During the unveiling of the Cadillac Escalade IQ last week, we had the opportunity to speak with Mike Speranzini, Cadillac Brand Director, and learn a little more about the future plans of Cadillac.
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LYRIQ delivery delays
The LYRIQ is Cadillac’s first true electric vehicle, but it’s experiencing delivery issues. First, we can talk about these delivery delays. Initially, the first 2-wheel drive units were due to arrive in November 2022. That didn’t happen. The AWD versions were scheduled for January 2023. In both cases, Cadillac was unable to deliver on time. Seven months later, AWD models are just starting to show up and in dribs and drabs.
Cadillac has difficulty explaining these delays, but maintains that production is gradually increasing. After all, when it launched in 2022, Cadillac said loud and clear that we didn’t want a waiting list longer than 12 months on the LYRIQ. There is still a lot of work to do.
2025, why now?
GM is without a doubt the manufacturer that unveils the most electric models: Chevrolet Silverado EV, Equinox EV, Blazer EV, HUMMER EV SUV, GMC HUMMER EV pickup truck, Sierra EV, Cadillac LYRIQ, Celestiq and, now, IQ Climbing. They are all promising, but they are all slow to hit the market. So I asked Mr. Speranzini what is the benefit for consumers of unveiling models that won’t be available for at least two years.
His answer is very simple: position Cadillac in the market as a leading manufacturer and demonstrate that Cadillac will be present in these different categories. Basically, Cadillac wants to pull the rug out from under competitors who are slow to unveil their products.
As for the question of consumers’ impatience with months if not years of waiting before getting their hands on the vehicle, Cadillac is aware of this, but considers that its strategy is the right one. In this regard, nearly 70% of Cadillac LYRIQ buyers have never owned a Cadillac or even considered owning one before.
Two more to come
The show at Cadillac is not over. The manufacturer will unveil two other SUVs during the year. Obviously, Mr. Speranzini did not want to go into detail, the contrary would have been surprising, but we can see what is happening elsewhere and grasp what will be proposed. Under the LYRIQ, Cadillac will offer a smaller model that will likely carry the designation optiq.
The latter was unveiled “accidentally” by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Technological Information. All the dimensions are not known, but we do know that it is 175 millimeters shorter, and that its wheelbase is 140 millimeters shorter than the LYRIQ.
Smaller, but also considerably less powerful, the model planned for China would come with 201 or 241 horsepower engines, and there is no mention that an all-wheel drive will be included. We can believe that the mechanical strategy will be different in North America. In its case, prices should start in the $50,000-55,000 range.
Next comes an SUV that will appeal to families with its 3 rows of seats. Similar to the XT6 in size, it would probably use the engines we know in the LYRIQ. It’s not confirmed yet, but a rear-wheel-drive version with a 340 horsepower engine is possible, as is the integral with 500 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque.
Taking up the Ultium architecture of the LYRIQ, it would be taller and more angular, but would offer a battery of the same capacity, i.e. 102 kilowatt hours. Naturally, depending on its configuration, this SUV with 3 rows of seats will have to make a concession on autonomy compared to the 505/494 kilometers of the LYRIQ.
This model, whose name is unknown, will bridge the gap between the LYRIQ and the Escalade IQ. We can therefore believe that its base price will be around $95,000 to $100,000.
Conclusion
Cadillac wants to be fully electrified by 2030. If the automaker’s offensive works with no less than 5 electric SUVs (Optiq, LYRIQ, ?, Escalade IQ, Extended Wheelbase Escalade IQ), there’s a good chance Cadillac will succeed to position itself better than many competitors.
We are talking about unveiling in 2023, but marketing in 2024 being 2025 models. If we can arm ourselves with patience, knowing the dates, we can live with it. However, Cadillac will not have to repeat the almost fiasco of deliveries of the LYRIQ. We hope she learned from her mistakes with the commercialization of LYRIQ. I would like to believe that consumers are prepared to wait, but they certainly don’t like being fooled.
