At first sight, the all-new fully-electric 2023 Cadillac Lyriq is a visually stunning machine with unique body lines and contemporary design cues. Upon closer inspection, one might notice the individual elements that give it such a classy look, elements that the Lyriq design team borrowed from Cadillac’s storied legacy.
Cadillac Lyriq designers visited the GM Heritage Center for inspiration during the conceptualization phase of the electric luxury crossover. The interior contains several variations of Cadillac’s logo throughout the years, making it so the Lyriq carries a bit of the luxury marque’s past into its all-electric future. According to Automotive News, there are three bird shapes etched into the driver and passenger door panels. These birds, called “merlettes,” are a throwback to Cadillac’s original crest from 1902, and is also the reason that the highest-performing Cadillacs carry the Blackwing name.
Tristan Murphy, lead interior Cadillac designer, said the Lyriq’s dashboard styling was inspired by cantilever balconies. Hidden in the recesses of the dashboard is a lined compartment large enough for a purse or shopping bag, as well as a jewelry box-like compartment for valuables. The inclusion of the jewelry box compartment could be considered a nod to similar options included in Cadillac models decades ago, such as integrated tissue box compartments and magnetic glove boxes.
Drawing design cues from Cadillac’s rich history lends the Lyriq a personality steeped in tradition, setting it apart from newer electric vehicle startups such as Tesla, which lack any heritage or legacy.
“If you know more about the history of what you own, then you kind of feel like you’re a little bit of that club,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal analyst at IHS Markit. “Those little bits communicate an attention to detail. They communicate a passion and an interest in the brand and what they’re doing.”
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RJ
Beautiful car, blows away the tesla imho, just too bad its fully electric and not hybrid as they are not practical for long distant drives because you get to where you are going and no charger, or have to drive it to a charger (if someone is not already using them as it takes hours to charge) and then if you get lucky you just cant wait at the public charger for hours. I think once hotels and condos have charging ports only then will it become a replacement for gas powered vehicles. As a daily commuter car it would probably be just fine. By the time the CT5 with Super Cruise that I want to order is actually available maybe there will be more charging ports around, lol
Chris Cummings
Maybe they ought to put the merlettes back onto the Cadillac crest where they belong :-). It was a pretty nice bit of heraldry before the irresistible urge to abstract it.
stuarth
The emphasis on verticality among its exterior styling elements is very Cadillacesque.
However, the dashboard appears to be influenced by Lincolns of the mid-1950s.
Raymond Ramirez
Almost all present Cafillac owners drive less than 200 miles in one trip, so the Lyriq will comply for them and for new owners such as myself. I live on an island and any point is less than 50 miles away, so one full charge can last me all week. And one overnight charge is enough. I can easily bet that no Cadillac Lyric owner will drive over 300 miles in one day.
stuarth
I beg to differ – in California, the San Francisco Bay Area-Greater Los Angeles area trip – a common drive for Californians – is more than 300 miles. In fact, in mid-January, from the North Bay Area I drove to Riverside on a Thursday, did my business first thing on Friday morning and returned north on Friday at around dinner time. A two-day round trip of around 900 miles.