From the inside out, the designers used GM’s new flexible Ultium battery to build the Cadillac Lyriq 2023, Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV.
The new battery, with lithium-ion cells stacked vertically and horizontally, meant that the luxury car could be as big, as wide and as low as the designers wanted it to be. It set the stage for the Lyriq’s jaw-dropping 22-inch wheels, massive 33-inch driver display, and other interior details like plenty of rear legroom and even the design of the HVAC vents. In addition to the new battery technology, the Lyriq has the hands-free driver assistance system Super Cruise from GM.
“We finally have a platform to do all the things we wanted to do,” said Andrew Smith, Executive Director of Cadillac Design, on Monday at a first-look event for the Lyriq in Los Angeles. This marked the first time the press had seen and sat in a pre-production model of the vehicle, which earlier this week only featured in corporate materials and zippy Super Bowl commercials starring Will Ferrell and Timothée Chalamet.
The Lyriq, which has an estimated range of 300 miles and starts at $ 59,990, is the first of many electric cars that GM plans to bring to market with its Ultium battery. GM expects to be fully electric by 2035, and the Ultium battery is set to help drive that push forward.
The grille of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq lights up as it approaches.
Photo credit: Brittany Levine Beckman / Mashable
The Cadillac designers knew they wanted to give the Lyriq large wheels for an athletic look.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
The Lyriq seen from behind.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
The door handles are flush and don’t pop out. When you squeeze the handle, the door pushes out a few inches and then you slide it open by reaching inside the car.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
The grille of the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
While the Lyriq is an SUV, it doesn’t look like any other member of the Cadillac SUV family, including the Escalade and XT5. Compared to its famous cousins, the Lyriq is long and stocky. It reminded me of my Schnoodle, which has short legs and a long body. When asked why Cadillac opted for a down-to-earth or high-traffic look for many SUVs, Smith was quick to respond.
“Because it looks great,” he quipped. He added that the Lyriq’s design would be a good starting point for Cadillac to start with its electric SUVs. If in the future it wants to do a variant with a high, dominant chair, it can, he added.
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq from above.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
Inside view of the glass roof of the Cadillac Lyriq 2023.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq has no rear wipers. The car is designed so that the wind forces the rain to slide off the rear window as the vehicle moves.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
In the trunk of the Lyriq.
Credit: BRITTANY LEVINE BECKMAN / MASHABLE
Crystal Windham, Cadillac’s interior design director, noted that the display, roughly 35 inches wide by five inches high, behind the wheel, was designed with Super Cruise in mind. While the five-seater is braking and changing lanes for you and your hands are off the steering wheel (but your eyes are still on the road), you can use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto apps by touch, voice commands, or a rotary knob near the cup holder On the right side. Touch doesn’t work on the screen just behind the wheel, but it does work left and right. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work wirelessly.
“It’s a driver-centric approach,” said Windham.
The line of the Lyriq.
Photo credit: Brittany Levine Beckman
The Lyriq isn’t the first electric car with a huge display behind the wheel. The 2022 iX, BMW’s new all-electric SUV, also has a display that’s a little less wide at around 27 inches when you add the two screens together. The 2022 Lucid Air has a 34-inch display, and Mercedes is trumpeting its 56-inch so-called “hyperscreen” for the 2022 EQS electric sedan.
Tweet may have been deleted
As with other GM vehicles with Super Cruise, the driver assistance feature, which can change lanes for you, is only available for three years as part of your initial purchase. After that, owners will have to pay a monthly subscription fee of $ 25. Gah, annoying!
Smith said this was to cover the cost of updating the system for security reasons. Super Cruise uses a mix of sensors, onboard map software and satellite technology. (Tesla also goes the subscription model with its Full Self Driving System that runs on cameras, sensors, and the car’s computer. You can end up paying Tesla either $ 10,000 upfront for the automatic hands-free feature or a feature yet to be determined monthly fee.)
But back to the Lyriq’s battery: Ultium is an exciting prospect, but another GM brand, Chevrolet, is currently grappling with its own battery headache for the Bolt, another all-electric car. Bolts from 2017-2019 were recalled twice, not once because of the risk of fire, and cost GM $ 800 million. (I used to have a Bolt and recently bought it back because the initial recall fix took months.) The new 2022 Bolt and Crossover Bolt EUV didn’t get Ultium batteries, but Chevy reportedly announced they would do so in 2023 or 2024 will do.
The 100 kWh battery in the Lyriq can add 76 miles of range in about 10 minutes with DC fast charge, aka a Level 3 charger, according to Cadillac. For comparison: the BMW iX is supposed to cover 90 miles and comparable Teslas add about 100 miles after 10 minutes of fast charging.
Battery innovation – which will lead to longer range, faster charging, and original designs – will be the name of the game as automakers compete in the growing EV market.
Tweet may have been deleted
Aside from the Ultium battery, the Lyriq also has other bells and whistles. Cadillac estimates it has 340 hp and 440 Nm of torque. As you approach the car with the key, you will get a light show on the grille. The car handles are flush with the body and do not jump out. Instead, you push it and the door shoots open a few inches with a subtle robot noise. You open the door all the way by sticking your hand in the car and pulling outward.
Remember, we only saw a pre-production vehicle and didn’t test drive the car. The Lyriq is slated to go into production in the first quarter of 2022 at GM’s new factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is still under construction. Cadillac plans to have Lyriq on retail space within the first half of next year. Reservations for the Cadillac Lyriq 2023 will open on September 18, 2021.