GM committed to local Cadillac EV launch

In spite of the local decline in electric vehicle sales, General Motors is committed to launching the mid-size Cadillac Lyriq SUV.

General Motors Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala hosted a briefing for media to introduce Cadillac’s global performance manager, Marcy White, and to discuss the vehicle’s engineering before its market launch in the fourth quarter. 

The Lyriq will compete for market share against the Audi Q8, BMW iX, Lexus RZ450e, and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, all of which the brand benchmarked during the development of its new luxury electric SUV.

However, Bala is confident and says it is the right time to launch the brand and confirmed that more electric Cadillacs are in the pipeline in the second and third quarters of 2025.

She says phase one of the brand launch will create Experience Centres in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. Phase two will expand the network. Bala says Cadillac pop-ups will start within the next two months, and the brand is on track to launch sales.

Final specification?

White confirmed that the Lyriq would come to the Australian and New Zealand markets with an all-wheel-drive platform, but she couldn’t confirm which global suspension package it would arrive with; she says it’s more than likely the set-up developed for the European markets.

However, White did confirm that the North American Lyriq, in all-wheel-drive format, has a 102kWh traction battery that can accept DC charging up to 190kW.  

The North American Lyriq AWD SUV offers 373kW of power, 650Nm of torque, and up to 494km of range. Its 50:50 front/rear weight distribution enables responsive and dynamic handling according to White.

She says Cadillac has focused on imbuing the Lyriq with technology to accentuate its standing in the premium luxury electric SUV segment. For example, the 19-speaker audio system has active noise cancellation to minimise resonance in the cabin, but the Lyriq also has a vehicle exterior sound system (VESS) for obvious reasons.

The battery, drive train, and climate air conditioning all share the same energy recovery system, which White says contributes up to 10% more to the Lyriq’s driving range. A pre-conditioning system allows the battery to be optimally set up for charging when required. 

Final specification and pricing of the Lyriq for New Zealand is yet to be confirmed.