Cadillac launches $ 60,000 Lyriq EV as it launches gas engines

DETROIT – The all-electric Lyriq crossover will mark the beginning of the end for Cadillac’s traditional internal combustion engines, when the new EV hits dealership showrooms in the first half of next year.

Lyriq, Cadillac’s first electric vehicle, is the first in a new line of branded electric cars and SUVs because it plans to produce all-electric vehicles exclusively by 2030, according to Rory Harvey, global vice president of Cadillac. He said there would be no new Cadillac vehicles with internal combustion engines, also known as ICE, in North America, following the launch of the redesigned Escalade SUV last year.

“We will leave this decade as an EV brand, as things stand today,” he told reporters during an online media event this week for the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. “We will not sell ICE vehicles until 2030.”

General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company, previously said that most, if not all, of its Cadillac cars and SUVs sold globally will be fully electric vehicles by the end of the decade. But Harvey’s comments go a step further, reaffirming plans and saying that Cadillac will not spend capital on the current range outside of upgrades, also known as mid-cycle refreshments, for vehicles already on sale.

Cadillac is expected to lead GM’s plans to offer exclusively electric vehicles by 2035. This includes at least 30 new electric vehicles by 2025 as part of a $ 27 billion investment plan in electric and autonomous vehicles in this range. time.

Lyriq, starting at $ 59,995, will be among the first to be launched on the market with the next generation of EV platforms and GM battery system, known as Ultium. The vehicle will come in a single configuration for the first year of the model, to simplify production.

GM on Wednesday released the prices, photos and details of the production version of the vehicle, which closely resembles a show car version from last year. The changes, as promised by GM, largely include a few design changes, such as smaller wheels and larger side mirrors to comply with US regulations.

“The intention was to bring the show into production,” said Andrew Smith, Cadillac’s chief executive for global design, color and décor. This includes a new signature lighting and a Cadillac emblem illuminated on the front.

The interior of the Lyriq, like the show car, also has a curved 33-inch LED screen that covers the entire viewing area of ​​the driver.

The rear-wheel drive vehicle is expected to have 340 horsepower and a torque of about 325 pound-feet. The estimated range of the vehicle at full load is more than 300 miles, according to GM. On a fast DC charger, GM said the vehicle is capable of adding 76 miles of battery life in about 10 minutes.