The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq made its highly anticipated debut this week, arriving with a single rear-mounted electric motor producing a respectable 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. This setup will provide more than enough performance for most commuters, but there’s no denying that there will be some performance enthusiasts looking for a Lyriq variant with a bit more horsepower on tap.
These buyers just might get their wish, if statements made by Vice President of Global Cadillac, Rory Harvey, are any indication. Speaking during the official media presentation for the Cadillac Lyriq this week, Harvey said offering sporty variants of existing models is part of Cadillac’s DNA – though he stopped short of confirming the development of a Lyriq V-Series.
“I’m not going to answer that question directly at this point in time, we need some other information to talk about that,” Harvey said when asked if a Lyriq V-Series was in the cards. “But the way that I would respond to that is that if you look to Cadillac in the past, having sporty variants has been part of our heritage and we understand that there is a need and a desire and that is something that we’re looking at and evaluating looking forward. So more to come on that.”
As noted above, the Cadillac Lyriq debuted with a single rear-mounted electric motor driving only the rear wheels. Many other battery-electric crossovers currently on sale offer a dual-motor powertrain, which have more power than single-motor powertrains and the added benefit of all-wheel-drive. We imagine a performance Lyriq model variant, assuming one does arrive, would feature a dual-motor powertrain such as this.
Cadillac customers may be anxious to learn more about any performance-focused Lyriq models that may be in development, but considering the rear-wheel-drive base model has yet to officially go on sale, it could be a little while longer before the automaker has official news to share with regard to future variants. Rest assured, Cadillac Society will have all the details on future Lyriq variants as soon as they become available.
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Mike Hartman
Neat concept but what is performance without sound. Yes, it will get you off the hook with law enforcement but so many EV’s go to 60 under 3 seconds the fuzz will be posting record citations for excessive speed, an exhibition of speed. When I had my 740hp CTS-V wagon I was pulled over few times for what they consider loud exhaust. I never received a citation but just a warning. My 55 years of experience with custom and performance cars convince the cops I know the business so they usually just let me off. Most are interested in the wagon and want to check it out. When they see a 65-year-old driving they usually are surprised. Still, I’d like to own a Lyriq but I will have to customize it and High-po the hell out of the car
Raymond
Just by increasing the battery and electronic voltages to over 800 V then the power output to the motor is almost duplicated with no increase in weight because modern wire insulation can withstand over 1 KV.
Johnls_39
Rory Harvey is being conservative in his comment. More than likely, there will be a V variant model in the future but it won’t be available immediately. But I wonder how much horsepower and torque the non-V performance AWD model will have?
Anyway, just about all future Cadillac models will have a V or Blackwing in the future. Some will have both. I’m not sure the CELESTIQ will have it though since it will be a super ultra luxury halo flagship.