Making EVs fun is “a struggle”, admits GM

The forthcoming 2025 Cadillac Lyriq will inject a deliberate dose of fun factor to the premium electric SUV segment set when it arrives in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2024.

And it will do so using relatively conventional suspension technology, rather than employing the fancy active damping systems that many modern EVs use to help disguise their extra weight.

That’s the word from senior Cadillac engineer Marcey White, who in a tenure spanning 23 years has overseen development of some of GM’s most familiar models in recent years – including the C8 Corvette supercar, Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV.

Most recently, she was responsible for the dynamic fine-tuning of the Lyriq in her capacity as manager of Cadillac’s global performance engineering division.

White is adamant that Cadillac has aced the production version of the Lyriq, which is slated for Australian release in the fourth quarter of this year with a price tag approaching $150,000.

“It’s always a struggle when it comes to EVs and making them fun to drive,” White admitted to carsales in a briefing this week.

“There’s a legacy reputation that they can’t possibly be fun, but the Cadillac Lyriq is a total 180 from that, it’s so fun to drive.”

Cadillac has nominated rivals from Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW as the Lyriq’s major competitors – a bold statement from a car-maker whose parent company has a chequered history of axing brands Down Under, including Holden, Hummer, Opel, Saab and, at the 11th hour in 2009, Cadillac.

But key to the Lyriq’s success – and Cadillac’s long-term survival in Australia – will be its dynamic skillset, according to White.

“My background is vehicle dynamics and I am passionate about that,” she explained.

“There’s been so many things that have been built into the architecture of Lyriq that have enabled our ride and handling engineers to get that isolated precision out of it that really does make it fun to drive.

“All of our suspension components are set up to do that, there’s great isolation. You can throw anything at the car in terms of road conditions and as soon as you turn the wheel, which is important, it handles the road very well.

“The stiffness, low centre of gravity and structure that the Ultium platform provides is another enabler to that isolated precision.”

Cadillac has committed to offering different suspension and steering calibrations for the Lyriq globally, in a bid to tailor it to specific market conditions.

Although Australian examples won’t boast a unique chassis tune, Cadillac will send a team of representatives Down Under in the coming weeks to put pre-production examples through their paces ahead of the Lyriq’s local launch.

The Lyriq will rely on a relatively traditional multi-link rear suspension arrangement without any of the technologies now commonly seen in heavy EVs.

In fact, White revealed the Lyriq will utilise passive dampers in Australia rather than the more sophisticated active damper technology that graces some of the more successful performance EVs, including the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N and Kia EV6 GT, not to mention just about all the Lyriq’s key luxury electric SUV rivals.

Despite a kerb weight of about 2.6 tonnes, White says the Lyriq’s suspension will work effectively on Australian roads.

“We use a passive damper system, with the hydraulics sized especially for specific regions and the drive characteristics they demand,” she said.

“Passive dampers are probably the best technology for a vehicle like this – some of the other technology is not necessary.

“We offer different tuning based on different global expectations, so it is not a one-size-fits-all. We understand that customers from different regions have different expectations.

“I don’t know specifically the package that we’re putting together but I would say it’s very similar to what we’ve put together for Europe.”

Beyond the Lyriq, Cadillac’s long-awaited Australian rebirth is expected to include the Optiq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ electric SUVs, plus a smaller electric SUV and even a hypercar.

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