Cadillac Notably Absent From 2022 Chicago Auto Show

Cadillac elected to sit out the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, an interesting decision considering that many rivals chose to bring vehicles to display. 

First held in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America, with the 2022 exhibition marking its 114^th edition. The event, which draws in approximately 100,000 attendees, kicked off last week on February 12^th, and runs through February 21^st. Cadillac is the only marque under the umbrella of parent company, General Motors, that doesn’t have a presence at the show. GM’s other three brands – Buick, Chevrolet and GMC – all have vehicles on display. Those brands brought their all-new electric vehicle offerings like the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV and the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup, allowing show attendees to become familiar with the vehicles. 

Luxury brands present at the show include Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Lincoln. Lincoln brought its complete lineup, including the Corsair (XT4 rival), Nautilus (XT5 rival), Aviator (XT6 rival) and the Navigator full-size SUV that competes directly with the Cadillac Escalade. Lexus displayed most of its lineup, headlined by the new LX that aims to take on the Escalade, as well as the CT5-fighting IS. The same held true for BMW, which showed off its all-new iX, an all-electric SUV and its i4 electric sedan. 

Cadillac’s decision to sit out the Chicago Auto Show is puzzling, given that it prevented the luxury marque from showing off its upcoming electric crossover, the Cadillac Lyriq. The Lyriq will launch later this year as a 2023 model year vehicle, representing the luxury marque’s first-ever fully electric offering. The luxury electric crossover would have fit right in with the other debuting EVs on display. That said, it’s certainly possible Cadillac simply didn’t see a need to bring the Lyriq, considering that the crossover has drummed up plenty of interest already.

While that may be the case with the Lyriq, one would think Cadillac would be interested in promoting its other vehicles, including the CT4 and CT5 sedans or its lineup of XT4, XT5 and XT6 crossovers. It’s worth noting that inventory of all five vehicles is extremely limited as a result of the ongoing microchip shortage, which Cadillac has navigated by prioritizing the limited supply of chips to the Escalade, its most profitable vehicle. The limited inventory may be a reason for Cadillac’s absence at Chicago.

Additionally, Cadillac also missed out on showing off its  ultra-high-performance sedans, the CT4-V Blackwing and the CT5-V Blackwing, by bringing them to the show. Other high-performance vehicles, such as the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, BMW M3 and M4, plus various Mercedes-AMG models, are present at the show, so Cadillac may have missed out on reaching a key audience.

This isn’t the first time the American luxury marque chose to forgo the Chicago Auto Show – it was also absent from the venue in 2021 and 2020.

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