The new EV will be sold alongside the combustion-powered model.
Cadillac has plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade, about five years ahead of GM’s other brands. The company’s first major attempt at creating an EV is the Lyriq, which should be on the production lines as of today. The order books will open on May 19 and it seems that Cadillac is working on at least one more electric SUV, according to a new report.
Automotive News says Cadillac dealers were shown images of the new zero-emissions crossover, which has roughly the same size as today’s XT4. The article claims the vehicle was very well received by the marque’s retailers and they were assured it will be sold alongside the XT4 for at least several years. Thus Cadillac will have an electric and combustion subcompact crossover.
Gallery: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq SUV
The company is currently having difficult times keeping its dealers and it has already lost about 40 percent of them, who were not happy to invest in offering electric vehicles. However, Cadillac will continue to monitor combustion vehicle demand and will make everything possible to ensure General Motors and its dealers are profitable. “We’re going to keep looking at ICE,” the dealers were reportedly told.
Judging by the early feedback from potential customers, the Lyriq is shaping up to be a strong seller for the brand. More than 233,000 “expressions of interest” have been registered so far and at least 10 percent of those are expected to materialize as actual sales. If the math is correct, Cadillac could be looking at about 25,000 sales in the first year of production, which is surely a good start for a luxury electric crossover from a legacy automaker.
“We are at a time of transition. This is our time to pivot,” Rory Harvey, VP of Cadillac, told Automotive News before the meeting with the dealers this past weekend. “We have one of the freshest lineups today in terms of our ICE portfolio, and we’re complementing that with the rollout of EVs.”
Note: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq pictured in the gallery.
Keyword: Cadillac Shows Dealers XT4-Sized Electric SUV, But ICE Is Here To Stay