The Future Cadillac Lyriq all-electric SUV is the opening manoeuvre as General Motors moves to turn its big ship in the direction of electric mobility – That’s if you don’t count the venerable but currently troubled Bolt from Chevrolet, of course.
The company announced on Friday that it is now taking orders on the EV, with first deliveries expected in the fall of 2022, so a year off. Even with that long-term timeline, however, Cadillac expects demand to be strong, given the model’s attractive design, lack of emissions and advanced technologies. The most eye-catching of those is of course the 33-inch curved screen that dominates the interior, and will surely dominate conversations among the first occupants of the Lyriq. Cadillac’s Super Cruise autonomous drive system will also be included.
Pricing for the EV is set at $69,898 CAD before fees ($2,200). Take note that in this pricing range, there are no federal or provincial EV discounts to be had.
The first Lyriq models to be offered to customers will be the rear-wheel-drive model featuring just the one electric motor. Cadillac has promised a high-performance 4WD variant at some point. We still don’t when that might happen, however.
Output with the RWD configuration is set at 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, and Cadillac is promising a very healthy 480 km of range from the Ultium battery pack GM developed in concert with LG Chem (keep in mind this is not the battery supplied by that company that has caused problems with the Bolt EV and EUV).
Customers trying to decide now whether they want a Lyriq a year from now have a tricky choice to make, since the rivals this Cadillac will face when it debuts have themselves mostly not debuted yet either, for instance the BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQB and Volvo C40 Recharge, among others.
