Cadillac Lyriq

The Cadillac Lyriq is a battery electric mid-size luxury crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by the Cadillac division of General Motors. As Cadillac's first fully electric vehicle, and the first GM production vehicle using the BEV3 platform, the Lyriq introduces a new version of GM's Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system.

Assembled at Spring Hill Manufacturing in Spring Hill, Tennessee for North America and at a new EV-only plant in Yantai, China for Asia, Cadillac started accepting customer orders for the 2023 Lyriq in the United States in May 2022.

In late 2024, Cadillac Lyriq won the German " Car of the Year 2025" award in the luxury car category.

History

At the 2019 North American International Auto Show, CEO Mary Barra presented several details about the group's upcoming series of EVs, which included a crossover from Cadillac. The name Lyriq follows a pattern of several prior Cadillac concept vehicles, including the Evoq, Provoq, and Celestiq, all ending in "q".

Cadillac originally planned for a US-market presentation of the Lyriq (as a "show car" or concept car) on April 2, 2020, followed by a launch soon thereafter for the 2021 model year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to August 6. Production of the Lyriq was also delayed to early 2022. Chinese and Asian market production at a new plant at Shanghai GM's Yantai complex built for Ultium will start slightly before Spring Hill starts Lyriq assembly for North America.

Following the public debut of the Lyriq show car at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, the production version was presented on April 21, 2021.

Batteries for both Yantai and Spring Hill production will be sourced from LG Chem, with Spring Hill initially getting pouch-type Ultium cells from an LG Chem plant in South Korea. This will be done until GM and LG Chem expand Spring Hill to accommodate Ultium battery production for both domestic use and exports to Mexico. According to Cadillac, all the interior components were newly designed for the Lyriq and no pre-existing GM parts were used.

Markets

Production of the Lyriq for all markets is at the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant in the US, except for China, where it is produced locally.

China

Pre-orders for the Lyriq opened in China in November 2021 with over 5,000 pre-orders within half a month, with reservations opening in June 2022 and deliveries beginning in October that year, or December for the all-wheel drive model. It was initially offered with a 95.7kWh battery pack but retained the same motor setup as other markets, allowing for CLTC range ratings of for rear-wheel drive and for all-wheel drive.

A new base version was introduced at Auto Guangzhou 2023 in November, equipped with fewer features and a single motor with of torque, allowing for a lower price. It has a CLTC range rating of .

The Lyriq-V was unveiled in China in March 2025 with sales to begin later in the year as a 2026. It will be produced locally, and is the first Cadillac V model to be sold in the country.

Europe

Cadillac Europe introduced the Lyriq with a direct-to-consumer sales model in Europe in 2024, first entering Switzerland, followed by Sweden, France and Germany. It is available with exclusively with the all-wheel drive powertrain rated at .

Japan

A right-hand drive version of the Lyriq was unveiled in Japan in December 2024, with sales expected to begin in the second quarter 2025. Pre-orders started in March 2025 with deliveries to be made in May 2025. It will be built at the Spring Hill, Tennessee manufacturing plant.

In April 2025, Cadillac Japan launched an exhibition tour of the Lyriq.

North America

The Lyriq was first delivered to American dealerships in the highest demand markets of New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit in the first week of July 2022. GM delivered a total of 122 Lyriqs to U.S. customers in 2022.

For the 2024 model year, EPA range estimates for the dual motor models increased from to . Additionally, a new $1200 optional OTA update for dual motor models, called the Velocity Package, increases the torque output and allows for a reduction in times from 4.7 to 4.4 seconds. A more conventional door access system was implemented, with remote activated flush pop-out handles replacing an electronic unlatch button which lacked discrete handles.

For the 2025 model year, the base Tech trim level was dropped, and the model is produced with 24% fewer parts. Additionally, it receives an increase in power output to for rear-wheel drive and for all-wheel drive, with torque numbers maintained. Range increases to for rear-wheel drive models, and for all-wheel drive models depending on the trim level.

In January 2025, Cadillac introduced the Lyriq-V, joining the " V-Series" of high-performance models. It is expected to launch later in 2025 as a 2026 model.

Oceania

The Lyriq was introduced to Australia and New Zealand in October 2024 with right-hand drive. It is available exclusively with the all-wheel drive powertrain, and the 102kWh battery providing of range on the WLTP cycle. It is produced at the Spring Hill, Tennessee manufacturing plant.

South Korea

The Lyriq began sales in South Korea in July 2024, available with all-wheel drive and of range from the 102kWh battery pack.
File:2023 Cadillac Lyriq in Satin Steel Metallic, rear right.jpg, Rear view
File:CADILLAC LYRIQ CHINA VERSION INTERIOR (2).jpg, Interior
File:CADILLAC LYRIQ China (2).jpg, Cadillac Lyriq on a street in China
File:2024 Cadillac Lyriqs.jpg, Sport & Luxury trims in Argent Silver & Nimbus Metallic

Specifications

Powertrain

At debut, the Cadillac Lyriq was offered with a single motor driving the rear wheels, while dual motor all-wheel drive models became available for the 2024 model year. In both configurations, synchronous AC motors with permanent magnets and bar wound stator is used. The single motor generates and torque, while the all-wheel drive, dual motor version adds an additional motor to the front axle and has an estimated combined output of and , increasing to with the Velocity Package.

The motors draw from a 102kWh gross capacity (100kWh usable capacity) Ultium battery with an EPA estimated range for the single motor, and for dual motor models. The single motor drivetrain achieves a combined under EPA testing, while the dual motor is rated at . The vehicle supports 19.2kW Level 2 AC charging and DC fast charging at up to 190kW.

Chassis

The Lyriq was the first vehicle built upon GM's third generation BEV platform called BEV3. It is a unibody chassis with a skateboard style powertrain, where the battery is a flat shape that sits underneath the floor of the vehicle. All models have five-link multilink suspension paired with passively frequency sensitive hydraulic dampers on both the front and rear axles. In addition to regenerative braking, the vehicle is equipped with brakes on the front wheels, and rotors on the rear wheels. Run-flat all-season tires fitted to 20 inch wheels are standard on all trims, with 22 inch wheels optional. All-wheel drive models have a towing capacity, while rear wheel drive models have no tow rating.

Lyriq-V

The Lyriq-V increases the power of the dual-motor, all-wheel drive Lyriq, with a peak output of and torque. This output can only be achieved in a driver-selected "Velocity Max" mode, which Cadillac claims can accelerate the Lyriq to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. The Lyriq-V adds a "V-Mode" control to customize performance settings and sound output. It uses the same 102kWh battery as the dual-motor Lyriq, with a slightly decreased range of estimated. The suspension is lowered with standard continuous damping control, and the steering ratio is changed for a quicker response.

File:Cadillac Lyriq-V 001.jpg, Cadillac Lyriq-V
File:Cadillac Lyriq-V 002.jpg, Rear view

Safety

IIHS

Markets and sales

In 2024, the Lyriq became the best-selling luxury midsize electric SUV in the United States.

References

External links

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Lyriq
Production electric cars
Cars introduced in 2021
Mid-size crossover sport utility vehicles
Luxury crossover sport utility vehicles