Cadillac will reveal its first electric vehicle, the Lyriq SUV, during a virtual event on August 6. The vehicle’s original debut on April 2 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
GM, Cadillac’s parent company, announced the Lyriq at an “EV Day” event last March in Warren, Michigan, which unveiled a new modular electric vehicle platform aimed at powering a wide range of the company’s electric models in the next years. The Lyriq will be Cadillac’s first luxury electric SUV, with a sedan, the Celestiq, to follow. An early version that was shown on the EV Day featured a 34-inch column-to-column display, power doors, a long wheelbase, and many high-end materials.
More than a year ago, GM named Cadillac as the brand to lead the automaker’s push toward an electric future. At the time, it made sense: The luxury brand needed an improved identity, and GM wasn’t going to put all its hopes in the slow-selling Chevy Bolt.
For years, GM was seen lagging behind its competitors in the luxury electric vehicle market. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW have introduced high-end electric vehicles meant to compete with the Tesla Model S, while GM had the Bolt and little else.
But the automaker, the largest in the US, has since picked up the pace, announcing plans to launch 20 electric nameplates by 2023. All four GM brands – Chevy, Cadillac, GMC and Buick – will launch new electric vehicles.
The Cadillac Lyriq will be the first vehicle built on the company’s new BEV3 architecture. Next up will be the Hummer EV in SUV and truck formats. Also coming will be an upgraded Chevy Bolt EV and a longer wheelbase Bolt electric utility vehicle, a compact Chevy crossover, two Buick SUVs, and the Celestiq. This is all part of GM’s broader plan to spend $ 20 billion on capital and engineering costs by 2025.
