After delivering only 122 Cadillac Lyriq EV models in 2022, General Motors says it was purposely slow with the rollout as it worked through issues with its new electric vehicle and to ensure customers receive the best quality. With a stockpile of 2023 Cadillac Lyriq models, GM says it’s now confident in its process going forward.
GM wants to accelerate Cadillac Lyriq rollout
When GM revealed the Cadillac Lyriq in 2020, it was designed to “redefine American luxury” with over 300-mile range and a starting price of under $60,000. The Lyriq is also set to play a pivotal role in carrying the Cadilac brand that’s set for an all-electric future by the end of the decade.
However, despite announcing it had its best sales year ever last week, GM only delivered 122 Cadillac Lyriqs total. The delivery count was disappointing after early demand caused GM to close Cadillac to orders after only 19 minutes in May.
Although GM would not specify how many orders “sold out” indicated, the company reported about 233,000 people expressed interest (but did not necessarily put money down).
President of GM North America, Steve Carlisle, said at the release in 2020, “Production will be a bit restricted as we ramp up.” According to a new report from the Detroit Free Press, the slow rollout was deliberate.
A spokesperson from Cadillac, Michael Albano, said as the company worked through learning curves, only a few deliveries went out to ensure quality.
We deliberately ramped up Cadillac Lyriq production slowly and methodically last year to ensure quality for our customers. Looking ahead, we will continue to ramp up production in 2023 in order to meet the strong demand for Lyriq.
Cadillac has also required engineers and specialists to inspect the Lyriq while teaching technicians how to work on it before dealers are allowed to deliver them.
Top comment by Snapjack
What I don't understand is they say there were quality issues they needed to work through and now have a lot of inventory. Does that mean all that inventory was made when they had quality issues? If so what kind of quality issues are they talking about that can be fixed after the car has been manufactured. If not why not deliver them? Or are all those existing vehicles below GM quality thresholds, yikes!
The luxury brand has gone as far as recruiting early customers to aid in studying the car. According to the Detroit Free Press, GM gave some early buyers a $5,500 incentive, having them sign a nondisclosure to allow them to track activity.
Now that GM has cleared up any issues, it’s time to get back on track. Albano says, “We are confident in our process,” and that the company has a stockpile of Cadillac Lyriq models that will be shipped to customers very soon.
Electrek’s Take
I understand GM’s approach here in ensuring quality for the customer, but after delivering only a little over 100 Lyriqs last year, it’s time for Cadillac to get cars in the hands of customers.
The Cadillac Lyriq hits the sweet spots in several areas (luxury interior, long-range capabilities) for a decent starting price, but with several highly anticipated EV models in its segment expected to hit the market this year, Cadillac may need to start prioritizing accelerating the rollout.
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