Cadillac rolls out its $60,000 Lyriq EV as it phases out gas engines

DETROIT – The all-electric Lyriq crossover will mark the beginning of the end for traditional internal combustion engines at Cadillac when the new EV arrives in dealer showrooms in the first half of next year.

The Lyriq, Cadillac’s first EV, is the first in a new lineup of electric cars and SUVs for the brand as it plans to make all-electric vehicles exclusively by 2030, according to Rory Harvey, global vice president of Cadillac. He said there will be no new vehicles from Cadillac with internal combustion engines, also known as ICE, in North America after last year’s launch of the redesigned Escalade SUV.

 “We will be leaving this decade as an EV brand as things stand today,” he told reporters during an online media event this week for the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. “We will not be selling ICE vehicles by 2030.”

General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company, previously said a majority, if not all, of its Cadillac cars and SUVs sold globally would be all-electric vehicles by the end of the decade. But Harvey’s comments take it a step further, reconfirming the plans and saying Cadillac will not spend capital on its current lineup outside of updates, also known as mid-cycle refreshes, to vehicles already on sale.

Cadillac is expected to lead GM’s plans to exclusively offer EVs by 2035. That includes at least 30 new EVs by 2025 under a $27 billion investment plan in electric and autonomous vehicles during that time frame.

The Lyriq, starting at $59,995, will be among the first to market with GM’s next-generation EV platform and battery system, known as Ultium. The vehicle will only come in one configuration for the first model year to simplify production.

GM on Wednesday released pricing, photos and details of the production version of the vehicle, which widely resembles a show car version from last year. Changes, as promised by GM, largely include a few design tweaks such as smaller wheels and larger side mirrors to meet U.S. regulations.

“The intent was to basically take the show into production” said Andrew Smith, Cadillac executive director of global design, color and trim. That includes new signature lighting and an illuminated Cadillac emblem on the front end.

The Lyriq’s interior, like the show car, also features a curved 33-inch-diagonal advanced LED screen the spans the entire viewing area of the driver.

The rear-wheel-drive vehicle is expected to have 340 horsepower and about 325 pound-foot of torque. The vehicle’s estimated EV range on a full charge is more than 300 miles, according to GM. On a DC fast charger, GM said the vehicle is capable of adding 76 miles of range in about 10 minutes.