All-Electric 2023 Cadillac Lyriq to Start at $59,990

As it accelerates toward an all-electric future, General Motors announces the ’23 Cadillac Lyriq BEV will go on sale in the U.S. in first-half 2022 – nine months earlier than initially planned – with a starting price of $59,990, an estimated 340 hp and anticipated range of 300 miles (483 km) fully charged.

Cadillac will begin taking reservations for the two-row, five-passenger Lyriq CUV this September. Production is slated to begin for the U.S. and Canada in late first-quarter 2022 at GM’s assembly plant in Spring Hill, TN, the automaker’s third facility slated for BEV production.

Shortly after, GM China will launch its version of the Lyriq, but the automaker has not yet identified the assembly plant. More details on the China launch will come this summer.

Illustrating Cadillac’s total commitment to BEVs, Rory Harvey, the brand’s global vice president, reiterates how Cadillac began this decade selling conventional internal-combustion-engine vehicles and will close the decade as an EV brand.

In clarifying the comment, the automaker says Cadillac’s last all-new ICE vehicle for North America has launched (the redesigned Escalade), and that the brand will be selling nothing but BEVs in North America by the beginning of 2030. Beyond 2030, the automaker says it could still be selling combustion-engine vehicles in China and other markets.

GM previewed the Lyriq during CES 2021 in January and in Super Bowl advertising, so today represents the debut of the production model, along with performance specs and dimensions.

Much of the content of the concept car, particularly the dramatic, angular front end and vertical headlamps, carries over to the production model.

But Andrew Smith, Cadillac’s executive director-global design, says the doors are different, and the production model has smaller wheels. Also, the production model has one extra cupholder and second-row seating for three (instead of two in the concept).

On the retail front, all Cadillac dealers in the U.S. must meet certain requirements to sell and service Cadillacs by first-quarter 2022, such as investing in charging infrastructure.

Last year, a “transition plan” was offered for those dealers who would rather give up their franchises than participate in Cadillac’s all-electric future.

Some 200 dealers are expected to give up their franchises, rather than invest in upgrades to sell BEVs.

At launch, the Lyriq will be considered Cadillac’s flagship vehicle, but it will be displaced by the Celestiq sedan when it launches later.

Employing GM’s flexible, modular Ultium long-range battery platform that will debut later this year on the GMC Hummer, the Lyriq will launch first with a one-motor rear-wheel-drive layout, and a second motor will be added to the front axle for an all-wheel-drive system to be available later.

Torque is rated at 325 lb.-ft. (440 Nm). Curb weight is pegged at a portly 5,610 lbs. (2,545 kg).

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Power will come from a 12-module 100-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is compatible with high-speed DC fast charging (at 190 kW), which can add about 76 miles (122 km) of range in about 10 minutes, GM says.

For 240V home charging, the Lyric will offer a 19.2-kW charging module, which can add up to 52 miles (84 km) of range per hour of charging. A less-potent 11.5-kW charging module will add 31 miles (50 km) per hour of charging.

From a standard 120V wall socket, the Lyriq will add 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of range per hour.

The ’23 Lyric will offer Super Cruise hands-free driver-assistance technology, a multicolor 33-in. (84-cm) LED display, Cadillac’s next-gen active noise cancellation system, slim-line LED headlamps, 19-speaker premium audio system and a dual-level charge cord. Six-spoke 20-in. alloy rims are standard, while 22-in. alloys are offered.

Exterior colors are limited to Satin Steel Metallic or Stellar Black Metallic, while interior shades are gray (pictured above) and black.

The ’23 Lyriq will appear in an ad campaign debuting April 25 during the Oscars broadcast.

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