Cadillac to make UK comeback with all-electric Lyriq SUV
Cadillac will return to the UK market with the all-electric Lyriq SUV as its first model, says GM Europe chief.
Pere Brugal, CEO of General Motors Europe, told Autocar that it will bring the Cadillac name here, beginning with its Lyriq SUV. The iconic GM-owned brand officially returned to Europe in 2021 after establishing a European HQ in Zurich the same year.
Thus far, the only available Cadillac available in Europe is the Lyriq, which retails for €79,000 – around £68,000 – in Switzerland, France, Sweden, and Germany. The Lyriq has been on sale since 2023, and is a rival to the likes of the Volvo EX90 and Hyundai Ioniq 9.
While no date has been officially confirmed, is understood that the Lyriq’s UK arrival is imminent, after Cadillac wrapped up testing for right-hand-drive production models in Ireland just recently. Brugal confirmed that it will be joined by a still-unspecified model.
“We want to make sure we launch with not only one model portfolio,” he is reported to have said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
When Cadillac makes it to the UK, it is speculated that the Lyriq will be joined by the smallest all-electric SUV in its line-up, the Optiq SUV. Again, however, nothing is set in stone.
In relation to the Cadillac UK comeback, Brugal said that it will not be sold in the same Arnold Clark dealerships as GM’s current UK line-up comprising the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the hybrid Corvette E-Ray, and the hardcore, track-focused ZR1.
Instead, Cadillac will use an online-based model supported by Polestar-style pop-up “experience” centres.
According to Cadillac Europe’s website, the entry-level Lyriq has a range of 530 kilometres (around 330 miles) and 520bhp. Upgrade to the top-tier, performance-oriented Lyriq V, and power increases to 606bhp.
The extra increase in grunt, however, drops range to 460 kilometres (approximately 286 miles). To amplify its motorsport heritage, the Lyriq-V benefits from a synthetised engine note based on the V8 motor, which powers Cadillac’s much-loved V-Series.R prototype in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
