Production of Cadillac’s first-ever battery electric vehicle – the Lyriq SUV – has now begun at General Motors’ Spring Hill assembly plant, with orders set to open once again on May 19.
The Tennessee facility received a US$2 billion injection in October 2020 to refurbish the plant for EV production. While original plans wouldn’t see the Lyriq hit the conveyor belt until later this year, accelerated development thanks to ‘virtual testing’ – a concept that also benefited the GMC Hummer EV – meant production of Cadillac’s new EV flagship was brought forward by a considerable margin.
Plant employees assemble the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq. (Photo by JD Adams for General Motors)
“This is a monumental day for the entire GM team,” explains GM President Mark Reuss. “We retooled Spring Hill Assembly with the best, most advanced technology in the world and the team worked tirelessly to complete the preparations nine months ahead of the original schedule.
“The Cadillac LYRIQ sets the standard for the future of Cadillac and marks another major milestone in GM’s commitment to an all-electric future.”
Production of the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ begins at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plant. (Photo by Wade Payne for General Motors)
The first batch of the Lyriq, which made its debut in August 2020 as the show car “lead[ing] Cadillac into an electric future,” will be the premium Debut Edition, initial orders for which were said to have met 10 minute after opening (though General Motors does not reveal the actual number of orders placed). With Cadillac touting interest from “more than 200,000 people” during the initial wave of reservations, it’s expected that orders placed from May 19 onwards will be for a more entry level model, with the brand said to have established goals for 25,000 models per year.
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Priced from US$59,990 for US customers, the rear-wheel driven Lyriq, built atop GM’s EV-dedicated Ultium platform, boasts an estimated 340 hp and 324 lb-ft of torque, plus an estimated range “beyond 485 km” on a full charge courtesy of a 100.4 kWh battery pack.
