Cadillac is sticking to its early 2022 production schedule for the new Lyriq.
The wait won’t be quite as long as we imagined for Cadillac’s first bespoke EV, and General Motors announced more information on the upcoming model Wednesday. This statement marks the official debut of the Lyriq in actual production-ready form, with reservations set to open to prospective customers this September. From there, cars will actually arrive at dealers in the first half of 2022. Production will kick off at the Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant in the first quarter of next year, as GM commits $2 billion to the facility that also builds the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 crossovers.
For those who enjoyed the Lyriq’s styling when it first emerged last year, there’s good news. It’s hardly changed in production guise, with the most notable changes being the addition of door mirrors (naturally), as well as some other styling tweaks. One key feature are the truly vertical headlamps, which is an industry first and an evolution of the brand’s conventional layout. At launch, the 2022 Cadillac Lyriq will be available with a 100 killowatt-hour battery pack and a single, rear-mounted electric motor putting out 340 horsepower and 325 lb-ft (440 N-m) of torque. Official EPA range figures aren’t available yet, but Cadillac estimates the Lyriq can achieve 300 miles on a full charge.
Lyriq Charging times
Once you do have to stop and recharge, Cadillac’s electric crossover supports DC fast charging up to 190 kW. That allows for 76 miles of range in 10 minutes. On the home charging front, the Lyriq also offers a 19.2-kWh charging module, which can add up to 52 miles of range for each hour the car charges up.
As GM transitions into its next EV generation, the 2022 Cadillac Lyriq will ride on the automaker’s new “Ultium” platform, including the updated battery pack. To support their efforts, the company is building out two large U.S. manufacturing plants, one adjacent to the assembly line in Tennessee.
The big screen is back!
As far as the interior is concerned, Cadillac will again bring in its party trick from the new Escalade in providing 33 inches of LED infotainment screen space. Actually, if you have seen the Escalade, the layout will be familiar to you, with one key difference being the uninterrupted, single curved panel. Using the center stack portion of that infotainment system, media controls link up to a 19-speaker AKG premium audio system with speakers in the headrest — a feature we particularly enjoyed in Cadillac’s six-figure SUV. Super Cruise, quickly becoming a GM hallmark at this point, is also an available feature.
When reservations open, the rear-wheel drive 2022 Cadillac Lyriq will start at $59,990 including destination.
