The Cadillac Sollei Convertible Concept Reconnects Us with Nature
With a name like “Sollei,” a combination of “Sol” for the sun and “lei” for leisure, Cadillac’s latest convertible concept represents the brand’s optimistic inspiration for an open-air, leisurely lifestyle. Recently revealed on July 22nd at the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt in Warren, Michigan, the Cadillac Sollei is Cadillac’s first new hand-built car in over half a century.
Cadillac’s last convertible, the XLR, ended production in 2009, and the iconic Eldorado convertible was cancelled in 2002. Fifteen years have passed since Cadillac has produced a convertible for public sale, but the open-air lifestyle has since been represented in concept cars.
If the concept car’s design looks somewhat familiar, it’s because the Sollei uses the same Ultium platform and takes some styling ques from Cadillac’s 2011 Ciel concept, particularly from the front end and cabin.
Unique to the Sollei is its 5.68-foot-long doors, which appear nearly seamless when meshed with the car’s mid-body line that runs down each side, connecting the taillights and headlights. Instead of conventional door handles, the Sollei utilizes thin buttons placed an aluminum halo that circles the cabin. According to Takahiko Suginoshita, the car’s lead exterior designer, the Sollei’s clean, minimal design is meant to show off the car’s finer details.
The company uses genuine materials in its bespoke commissions and specifically focuses on not using plastic, said Erin Crossly, Cadillac Celestiq’s design director. “Everything that looks like metal is metal,” she said. The Sollei’s metal components, including the solid billet aluminum windshield frame and grill header, are tinted in a new finish called “Aurora,” named after the Northern and Southern Lights. Meanwhile, Cadillac brought back the Manila Cream paint color that was first seen on its 1957 and 1958 models. The throwback hue is display on bespoke 23-inch aluminum wheels. Photos with the top up were not provided, but the Sollei’s convertible top is reportedly made of fabric.
“SOLLEI reimagines the discovery of travel, envisioning a personalized driving experience that connects one with the natural world around them,” said Erin Crossley, design director, Cadillac. “The concept celebrates Cadillac’s pedigree of elegant convertibles in a modern form by cultivating high luxury through design expressions and experiences.”
Speaking of experiences, the Sollei features “distinguished ambient lighting for true customization including multiple zones and 126 color options in each zone,” and according to Cadillac, the lighting can evoke specific moods and personalize the interior ambiance.”
When we said the Sollei convertible reconnects us with nature, we weren’t kidding: the concept car caters to bird-watching connoisseurs, allowing enthusiasts to capture their bird-watching experiences with a custom brushed metal and leather-wrapped case that houses 3D printed acrylic bird calls, a leather-bound journal with hand painted bird illustrations and a leather tool roll for pens and pencils, all designed to match the vehicle’s interior.
The concept car’s cabin is nothing short of impressive, with its meticulously hand-cut and hand-laid wood veneers, sunburst motif, and an added pink iridescent pigment on the Nappa leather which creates a color-changing effect. The car’s charging mats and door pockets are made from a new, renewable bio-based material called Fine Mycelium, a first for the brand.
The automaker repeated several times in its press release that the Sollei is strictly a concept car, but perhaps it is a glimpse into what the near future holds. Could Cadillac offer a new state-of-the-art luxury convertible to battle with the hybrid and electric crossover and SUV market?
“What a vehicle like Sollei does is that it allows us to give those creative individuals inside the Cadillac organization a chance to express themselves, and I think they’ve done a good job of expressing what a 2+2 convertible could look like,” said John Roth, Cadillac’s global vice president.
If Cadillac won’t be bringing a convertible model to production, perhaps the brand has other plans to produce a limited-production road going hypercar.
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