Rock star Lenny Kravitz has a new career. He’s helping design electric vehicles. Futuristic EVs, for that matter.
The “American Woman” singer is collaborating with General Motors’ Cadillac to launch the Celestiq EV brand.
EV Brands
EVs are a growing segment of the auto industry. According to Motor Trend, “It’s obvious that electric cars are the future; every manufacturer is working on them, released one or more models, and/or declared its intent to shift to making EVs.” While companies like Tesla and Nissan have been making electric cars for more than a decade, other “legacy manufacturers” like GM and Ford now are venturing into the market.
Kravitz Does Celestiq EV
Kravitz will be spec’ing his own custom version of the electric vehicle. The artist will be working with Michael Simcoe, who is General Motors’ vice president of global design, Vanity Fair reported.
“I think that this car is going to go to Paris, where I have my house,” he said from the General Motors Technical Center.
Cadillac Celestiq sedan is an all-new, battery-powered, zero-emissions car that is customized for every interior. With 600 horsepower, 640 pound-feet of torque, and a 300-mile range from an 111 kWh battery, the four-seater all-wheel drive sedan will do zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds and boast a price tag of a whopping $300,000.
The 2024 Cadillac Celestiq, according to GM Authority, has a retrospective yet futuristic design.
It comes equipped with a pillar-to-pillar 55-inch diagonal advanced HD display in front, Suspended Particle Device (light valves) technology for the roof, GM Ultra Cruise driver assist tech, and the latest GM Ultium battery and GM Ultium drive motor technology.
More than 1,600 individual diodes, or semiconductor devices, are built in a car, CNET reported, meaning its LED headlights and taillights are impressive.
The car sports a four-zone electrochromic glass roof, which basically means the roof is smart solar powered, able to control ambient lighting and the suspended-particle technology.
As of now, the availability of this specialty EV is scarce, with clients who can afford the six-figure Cadillac being put on a waitlist
Production will start in December 2023.
Kravitz will also be the spokesman for the brand car.
Cadillacs Near and Dear to Kravitz
“My grandfather, he always had Cadillacs. He changed them out every few years,” the musician said in the video teasing the car. “He was a hard-working man, had five jobs, grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. But Cadillac was his thing. And he used to pile all of us in the back, like five or six kids, and he would take us out of Brooklyn. He wanted to expose the neighborhood kids to art, to the museums, to theater, to sports. So the Cadillac was his vehicle to put us all in, and take us to expose us to all of these wonderful things.”
The Paris-based Kravitz admitted to Vanity Fair that he has never had an automobile, opting instead for Triumph Bonneville motorcycles. But he does have cars stored at his other current residences, including his compound in the Bahamas.
There is no info on how much, if anything, Kravitz is making for his Cadillac collab, but he has an estimated net worth of $80 million.
