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New Cadillac Lyriq Electric SUV Receives 233,000 Hand-Raisers

Not to be confused with a firm order or even a reservation, “hand-raisers” is how Cadillac describes the people who are willing to give the Lyriq a chance. No fewer than 233,000 hand-raisers have been recorded thus far according to VP Rory Harvey, which is way more than the crown jewel of General Motors will deliver in the first years of series production.
2023 Cadillac Lyriq 25 photos
Photo: Cadillac
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Rory told the Detroit Free Press that “we’re still working through how many Lyriqs we can build this year.” We have an appetite to build more than the original plan.” There is, however, a problem with that. In addition to its relatively high starting price and the more desirable badge of the Tesla Model Y, “we went out to our suppliers two or three weeks ago to understand some of the [supply] constraints.” Sad trumpet noises indeed…

As if the ongoing shortage of microchips isn’t bad enough for the automotive industry, electric vehicle production is even trickier. How come, aren’t EVs a little simpler than ICEs? They are, of course, but mining the stuff that goes into batteries and battery production present a plethora of issues. For example, China has a firm grip on the lithium supply. What’s more, the (not so) Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest producer of cobalt whereas Russia supplies more than a fifth of the high-grade nickel.

GM is notorious for overpromising and underdelivering. They did that long before they were bailed out with U.S. taxpayers’ money. But in the face of adversity, it’s understandable why Cadillac is using the most pointless of metrics to hype up the Lyriq so much. On track to enter series production on March 21st, the mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle will be initially offered exclusively with rear-wheel drive and a 100.4-kWh battery pack.

Capable of more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) between charging stops according to internal estimates, the Lyriq develops 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet (440 Nm) of torque. Charging, meanwhile, is listed at 19.2 kW at a Level 2 alternating-current station and up to 190 kW at a DC station.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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