The all-new battery electric Cadillac Lyriq has begun pre-production at the Jinqiao Cadillac China plant in Shanghai, China.
Cadillac announced that the first pre-production Lyriq recently rolled off the assembly line in China, kicking off the final stage of electric luxury crossover’s journey to consumers in the Asian country and the world’s largest auto market. Initially, Cadillac China’s parent company, SAIC-GM, said that the Lyriq would be the first vehicle assembled at the Ultium Center plant, a new facility also located in Shanghai. However, plans to produce the Lyriq at the Jinqiao plant appear to have replaced the initial arrangement.
“I want to thank the team for doing an excellent job to achieve this important milestone during this critical time. It’s a strong testament to our world-class manufacturing,” Vice President of Cadillac in China, Chris Biggs, said in a statement. “Today takes us one big step closer to enabling our customers to enjoy the industry-leading EV technology and luxury experience that only Cadillac can offer.”
The pre-production Cadillac Lyriq indicates that the crossover is ready to undergo the last stages of testing (known as final validation) before mass production for the Chinese market. This will include reliability evaluations and local validations of features like the onboard infotainment system and Super Cruise semi-autonomous technology to ensure they are performing to standard. Then, regular production of the Lyriq will soon follow within the next few weeks. Deliveries and sales of the Cadillac Lyriq in China are expected to begin in early July.
Meanwhile for the North American market, the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq began production at the Spring Hill plant in Tennessee at the end of March. Interestingly, Cadillac expected to launch the all-new electric crossover in China before bringing it to North America, but the ongoing global microchip shortage altered the supply chain environment, forcing the luxury marque to change plans.
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Frank Ricciardi
This is a great looking car, but a 300 mile range just isn’t enough to make a splash in this market. Cadillac is a day late and a dollar short.