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

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

The Lyriq, Cadillac’s first EV, is the first in a brand new range of electric cars and SUVs, as it plans to manufacture all-electric vehicles by 2030, according to Rory Harvey, Cadillac’s global vice president. He said there will be no new Cadillac vehicles with internal combustion engines, also known as ICE, in North America following the launch last year of the Escalade SUV redesign.

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

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

Cadillac is expected to lead GM’s plans to offer exclusive vehicles by 2035. This includes at least 30 new vehicles by 2025 under a $ 27 billion investment plan in electric and autonomous vehicles over this time period.

The Lyriq, starting at $ 59,995, will be one of the first to be marketed with the next-generation EV platform and GM’s battery system, known as Ultium. The vehicle will only come in a configuration during the first year of the model to simplify production.

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

“The intention was basically to bring the show into production,” said Andrew Smith, executive director of design, color and embellishments at Cadillac. It includes new exclusive lighting and a lighted Cadillac emblem on the front.

The interior of the Lyriq, like the show car, also features an advanced 33-inch diagonal curved LED display that spans the entire driver’s display area.

The rear-wheel drive vehicle is expected to have 340 horsepower and about 325 pound-feet of torque. According to GM, the estimated range of the vehicle with a full load exceeds 300 miles. In a fast DC charger, GM said the vehicle is capable of adding 76 miles of range in about 10 minutes.