Cadillac is set to return to Australia with the Lyriq, an electric SUV currently sold in the U.S., marking the first General Motors (GM) electric car to be sold domestically. The brand is set to focus only on electric vehicles in the local market, moving forward.
While GM currently sells the Chevrolet Bolt, Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EV overseas, the automotive giant hasn’t sold an electric model in Australia and New Zealand before (though the company may have been considering it at one point). That is until now, with a right-hand drive Cadillac Lyriq shown to journalists in Melbourne, alongside an announcement that the brand would be setting up shop in Australia over the coming months.
It’s worth noting that GM does have an agreement with Saic Motors, the company behind MG (which sells EVs down under), and that the two collaborate on the development of the Ultium platform (which is a platform for building electric vehicles on). Side note, the new MG4 doesn’t have an Ultium battery.
But, on its own, Cadillac hasn’t had a strong presence in Australia for a while (since the 1970s), and when Holden wrapped up, the GM brand shrunk considerably. Today, most GM cars sold here include the Chevrolet Silverado ute/truck, along with special edition cars, like certain Corvettes.
The launch of the Lyriq therefore marks Cadillac’s grand return to Australia (a return was originally planned in 2008, though this was cancelled).
Because it was just an announcement, we didn’t really learn much in terms of specs. We’re not sure what range it will have, but it will certainly, at the very least look and perform similarly to the U.S. Lyriq.
GM did confirm to Gizmodo Australia that it will conform to Australian EV charging standards, and that a special plug won’t be required – an important thing to clarify, considering that the Lyriq uses the commonly used in the U.S. SAE J1772 plug, and not the Type 2 plug used more commonly in Australia.
“What we can share about the Lyriq is that it is purpose-built in the factory as a right-hand drive, on GM’s Ultium EV platform. So when you combine that, with the really iconic design that our customers know and love, it’s going to do incredibly well here,” GM managing director Jess Bala said.
“Our Lyriqs will be available as model year 2025, so, launching next year.”
On the U.S. EPA range test, the Lyriq can travel up to 502 kilometres without needing a recharge (and can charge at up to 190kW). Additionally, the U.S. starting price is marked at $US61,795, which converts to about $95,000 in Australia before additional costs – all things considered, it’s likely that this thing will start above the $100,000 mark. Bala said that the Lyriq (and Cadillac as a whole) are set to compete with “tier one” automakers, such as BMW (with the iX range), Audi (with the E-Tron range), Mercedes (with the EQB and EQS ranges), and Jaguar (with the I-Pace).
Cadillac has committed to being all-electric by 2030, with the Lyriq being the company’s first electric model. The brand confirmed that it will focus on EVs in Australia, up until the end of the decade, when it will only make EVs anywhere in the world.
Considering that Cadillac is a luxury brand, focusing on EVs as it re-launches in Australia makes a lot of sense, as that’s where most of the market resides while technology costs remain high.
It would be nice if some of those cheaper Chevrolet electric cars made their way down under though, with or without Holden badges.
Buyers will be able to order the Cadillac Lyriq via a new Australian website and through three dealerships positioned in Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland for New Zealand buyers, with expansions planned for other cities.
Zachariah Kelly travelled to Victoria as a guest of General Motors.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
Want more Aussie car news? Here’s every EV we’ve reviewed in the last two years, all the EVs we can expect down under soon, and our guide to finding EV chargers across the country. Check out our dedicated Cars tab for more.