biotechnology company MycoWorks. The Sollei concept also has textured floormats amde from “Bask”, a textile made from boucle (looped) yarn.
While this is the latest concept from Cadillac’s design studio, it certainly won’t be the last. This is just the latest example after concepts like the Ciel I mentioned earlier, as well as the Elmiraj and the Expressive concept, the latter being a predecessor to the CT4 and CT5 sedans.
