02 Jun An Electric Future with General Motors

In May 2025, after years of development and growing anticipation the first Cadillac Celestiq finally hit the road.

With 14 unique stainless steel grilles in each vehicle, Vestatec products featured prominently in the accompanying promotional material. The below is one of the press releases that tells the story of our journey from nomination to vehicle launch, with commentary on the process from our former Managing Director Mike Bylina.

Introduction

General Motors is one of North America’s leading vehicle manufacturers, and home to iconic brands such as GMC, Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac. Famous for its unwavering stateside style, these brands have set a precedent for premium design in the automotive sector for over a century and remain a firm staple for drivers across North America.

Hailed as the gold standard of luxury, Cadillac’s range of vehicles offer drivers superb quality and build using premium materials paired with innovative technology and a sophisticated interior. Its pedigree boasts a signature choice for many US leaders and its reputation for offering class precedes it.

In order to create such a luxurious vehicle, each vehicle is crafted with the most talented designers in the world, with General Motors partnering with leading tiered suppliers to ensure every inch of these vehicles meet the high standards its customers expect.

Forming a bond

British metal forming, assembly and PVD coating specialist, Vestatec, is one of those trusted suppliers partnering with the Cadillac brand to provide premium interior trim for its all-new, all-electric venture, the Cadillac CELESTIQ.

Having predominantly operated exclusively in the European automotive sector for brands including Porsche, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Vestatec set its sights across the pond, seeing North America as an opportunity to expand its horizons – something Mike Bylina, managing director and founder of Vestatec believed would help futureproof the company.

“Vestatec has been operating in the automotive industry for over 36 years, with the vast majority of our work supporting major European manufacturers.

“We have some of the industry’s greatest minds and unique design software which puts us ahead of our competitors, and confidence in our ability has enabled us to collaborate on high-performance applications for some of the world’s leading OEMs.

“However, as our business grew and the landscape of the industry really started to shift towards more sustainable solutions, we knew it was time for us to look at how we could support other territories beginning to make that transition,” said Mike.

First steps

In 2018, Vestatec set up sales teams in California and Michigan to create its new North American Business Development division, thus beginning its journey in the USA. Liaising with OEMs across the continent, Vestatec soon had the opportunity to sit down with General Motors to showcase how their capabilities could provide ultra-premium solutions for its brands.

Mike continued: “Our North American venture started off really well, but not long after our talks with General Motors began, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and much like the rest of the world, new business had to be put on pause to ensure the welfare of our team and the security of the business.

Later that year, we were contacted by a buyer for General Motors and began talks to supply our services for a new, premium project – the Cadillac CELESTIQ. Soon after, we received the CAD data, provided a cost estimate and continued talks before going through the onboarding process. From there, we received our supplier code and got to work.”

The right tools for the job

With a newly formed partnership, Vestatec started curating the right tools, materials and people required to begin development. Each part needed to match the interior design and overall aesthetic of the vehicle as conceptualised by General Motors, while responsibility for compatibility and tolerances lay with Vestatec’s engineers to ensure this vision came to life.

Project Manager, Paul Canwell joined the team bringing a wealth of engineering expertise to head up the project at the Nottingham-based factory, while further growth continues as the company takes on more projects.

Mike said: “Paul joined the team early on, and his industry experience is proving to be invaluable as we begin to progress in North America. It felt right to appoint him to lead on what we hope will be the start of more high-end projects, as we continue discussions with major manufacturers globally.”

To meet the demands of the vehicle, Vestatec also invested in additional equipment, including a 220 tonne hydraulic press to create metal formed parts that are up to 1.5 metres in length, all from a single sheet of metal.

“Collaboration and problem-solving is at the heart of what we do, and we believe it is something that puts us ahead of the competition. Working closely with the team at General Motors has allowed us to test how far we can push the boundaries to achieve something that isn’t available anywhere else on the market,” added Mike.

“The parts required for this project are the most complex in the industry in terms of size and geometry, so the equipment we need to create products of this calibre is as unique as it is impressive.

From design to reality

Using a software called AutoForm, we’re able to prototype and test the process to understand what is feasible and what could cause manufacturing complications.

This project has allowed us to showcase to the industry our capability to manufacture complex, decorative interior trim, over and above just speaker grilles, which our name has become synonymous with.”

As a key player in the industry, Vestatec’s work will provide a range of aesthetic enhancements to the CELESTIQ’s prestigious interior. Its components, made using stainless steel and PVD coating, will feature throughout the vehicle.

Beginning in the cockpit, Vestatec’s chemically etched speaker grilles will feature either side of the IP, moving through the cabin with harmonising grilles spanning the length of the upper doors to the C Pillar in parallel on either side. Further enhancing the decorative features of these grilles, they will be back-illuminated to create a striking visual effect.

The lower panels of the front and rear doors consist of a large, unique speaker grille that creates a premium metal finish below the armrests. Incredibly, considering their complexity and multi-stage forming process, each component is formed using just a single sheet of metal.

Finishing touches

The CELESTIQ is a completely bespoke vehicle, with each model made to order to the buyer’s specification. With Vestatec’s in house PVD coating facility, Cadillac is able to offer its customers a choice of premium colours, including a gun metal grey with laser ablated accents.

Mike added: “We’ve invested in our own PVD coating facilities to ensure we have the right technologies and capabilities in house to deliver premium and luxury quality, in a cost-effective way.

The CELESTIQ is on sale to the North American markets from 2025 with only 25 of the artisan vehicles expected to be sold in the first year.