The 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ Electric Car Gets Everything Right That ELR Got Wrong
We all too often forget that being first to market doesn’t always make a product successful. Case in point; the Mitsubishi i-Miev was technically the first mass-produced electric car you could buy in the automotive marketplace, but these days is pretty much remembered as an also-ran.
For that matter, we also forget that the term ‘original and best’ doesn’t always ring true, especially in the automotive market. A company’s first attempt at a new type of car often, well, doesn’t go that great. This is either because the company doesn’t have a grasp of the technology they are trying to produce and, particularly with EVs, is rushing to produce an electric vehicle because of the mounting pressure to transition into this market.
And so it was, 2014, when GM’s luxury brand Cadillac rolled out the ELR luxury compact range-extended coupé. This was an attempt to offer Cadillac buyers a vehicle with a plug that could operate as an EV for shorter trips, but operate as a range-extended, or plug-in hybrid, model for longer stretches. The ELR shared its underpinnings with the popular first-generation Chevrolet Volt; from the battery pack, to the engine and the motors, everything was the same. But, that luxury interior of the ELR added some serious weight over the Volt it was based on. Even with some power electronics tweaks by GM to emphasise brisk acceleration, it underperformed in ratings.
In 2014, the Cadillac ELR, which in its cheapest trim still 75,000 dollars, was launched via the, now-infamous, “poolside” advert; an incredibly out-of-touch exploration of American capitalism from the viewpoint of a white, wealthy, middle-aged businessman.
It’s no surprise then that the car was a complete flop, selling just 3,000 examples in its short two-year production run. It’s also no surprise that Ford, which produced an incredibly fast response-ad to Poolside for its C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, featuring Black businesswoman and founder of sustainable agriculture company Detroit Dirt, Pashon Murray, gained more for its ad buy than Cadillac ever did.
Since then, Cadillac has produced plug-in hybrid variants of its mainstream models, with moderate sales volumes in compliance car states. But, for the most part, it has remained firmly in the internal combustion engine world. However, that’s changing and this month, Cadillac officially unveiled the production version of its first mass-produced electric car. The Cadillac Lyriq. With this vehicle, from the build and make of the car to it’s product advertising, it proves categorically, that while your first attempt at something may be completely terrible, it’s always worth trying again.
First, however, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. This car is, sadly, another high-ticket electric vehicle that will be out of price range for a lot of consumers. It joins an already-busy marketplace for luxury plug-in cars that spans from the mid seven figure dollar range, all the way up to several hundred thousand dollars. But because of where it sits in that segment, it could still mean good things for those of us holding out for more affordable plug-in cars.
We applaud that with the advertising of the Lyriq, Cadillac is acting as the first luxury brand to actively advertise to African American consumers, alongside other inclusive marketing campaigns by companies like Chevy and Lucid. The brand remains popular with Black millenials, a recent study found African American millennials are more than fifty-seven percent more likely to buy a Cadillac than other millennials and the advertising around the Lyriq will, most likely, reach out to a population that has been routinely been underserved by other EV advertising campaigns, despite these consumer populations having strong interest and willingness to purchase EVs .
As our friends at EVNoire have told us many times, there’s a definite marketing disparity in the EV marketplace. EVs have all-too-often been marketed, consciously or unconsciously, at white buyers. To this day, Cadillac’s diversity in advertising and marketing encompasses black, latinX and other underrepresented minoritized groups, including disabled drivers, and is likely to have an immense, positive impact on EV adoption.
Now, to the Lyriq itself.
If the Production 2023 Lyriq (due to enter production at the start of next year) looks familiar, that’s because it’s incredibly close to the Lyriq concept car that Cadillac unveiled last year. There have been a few nips and tucks here and there, but overall, Cadillac has managed to stay true to its original design intentions. As last week’s reveal of the production-model Mercedes-Benz EQS showed, which was noticeably different from its concept version, that is a very unusual move in the auto industry.
Inside the Lyriq, there’s the usual fit and finish you’d expect from the Cadillac brand, with a 33 inch LED display extending from behind the steering wheel to the center of the car. Fully customizable, it provides a clean, clear feel to the cabin, and makes the interior feel deceptively large. There are discrete buttons for things like Air Conditioning, everything looks within easy reach of the driver, and the color scheme, complete with customizable LED accent lighting and 19 speaker sound system, seems to complete the typical Cadillac feel well.
The Lyriq is the first production car to be built on General Motors’ brand new Ultium platform, the Hummer EV is the first truck, and in the case of the Lyriq, this translates to a one hundred kilowatt-hour battery pack made up of twelve battery modules. And this is where we get to the really good bits.
On-board, there’s up to 19.2 kilowatts of AC charging capability. This means if you have a charging station at home that’s capable of charging at that kind of power level, you’ll add 52 miles of range (83 kilometers) for every hour you’re plugged in. Since many lower-cost domestic charging stations on the market today max out at about nine kilowatts, you will need to invest in a more powerful charging station, but Cadillac does appear to be keen to help customers with that part of the buying process. The car also comes with a dual level charge cord, meaning you can charge from either a 110 or 240 socket if you need to and a hard-wired charging station isn’t available.
As for the range, Cadillac is promising in excess of 300 miles (482 kilometers) per charge, that statement seems to be currently an unofficial estimate pending EPA approval. However, that’s certainly nothing to sniff at, and shows the true potential of the Ultium battery pack inside something that isn’t a massive over-the-top “man-truck”.
As for price, considering the ELR was 75,000 dollars for what was an upmarket Volt, I’d expected the Lyriq to have a similar higher mid range price tag. Yet, Cadillac says the Lyriq, order books for which open in September, will start from 59,990U.S. dollars, including destination but excluding tax, title, license, and dealer fees. That places the Lyriq above the Model Y in terms of price but below Model X and Audi E-Tron.
Why is this car so enticing, despite not falling into the affordable EV category?
Well, the Lyriq is the high-end car on a new platform that GM has promised us will bring more affordable EVs to market. A few years ago, a car with the specifications of the Cadillac Lyriq, with this kind of appointment, would cost twice as much.
The car showcases that Ultium is a platform which can produce vehicles that are fast, efficient, and have modern charging options. And if you were to strip out some of the on-board opulence, and maybe take out a few thousand for the badge, you’re left with a car that’s far more affordable than many other long-range cars on the market today.
But Cadillac’s attitude to electric vehicles is also very important to note. Cadillac says that it is going all-electric, and it’s communicated that to its dealerships. Dealers have been asked to choose between continuing with the brand, or parting from it. Those who want to continue have been required to invest in EV training for its sales and service staff, as well as at-dealership infrastructure. Those who do not wish to sell the Lyriq? Well, they’re essentially being let go. And as of the time of filming this, only two hundred Cadillac dealerships have chosen that path. Everyone else is all-in.
And that’s important too. Because in order for electric vehicles to be treated as truly mainstream, dealerships must be on board. And, the automakers need to be on board too.
But let’s not get carried away. There are plenty of things Cadillac still needs to do, like invest in charging infrastructure, make sure that dealer training is comprehensive and thorough, and work to address some of the issues that plague electric car sales in mainstream dealers today, such as really terrible misinformation and FUD.
These however shouldn’t, we think, outweigh the positives of this car, and this brand, going electric.
Original article found in video format here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7RA0Fqg0u0
