Cadillac has revealed more details about its upcoming Lyriq electric crossover. It now has power and range figures as well as a starting price of under $70,000 including destination. The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq's arrival date has been bumped up, now scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of 2022, with GM working hard to speed up the development of its electric vehicles. That development has just become even more important because Cadillac also announced that it has released its last all-new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. From now on, all new North American models from the brand will be EVs.
With 12 modules in the scalable "Ultium" battery pack, the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq will offer 100 kWh and GM estimates more than 480 km on a full charge using Canadian testing standards. The first models will offer a single motor driving the rear wheels, with 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is coming, but Cadillac didn't say when or how it might impact range or power. The Lyriq will offer one-pedal driving as well as variable regeneration on demand using a pressure-sensitive paddle on the steering wheel to help maximize range and offer an improved EV experience.
A 19.2 kW onboard charger gives the Lyriq the fast charging possible on a 240V Level 2 charger. That's 84 km of range per hour of charge if you get a proper 100-amp home charging station. It's the max allowed under the J1772 standard that applies to L2, and is more than 50 per cent quicker than the 11.5 kW speeds Tesla offers and double the Audi e-tron. The 19.2 kW onboard charger will be standard on launch edition models and optional on others, with 11.5 kW (53 km of range per hour) with a more conventional home outlet on all. On a DC fast-charge station, it can add up to 122 km of range in 10 minutes.
Interior highlights start with a 33-inch LED display that Cadillac says can show more than a billion colours in high resolution. The vehicle will have a new generation of active noise cancelling to keep road noise to a minimum and will offer the Super Cruise hands-off driver assistance feature. A digital key will be available, as will be an AKG 19-speaker audio system that includes headrest speakers.
Cadillac designers have loaded the inside with intricate design elements including laser-etched patterns in the wood over metal trim and knurling of the controls as well as details like a deconstructed reproduction of an early Cadillac crest on the ends of the instrument panel. "What we really wanted to do was here was basically deliver the show car," said Cadillac design executive director Andrew Smith, adding "that came out in every single detail."
At 4,996 mm long on a 3,094 mm wheelbase, the Lyriq is about 200 mm longer than a Cadillac XT5. Thanks to the low roofline, especially at the rear, it offers 1,723 L of cargo space with the seats folded, 60 L less than its gas sibling. With 793 L behind the rear seats, the gap is about the same there. Smith said that the team worked to bring back the classic Cadillac feel of spaciousness for the Lyriq, taking advantage of the new platform and flat floor.
On the outside, Smith says the styling of the Lyriq represents the future of the brand. "The objective I gave my team was to design the Lyriq with the level of detail that they would a show car. The customer should feel like they’re driving in the future." Featuring more prominently is the black crystal grille, which gives the Lyriq the brand's existing face while moving it into the future. Alongside the grille are a new iteration of Cadillac's vertical lighting signature that the brand says is truly vertical on the Lyriq, an industry first.
Cadillac global VP Rory Harvey said during a presentation that "every new Cadillac that we introduce from this point on in North America will be a state-of-the-art luxury electric vehicle." That means no more new ICE models for the brand here, making the last all-new gas Cadillac the 2021 Escalade if all goes to plan. That doesn't rule out refreshed vehicles, though, so don't expect the existing lineup to languish before being phased out. Harvey said that "we will be leaving this decade as an EV brand, as things stand today, which means that we will not be selling ICE vehicles by 2030."
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq will start from $69,898 including destination when it arrives in Canada, a price that undercuts competitors from Audi and Jaguar significantly. Production is set to start at GM's Spring Hill, Tenn., plant in the first quarter of next year, which could see the EV at dealers here by mid-year.
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