Cadillac is set to relaunch in the Australian market this year initially only with the electric Lyriq crossover, but the company isn’t hiding the fact more electric vehicles (EVs) are on their way.
General Motors (GM) Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala told CarExpert announcements of new Cadillac models beyond the Lyriq will come “towards the end of the year, early next year”.
“We want to get [the] Lyriq out and do an awesome job with [the] Lyriq first as well,” said Ms Bala.
“We do want to obviously give that incredible car its time as well, but also want to give everyone the confidence knowing that it’s not just one entry, we have more amazing cars coming.”
Escalade iQ
As previously reported, GM has filed trademark filings for the Optiq, Escalade iQ and Vistiq names in Australia.
In response to whether these are the next vehicles coming to Australia, Ms Bala said “there are more EVs coming, obviously we’ll confirm what they are at a later date”.
“I will say that just from a process standpoint, whenever we, GM, have new vehicles coming in, trademark a name because we’ve decided well in advance what our vehicles are going to be called,” said Ms Bala.
“We do generally go out globally and trademark them everywhere because in the instance we do decide to bring a vehicle somewhere, we want that consistency to be there from a brand standpoint.
Vistiq
“So that’s not unique by any stretch that we will be doing that we will be doing that, it’s something that’s actually just part of our processes, very early on when a car is sort being born essentially.
“But we will have some more announcements coming on future Cadillacs in the not-too-distant future.”
Initially the Cadillac Lyriq will be built in factory right-hand drive at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant. The company hasn’t ruled out future Chinese sourcing, however.
The Lyriq will be available through a “reimagined luxury direct-to-consumer experience” – so no GM Specialty Vehicles dealerships then.
Lyriq
The brand will launch with three retail stores, or ‘Cadillac Experience Centres’: Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Auckland in New Zealand.
Executives have made multiple mentions of Cadillacs selling in “exclusive volumes”, though Ms Bala has been enthusiastic about its chances.
“It’s going to do incredibly well here,” said Ms Bala late last year, saying Cadillac will appeal to luxury car buyers who want to stand out and who consider themselves trendsetters.
Despite all the talk of “exclusive volumes”, Ms Bala said pricing wouldn’t be lofty.
“It’ll be priced competitively inside that mid-sized SUV [segment],” said Ms Bala, confirming the Lyriq will battle similarly sized electric SUVs from European luxury brands like the BMW iX.
The company wouldn’t confirm pricing, but the Lyriq starts at the equivalent of around A$90,000 in the US.
In addition to selling vehicles through separate retail spaces, GM indicated there should be a different after-sales experience for Cadillac vehicles vis-à-vis those sold in GMSV showrooms.
“We’re all about providing an elevated luxurious experience to that customer from the minute they may enter their details in a website or visit one of our Cadillac Experience Centres, all the way through to purchase and beyond that,” said Ms Bala.
“Because we know that your purchase doesn’t end the minute that we hand you the keys to your vehicle, it’s an ongoing relationship that we want to maintain and provide something that is very consistent.
“A very high-end customer experience, sort of like that ‘white glove’ that you would expect as a luxury customer to get.”
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