GM’s Electric Cadillac Lyriq Arrives Spring 2022 With +300-Mile Range, $60,000 Starting Price

As Cadillac creeps ever closer to finally launching its first battery electric vehicle, GM’s premium brand continues to trickle out more details about the 2023 Lyriq. This week, Cadillac is showing off the production version of the Lyriq with minimal changes from the show car that was revealed in August 2020 along with basic specifications and pricing. 

Despite the challenges of the pandemic over the past 12 months with thousands of engineers and designers working remotely, GM actually managed to pull ahead the U.S. launch of the Lyriq by nine months. The electric crossover was originally scheduled to start production in China in mid-2022 with U.S. production beginning late in the year. Instead, GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant will start turning out Lyriqs in the first quarter of 2022 with deliveries to begin sometime in the spring. 

Cadillac will start taking reservations for the Lyriq this September with a starting price of $59,990 including delivery. When customers will actually be able to get a $60,000 Lyriq is unknown because as has become the custom of late, there will be a launch edition which includes all of the optional goodies at an as yet unannounced price. 

So what exactly do you get for $60,000? In short, a surprisingly sleek looking five-seat crossover with an expected range of more than 300 miles. If that range seems a bit low compared to the 360 miles of a Model X, it should be noted that GM is usually conservative on these estimates and the Bolt can easily outperform its 259-mile rating. Conversely, Tesla’s tend to fall short of their official ratings.

Cadillac has never offered something with quite the proportions of the Lyriq and there isn’t much else on the market that quite matches it. At 196.7-inches long and 63.6-inches tall, the Lyriq is two inches shorter and six inches lower than the XT6. Probably, the closest vehicle in form factor is the Range Rover Velar, but that vehicle is 10-inches shorter than the Cadillac. 

Cadillac designers have taken advantage of the absence of an internal combustion powertrain to stretch the wheelbase to the corners with a 121.8-inch wheelbase. Despite its length and span between axles, there will be no third row available. The more bulbous Tesla

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Model X has a similar length but a roof that is three inches taller. The steeply raked hatch of the Cadillac would make a third row impractical. Instead, it gets cavernous space for five occupants. That’s one more seat than the show car. 

In between the axles is a 100-kWh battery pack made up of 12 modules filled with GM’s new Ultium lithium ion cells. A Model X with a battery that size costs $30,000 more. However, the Tesla comes with two motors for that price while the Cadillac will launch only as a 340-hp single motor, rear wheel drive configuration. 

Cadillac officials wouldn’t commit to a dual motor or more powerful configuration, but highlighted the modular nature of the Ultium architecture which has five different motors that can be mixed and matched. The GMC Hummer is getting three motors with a combined 1,000-hp. A 1,000-hp Lyriq seems unlikely, but then again a 1,000-hp Model X seemed improbable not so many years ago as did a revival of the Hummer nameplate. Three-motor Lyriq-V Blackwing anyone?

The Lyriq will support 190-kW DC fast charging which is claimed to 76 miles of range in 10 minutes. Under the skin there is a 19.2-kW on-board AC charging module, double the power found in many current premium EVs. With a suitable 19.2-kW wall charger at home, it can add 52 miles of charge per hour. At this point, GM is only saying that it will share more details about available chargers and other accessories closer to production, but it seems likely the automaker will offer or recommend something suitable.

As mentioned, the only notable changes to the Lyriq’s exterior are larger, production style mirrors in place of the not yet legal in America cameras and slightly smaller wheels and tires. The production model comes standard with 20-inch alloy wheels with 22s being optional. The front signature pinstripe lighting and backlit logo are retained and the central portion of the fascia covers an assortment of sensors. 

Inside the cabin, in addition to the five seats, there is a 33-inch, high-resolution LCD curved display spanning from the A-pillar across the center of the dashboard. This will feature one of the first applications of GM’s new Android Automotive-based infotainment system. Images of the screen include icons for the Google

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Play store for downloading apps, the Google Assistant and Google maps displayed in the cluster area directly in front of the driver. 

Second-generation Super Cruise will come standard on the Lyriq with hands-free highway operation that includes auto lane change capability. Like the recently launched Escalade, the Lyriq also gets a premium 19-speaker AKG audio system. 

Like the Chevrolet Bolt, the Lyriq will have a one pedal driving mode that relies on regenerative braking for most deceleration. However, it will also have a pressure sensitive paddle behind the steering wheel that enables variable regen on demand. The Bolt has a paddle, to engage regen as well, but it’s just an on-off switch. 

During a briefing prior to the official reveal, Rory Harvey, vice president, Global Cadillac said “ Every new Cadillac, that we introduce from this point on, in North America will be a state of the art, luxury electric vehicle.” While current Cadillac models will continue to get refreshed with incremental updates over the next several years, Cadillac seems intent on living up to what previous brand chief Steve Carlisle said in December 2019 that this was the end of the ICE age. 

Following the reveal of the Lyriq concept last summer, Cadillac informed its 878 dealers that any that wanted to continue selling the brand would need to fully commit to electrification including investments in tooling, spares and training. According to Harvey, “about 200 of the Cadillac dealers out of the entire population, are looking to go a different route moving forward.” GM has agreed to buy back the franchises of Cadillac dealers that don’t want to go electric.