Cadillac just held a press call. The big news for those interested in Lyriq is that orders open on May 19 for both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles. RWD vehicles should begin reaching dealers by the end of May. AWD Lyriq goes into production late this year (2022) and will begin shipping in early 2023 The Lyriq is being built in Springhill, TN. Interestingly, Cadillac says it had more expressions of interest than they had even targeted -- 200K expected, received 233K. They expect that at least 10% of these will convert to purchases. This begs the question, how many cars will they build this year and next, which I asked. Apparently, this is something they're still trying to get a handle on. They are aiming to build more than they had originally planned, but they are still unsure what the final number will be. Constraints are supply-chain related, both with respect to chips (like everyone right now) and batteries.
Just a reminder that today's the day to place your Cadillac Lyriq order. Here's some recent pricing and other info you may find helpful: The RWD (available this Summer for Debut Edition, Fall for other trims) starts at $62,990 and makes 340 hp and has 312 miles of EPA-rated range. The AWD (available early 2023) starts at $64,990 and makes 500 hp and doesn't have an EPA range yet (but it will be lower than 312). The AWD is also rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds.
So, it seems the open order period was short and successful for Cadillac. The 2023 Lyriq sold out after four hours. That should be around 25,000 vehicles, I believe. If you missed the chance to place an order, you can still join a preorder waitlist. Then, if an order is cancelled you may may get a chance to take that one or be early in line for 2024 model year. According to the automaker, 70% of the orders came from new customers to the Cadillac brand. That's great news for a brand looking to carve out a new niche for itself in an electric world.
