Cadillac, the luxury automobile brand under General Motors as at Monday began production of their first-ever electric vehicle – the Lyriq Crossover. The said vehicle is being produced at General Motors’ Spring Hill, Tennessee factory.
The Lyriq which is an SUV will serve as the first model in the battery-electric portfolio that will be rolled out by 2030.
The vehicle was unveiled to the media sometime in March 2020 at a closed-door event at the GM design centre in Michigan. The initial plan was to launch production in China by mid-2022 and in North America by late-2022.
After its unveiling, demands for the car skyrocketed and this prompted Cadillac to boost production to 25,000 units this year (the initial number of units previously projected was 3,200).
The Lyriq will start at $60,000 and will launch in the Debut Edition, with a rear-wheel drive, 100.4 kWh battery pack. General Motors is currently targeting 324 pound-feet of torque, 300 miles of EPA-rated range and 340 horsepower.
The vehicle can also charge at public charging stations up to 190kW or 19.2kW at home – with the right equipment. Other features include Super Cruise (which enables a hands-free driver assistance system), a massive 33-inch display that stretches from the left of the driver all the way to the middle of the dashboard. LED headlamps, active noise cancellation system(s) that will dampen road noise and more will also be in the vehicle.
Customer deliveries of the (limited edition) Cadillac Lyriq are expected to begin in May 2022. The company also announced open book orders will be available as from May 19. The Lyriq Crossover will be the first Ultium-based Cadillac which according to the company, sets the standard for the future of Cadillac.
The vehicle is produced alongside models including GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5 and Cadillac XT6.