General Motors has had to change its face in Australia since the departure of Holden, but we might be seeing more of it if a couple of recent trademark filings are any more than brand protection.
While General Motors – as with many companies of a similar stature – is no stranger to trademarking words and brand names as a preventive measure rather than to actually be used (Cadillac has been continuously registered as a trademark in Australia since March 1926, for example), there’s something a little more specific about the latest in the company’s filings.
The GMC Yukon SUV and Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover SUV have both been singled out at being registered as trademarks in Australia, with the latter having been already accepted by the Australian Government. The Yukon, however, has only been filed in the past couple of days at time of writing.
While reports of Cadillacs spotted in Australia for local testing have almost always been purely speculative – GM tests left-hook cars in Australia for its own US market all the time – there’s a little more weight to the Lyriq.
Earlier this year, a right-hand-drive prototype version of the Lyriq was filmed in the US and the video uploaded to YouTube by user Baba Jibagte before being widely discussed in Australia. The Lyriq name had been registered for trademark a couple of months earlier in mid-November 2022, and finally approved in mid-March 2023.
If the Lyriq is truly destined for a right-hand drive production version, there’s a lot less to stop it from coming to Australia – it makes more sense than previous cars we’ve hoped for given the diminishing slice the sedan segment takes up of the new car market pie in Australia.
In the US, the Lyriq offers up to 500km of driving range with a performance-focused AWD dual-motor drivetrain producing 372kW for its performance versions.
The GMC Yukon, a large SUV that sits a rung down from Cadillac in terms of GM’s luxury offerings (in between Caddy and Chevrolet on the GM ladder) is also slightly more possible for Australia given the platform it rides on.
With Walkinshaw in Melbourne now able to produce the Chevrolet Silverado in right-hand drive after a conversion, it’s no great stretch to think the company could do the same for other large vehicles that share its platform – the GMT T1XX is what underpins both the current Silverado and the GMC Yukon.
The Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and Cadillac Escalade SUVs also share the platform, as does the GMC Sierra pick-up.
Again, historically moves like this from General Motors have resulted in no changes to plans for the Australian market, but at least now there’s some evidence of right-hand drive possibilities.
Locally, there’s no word from General Motors Special Vehicles regarding either model, but CarsGuide has contacted the brand for further information.
Keyword: Is GM ramping up in Oz? GMC Yukon and Cadillac Lyriq trademarks filed, but will they come to Australia?