Cadillac’s just beginning to ramp Lyriq production, but the automaker is already looking toward what’s next.
On Wednesday Cadillac Global Vice President Ron Harvey said three new EVs will debut in 2023, during a media briefing.
All three of these EVs will go into production in 2024, according to Harvey.
The actual sales launches will be staggered for some markets, though. Harvey noted that some of these models will be built and sold in multiple markets, which will lead to production kicking off at different times.
While Harvey would not comment on what vehicle types the new EVs are, Cadillac laid out a roadmap for its electric future in 2020. That map included the Lyriq, Celestiq flagship, an attainable crossover SUV like the XT4, an Escalade-like EV, and a “globally sized” three-row SUV with an emphasis on space and cargo capability.
In 2019 Cadillac committed to ditch the boring alphanumeric naming structure and give models real names again. The Lyriq and Celestiq kicked off that transition. The automaker has trademarked Ascendiq, Optiq, Symboliq, Vistiq, Lumistiq, and Escalade IQL, pointing to potential names for the new EVs.
Start of Cadillac Lyriq production at General Motors’ Spring Hill Manufacturing plant
Lyriq ramping
On the Lyriq’s slow ramp, Harvey said production will be speeding up. Only 122 Lyriqs were delivered in 2022.
As of the end of this week, Harvey said 1,000 Lyriqs will have shipped in the last 30 days as production continues to ramp.
The slow ramp was purposeful, according to Harvey, in an effort to catch bugs and other issues. A software bug did arise during early production, he said.
With the current production pacing Cadillac plans to deliver all the Debut Edition Lyriqs by the end of the first quarter, though Harvey wouldn’t disclose how many Debut Edition models the automaker will build.
Certain 2023 Lyriq orders will be pushed into the 2024 model year due to the slow ramp.
Harvey also reconfirmed that production of the Celestiq will kickoff in December.
