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Cadillac Officially Unveils the Lyriq

Cadillac Lyriq
Photo: Cadillac
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Daniel Rufiange
The Lyriq is the first of several electric vehicles planned by General Motors' luxury brand

The all-electric Cadillac Lyriq has gotten its big (online) premiere.

We've been telling you about it for weeks, even months, but now the teasing is over: Cadillac has officially presented its first all-electric vehicle, the Lyriq SUV. You'll have to be patient before you can test drive it, however, as it won't be on the market until late 2022.

The presentation revealed, for starters, that both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions will be offered. The Lyriq will be powered by GM's new Ultium modular battery technology, which will allow it to offer a range of over 500 km. Better yet, the positioning of this battery will give the vehicle a very low centre of gravity, specifically 3.9 inches closer to the ground than the similarly-sized Cadillac XT5.

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Cadillac Lyriq, profile
Cadillac Lyriq, profile
Photo: Cadillac

In terms of styling, the Lyriq offers a futuristic look. It features vertical headlights, as well as a set of lighting elements in the grille, including a logo that comes to life when the car is started. Other such signatures mark the presentation at the rear, and the lights pick up on a well-known theme with a vertical layout. Inside, the interior also plays with lighting, especially on the steering wheel. There’s also wood trim on the door panels, which are further decorated with aluminum and also carry a luminous signature.

The Cadillac Lyriq has a long wheelbase and rides on 22-inch wheels. At the rear, there's a spoiler that extends to overhang the rear window. The model's side doors open automatically at the touch of a button within the contours of the door handles, which are designed to be flush with the panel. They also close smoothly and automatically. We’ve seen concepts with this feature before, but all bets are off whether it will make it to the production model in this case.

Cadillac Lyriq, interior
Cadillac Lyriq, interior
Photo: Cadillac

Inside, as we reported a few days ago, the presentation is dominated by a 33-inch digital screen that includes information from the multimedia system. It uses advanced LED technology and Cadillac promises it’s capable of displaying more than a billion colours. The technology is complemented by a dual-plane augmented-reality head-up display. It shows information such as speed in the foreground, while navigation information can be displayed in the background.

Of course, the Lyriq will also feature Cadillac's next-generation Super Cruise Autonomous Driving Assistance System. Not only will it allow you to keep hands off the wheel on the highway, it will also be able to make lane changes on its own. Cadillac also plans to include remote supervised parking, so that the Lyriq can perpendicular or parallel park itself, with or without a driver in the vehicle.

Another technical feature that will become the industry standard is live updates. What does that mean? "The car will continually get better [throughout] the ownership experience," said General Motors President Mark Reuss.

Cadillac Lyriq, front
Cadillac Lyriq, front
Photo: Cadillac

Another notable fact we learned is that the weight distribution of the Cadillac Lyriq will be 50/50 with the four-wheel drive version, which promises exceptional handling. The ratio will be near-to-perfectly-balanced with the rear-wheel drive variant.

We should expect at least some changes to this concept just introduced when the production version is finalized, but probably not too many. Cadillac says the model as it is now is 80-85% complete. That said, with two full years to go before it hits the road...

Cadillac Lyriq, three-quarters rear
Cadillac Lyriq, three-quarters rear
Photo: Cadillac
Photos:Cadillac
Cadillac Lyriq pictures
Daniel Rufiange
Daniel Rufiange
Automotive expert
  • Over 17 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 75 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 250 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists