The Lyriq is an upcoming electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) from Cadillac. The Lyriq will be Cadillac’s first EV, and it will be followed by a wide variety of other battery electric Cadillac models.
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Information
We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on what to expect about the Cadillac Lyriq.
We have gathered the following via painstaking research and information gathering. Some of the information contained herein is speculative.
This page is a continuous work-in-progress and will be updated on a regular basis to reflect the latest information. If you notice any inaccuracies about the information provided, or have edits to suggest, please let us know here.
Exterior
According to sources who have seen the Cadillac Lyriq, the vehicle will be slightly larger than the current Cadillac XT5. It will also have a profile reminiscent of a shooting brake, with sources describing it as being similar to the Audi Q8, Porsche Macan and Jaguar e-Pace.
The front end of the upcoming Cadillac EV was described as being identical to the images shared by Cadillac in January 2019. The grille will be a one-piece thermoplastic cap and will utilize a light-up logo, as Cadillac Society was first to notice. The design will use a monochromatic appearance, creating a distinctive look that will set the Lyriq apart from other Cadillac models.
Sources also described the Cadillac Lyriq as having large rear doors, potentially larger than the front ones. This was done on purpose in order to ease egress/ingress into the second row seat, itself described as being very spacious.
The taillamp design also represents a break from Cadillac’s current design language. Rather than a thin vertical lamp topped by a horizontal accent, an aesthetic seen on the 2019 and newer Cadillac CT6, CT5, CT4, XT5 and XT6, the Cadillac Lyriq features lights along the outer edge of the hatch that turn in horizontally near the bottom. The shape is more like an “L,” rather than the “7” design seen on the XT6, or the vertical “I” seen on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The Lyriq’s tail lamps are also wider overall than those currently used by the luxury automaker.
Finally, we also know that the future Cadillac EV’s rear hatch has similar surface development and character lines as those seen on the trunk of the Cadillac CT4 sedan.
Interior
According to sources who attended the no-cameras event in March, the Cadillac Lyriq concept features a 2+2 seating layout, with chairs for the driver and front passenger in the front, and two seats in the rear. In other words, the show car doesn’t have a five-passenger seating configuration. For the production version, this 2+2 arrangement will either be available as a package, or be replaced outright by a 5-passenger layout with a rear seat that seats three across.
Sources also emphasized just how spacious the rear seat looked, describing the area as being larger than that of a typical midsize crossover like the current Cadillac XT5. In fact, we were told that the Lyriq could end up having more space in the second row than there is in the front row. The plentiful rear seat room is enabled by large rear doors, which we mentioned earlier. In fact, Cadillac’s teaser image for the Lyriq seems to confirm this to be the case.
It’s worth noting that, although a spacious rear seat is welcome in any market, it is particularly valuable in China, which has become Cadillac’s largest market by sales volume in recent history.
The cockpit is said to include a square-shaped steering wheel that could potentially fold into the dash. The feature will likely be concept-only, and not making it to production.
There’s also a relatively large display that spans the width of the dashboard. In fact, sources have told Cadillac Society that the display in the Lyriq dwarfs the very large 38-inch curved OLED display found in the all-new, 2021 Cadillac Escalade. Another screen is found where the center console typically resides in current Cadillac models. This development supports Cadillac’s direction of utilizing large screens across its lineup, as reported by Cadillac Society.
Second row passengers are not left out of the screen festivities, as they get three screens: one placed between the two captain’s chairs, and two more residing on the back of the driver and front passenger seats.
The cabin was described as being adorned in supple leather seating and cloth-like materials in neutral colors. Aluminum accents were found throughout the cabin, though the production model will likely offer a wide variety of interior color combinations and decorative materials.
No word on the cargo compartment as of this writing.
Powertrain
The Cadillac Lyriq will use Ultium batteries, which were created by its parent company, General Motors. The batteries are unique because of their large-format, pouch-style cells that can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. This allows engineers to optimize battery energy storage and layout for each vehicle design.
BEV3 platform and Ultium battery pack
According to a press release, Ultium energy options range from 50 to 200 kWh, that could deliver an estimated range up to 400 miles or more on a full charge. 0 to 60 mph acceleration can take as low as 3 seconds. Sources tell us that the motors will drive either the two rear wheels (RWD models) or all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system (with an additional motor at the front axle).
BEV3 platform and Ultium battery pack
What’s more, Cadillac’s parent firm, GM, says that Ultium-powered EVs are designed for Level 2 and DC fast charging and most will have 400-volt battery packs and up to 200 kW fast-charging capability.
Platform
The Cadillac Lyriq will ride on the a new electrical platform called BEV3.
Short for “Battery Electric Vehicle, third generation,” BEV3 was engineered from the ground up by Cadillac parent company, General Motors to be an EV architecture. Other vehicles from the GM vehicle portfolio will also utilize the BEV3 platform.
Naming
It’s currently unclear why Cadillac elected to use the name “Lyriq” for its first EV. Cadillac Society was the first to report on the name.
While it’s possible that the production version of this vehicle ends up launching under a different name, we believe that the final name will, in fact, be Lyriq.
As of April 2020, Cadillac parent company, General Motors, has filed to trademark “Lyriq” and “Cadillac Lyriq” in seven countries.
Logo
The Lyriq will feature a back-lit Cadillac crest logo on the front fascia, as first discovered by Cadillac Society. The model is expected to be the first Cadillac to offer a monochromatic and backlit Cadillac logo, representing a noteworthy departure from current Cadillac crest, which features several colors including black, red, yellow, and blue.
Debut
The very first sighting of the Cadillac Lyriq took place on January 13th, 2019 during the reveal of the 2020 Cadillac XT6 at the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Cadillac’s presentation contained two images of an unnamed, unmarked concept with a sleek, crossover-like shape.
Not much attention was brought to the two slides in the presentation, though executives stated that the photos represent a sign of the future of Cadillac. The vehicle was not named, and was simply referred to it as the “upcoming Cadillac EV.” No other details were provided, and the concept was not brought to the auto show.
The first in-person appearance of the Lyriq, in concept form, was at a special event on March 4th, 2020 hosted by Cadillac parent, General Motors. The show car was planned to be revealed in April, 2020 – but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans. Even though the vehicle will be in concept form, designers have stated that it is 95 percent production ready, meaning that only a few small items will be changed for the production version.
As of this writing, we believe that the Cadillac Lyriq will make its debut during the second half of the 2020 calendar year, once coronavirus-related issues subside.
Availability
As of February 2020, the Cadillac Lyriq will launch in China in late 2021 and in North America in early 2022.
It will be the first Cadillac electric car as part of an onslaught of Cadillac electric vehicles that also includes another electric crossover smaller than the Lyriq as well as an electric version of the Escalade.
On several occasions, Cadillac executives have stated that it’s highly likely that all Cadillac models will be electric by the year 2030.
Pricing
Cadillac has yet to announce the Lyriq as a concept, let alone discuss pricing information. However, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the vehicle priced to start around the $50,000 range.
Specs
Specifications for the Cadillac Lyriq are currently not available. We will update this section when we have more.
Cadillac Lyriq Photos
