With 300-mile range, 2023 Lyriq will compete with the top sellers

As of May 10th, here’s what CURRENT EV knows about the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq:

By John Coulter

Cadillac says Lyriq pre-orders will deliver in 2023, with cars entering dealerships following.

Cadillac’s 1st entry into the luxury EV market has been designer from the ground up. It rides on General Motors' new scalable battery architecture – called Ultium – which provides the car a low center of gravity and a spacious cabin. The scalability technology allows the automaker to produce batteries that range in size from 50.0 kWh to 200 kWh. With a full charge, LYRIQ offers a Cadillac-estimated 300-plus miles of driving range.  With a standard Level 2 charger, you can add up to 52 miles of range to the car’s battery per hour. It takes 10 minutes to load up to 76 miles of range with a fast charger. Cadillac’s 19.2-kW onboard charger helps decrease charging times.

The base Lyriq comes with a 100-kW battery pack. Lyriq’s 300-mile+ range estimate is similar to what you get from the Tesla Model Y Long Range (326 miles) and more than the 2021 Audi e-tron (222 miles) or Jaguar I-Pace (234 miles). BMW's upcoming 2022 iX electric SUV will get around 300 miles.

Concerning Lyriq’s battery system, motortrend.com says: “The batteries boast aluminum-intensive cathodes, which reduce the amount of precious, rare-earth (and sometimes ethically problematic) cobalt required by more than 70 percent compared to current GM battery technology. Large, flat, pouch-style cells will be ganged in "smart modules" that incorporate the control electronics, reducing complexity and simplifying cooling. Cadillac claims battery pack wiring is thereby reduced by 90 percent.”

The car will arrive in the market with dramatic styling and proportions, plus Tesla-esque electric performance, range, and technology.

One of its big headline grabbers will be its 33-inch (diagonal) curved LED screen boasting "the highest pixel density available in the automotive industry today." Says motortrend.com: “It's said to be capable of displaying over 1 billion colors – 64 times more than any other automotive screen. The screen was designed to look like it's floating on the dash and tailored to the Lyriq – not purchased off the shelf. Its position and curvature were determined by ergonomic reach curves, and the high, horizontal orientation prevents the driver from having to look as far down and away from the road as with some vertical screens.”

General Motors says the EV will come standard with the following::

• Cadillac-estimated 340 hp and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm) of torque 
• Rear Wheel Drive
• Height: 63.9" Length: 196.7" Width: 86.9" (including mirrors) Wheelbase: 121.8"
• Cargo space: 28.0 cu. ft., rear seatbacks up / 60.8 cu. ft., rear seatbacks down
• At-home Level 2 (AC) charge rates of up to 19.2 kW  and DC fast charging for public charging rates of up to 190 kW
• 12-module/100 kWh estimated usable energy and rear-wheel Ultium Drive Unit
• Cadillac Smart System suite of safety and driver-assistance features
• Regen On Demand
• One-Pedal Driving
• Illuminated Black Crystal Shield, front Cadillac emblem and exterior door handles
• Choreographed exterior LED lighting
• Fixed-glass roof with power interior shade
• Open-pore Dark Ash wood décor with backlit door panels
• 8-way power driver and front-passenger seats with 4-way power lumbar, heat, ventilation and lumbar massage
• Cadillac-exclusive AKG Studio 19-speaker audio system
• Next-generation Active Noise Cancellation
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Available Super Cruise  Driver Assistance Technology
• myCadillac Mobile App

At present, the car comes in two exterior colors: Stellar Black Metallic and Satin Steel Metallic. Interior colors include: Sky Cool Gray, perforated Inteluxe seating with backlit Dark Ash Cluster open-pore wood trim (Rear-Wheel Drive). Lyriq’s wheels will be 20" split 6-spoke alloy wheels with Diamond-Cut/Dark Android finish and Gloss-Black aero inserts, paired with self-sealing, all-season tires.

Cadillac Smart System Standard features will include: 
• Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert
• Front Pedestrian Braking
• Safety Alert Seat
• Rear Park Assist
• HD Rear Vision Camera
• Vehicle Diagnostics 
• Teen Driver
• Rear Seat Reminder

Select Standard Safety and Driver-Assistance features will include:
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Blind Zone Steering Assist
• Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist
• Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking
• Following Distance Indicator
• Front Pedestrian Pedal Braking with Bicyclist Detection
• HD Surround Vision
• Rear Camera Mirror with washer
• Rear Cross Traffic Braking
• Rear Pedeatrian Alert
• Reverse Automatic Braking
• Side Bicyclist Alert

The LYRIQ EV will offer an enhanced version of Super Cruise – the first truly hands-free driver-assistance technology with more than 200,000 miles of compatible roads in the U.S. and Canada. Super Cruise on the 2023 LYRIQ will offer Automatic Lane Change, which allows LYRIQ to automatically change lanes with driver supervision. LYRIQ includes 3 years of connectivity to support functionality and map updates, after which an eligible Connected Services plan must be purchased.

When you approach or leave your LYRIQ, the vehicle will perform an intricately choreographed lighting display across the front and rear of the vehicle. LYRIQ’s ambient lighting will allow you to personalize the interior through an app featured within the 33" diagonal advanced LED display. With 26 colors in two zones that shine from the footwells to the door panels, every inch of your LYRIQ will feel alive with customizable ambient lighting.

As of this blor review, the car will be offered in four trims: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport and Platinum. Base models will start around $60,000 and upper trim levels will get to $90,000.

The Lyriq will come standard with an electric motor on the rear axle, making it a RWD vehicle. All-wheel drive will be optional and adds a second motor at the front to drive the front wheels. Cadillac has said that the Lyriq's all-wheel-drive powertrain will make around 500 horsepower; the rear-wheel drive model is said to produce 340 horsepower. Both set-ups will provide brisk power.

Thecarconnection.com says: “The all-new Cadillac Lyriq charts the course for Cadillac’s future of all-electric vehicles. An estimated 300-mile range, $60,000 starting price, generous proportions, and electric styling make for a Lyriqal bellwether indeed.”

WRITTEN 5/2022