Cadillac Lyriq confirmed for Australia next year

It’s official: General Motors luxury brand Cadillac will be officially relaunched in Australia for the first time in 85 years as soon as mid-2024 with the Cadillac Lyriq large electric SUV, pricing for which is expected to start in the region of $150,000.

The Lyriq is promised to be the first in a series of factory-built right-hand drive electric Cadillac models that GM will bring to Australia and New Zealand.

Cadillac has committed to going all-electric globally by 2030, which means the 120-year-old American car-maker’s exciting Blackwing-badged, petrol-powered sports sedans are off the agenda for Australia.

It is the first time Cadillac has been sold by GM in Australia since 1940 and the Lyriq will be sold exclusively online and through three factory-owned ‘experience stores’ in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

The Lyriq will line up against the like of the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

In a 20-minute presentation heavy on fluff and light on detail this morning, there was no confirmation of Cadillac’s local arrival timing apart from ‘starting in 2024 with model year 2025 Lyriq’.

Meanwhile, a preliminary specification list for the launch Lyriq models was released at yesterday’s launch event.

It confirms all launch Lyriqs in Australia will come standard with a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, as well as 33-inch 9K-resolution digital display, AKG 19-speaker audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Nappa leather trim, tri-zone climate control, heated front and rear seats, ventilated and massaging front seats, a panoramic fixed-glass roof, intersection automatic emergency braking, adaptive headlights and black crystal shield front grille.

However, pricing, detailed equipment, the full range, warranty and servicing back-up are among important facets of the Cadillac Lyriq buying proposition yet to be released.

In an accompanying press release, General Motors Australia & New Zealand chief Jess Bala was clear the Lyriq would be the first of series of Cadillac models to arrive in Australia.

“Launching our all-new, all-electric Cadillac EV business in Australia and New Zealand positions us well to be able to select the right models for these markets – just as we are doing with Lyriq.

“The launch of Cadillac signals the introduction of our modern automotive luxury brand for our markets – one which features electric vehicles front and centre with the promise of more models to come.”

Other Cadillac electric models trademarked in Australia are the Optiq SUV, which is smaller than the Lyriq, and the full-size Escalade IQ SUV. Both are understood to be chances for Australian release.

Cadillac’s Celestiq super sedan isn’t expected to be sold in Australia, but a series of forthcoming electric models including a three-row crossover, a small SUV and a sedan would all be on the wishlist lcoally.

The local relaunch of Cadillac is being met with some cynicism as the brand was officially launched in Australia in late 2008, only for the decision to be quickly reversed in early 2009 and imports of the large CTS sports sedan then sent to New Zealand.

Since then GM has launched Hummer and Opel in Australia and then withdrawn them both from sale, shut down Saab, axed local Commodore production in 2017 and then killed off Holden in 2020, when the GMSV brand was established to sell locally converted Chevrolet Silverado pick-ups, Camaro muscle-cars and the Corvette supercar.

GM has also flip-flopped on Cadillac several times since its last attempted relaunch, suggesting it would introduce the CT6 sedan here in 2015 before later that year ruling out Cadillac for Australia or any other RHD market before 2030, then pulling back that estimate to at least 2021 or 2022.

The launch of the right-hand drive Lyriq will is a global-first. It will be built in Spring Hill Tennessee for Australia and New Zealand. New model year production usually starts around March-April of the previous year, which would see the Lyriq on sale in Australia in the second half of 2024.

“It’s really an opportunity to add scale and growth,” said Roth, signalling the potential expansion of the brand into other RHD markets such as the UK, India and Japan.

In the USA the MY24 Lyriq is offered as both 255kW/440Nm rear-wheel drive and 373kW/610Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive across three specs – Tech, Luxury and Sport. Pricing ranges from $58,890 (AUD$90,700) to $74,590 (AUD$114,900).

Based on GM’s proprietary BEV3 platform and Ultium battery and powertrain tech, the Lyriq is an all-new vehicle with no components passed on from other GM products. It comes with a 102kWh battery pack and has a 505km range in RWD guise and 494km as an AWD.

The five-seat SUV measures up at 4966mm long, 2207mm wide (with mirrors) and 1623mm high, has a 3094mm wheelbase and weighs in at 2521kg RWD and 2626kg AWD. Cargo volume is 793 litres, expanding to 1722L.