Author: Xiaodong
On August 6, 2020, Cadillac’s first pure electric SUV, LYRIQ, was officially unveiled. Cadillac said: “Our future is electrified, LYRIQ opens a new chapter for Cadillac.”
This also makes us curious. As a luxury brand, what kind of performance will LYRIQ have as Cadillac’s first vehicle starting with electrification?
However, before learning about this car, I was more curious about the name “LYRIQ”. Such a weird word made me once search for its pronunciation on Baidu, and the closest word to this word was “lyric”, which means lyrical poetry.
I noticed that the last letter “q” of LYRIQ follows Cadillac’s naming tradition of concept cars, including Evoq, Provoq, and Celestiq, all of which endwith “q”. So, the homophone Lyric plus the naming method of the concept car formed this new word LYRIQ.
In the era of electrification, Cadillac has abandoned the naming method of fuel vehicles’ letter + number, and all future products will use IQ as the suffix, which is Cadillac’s unique perspective on turning to electrification.
On November 17th, LYRIQ finally officially began pre-sales in the Chinese market and announced the pre-sale price starting at 439,700 yuan.
Pre-sale price is 439,700 yuan
My first feeling about this price is that it is expensive.
Because the earlier announced starting price in North America was 58,795 US dollars, which is approximately 375,000 RMB at the current exchange rate. Of course, the North American price does not include tax. Even if the tax is added, the nearly 440,000 RMB starting price is indeed high.
After all, among multinational automakers, General Motors’ more thorough localization has always been one of its advantages in China. Taking as an example the Ultium electric platforms used by LYRIQ, SAIC-GM-Wuling has stated that the Ultium platform and related models have achieved over 95% localization in parts procurement. This also means further cost reduction.Let’s take a look at the basic specifications first. The LYRIQ, a pure electric platform-built mid-sized SUV, has a length, width, and height of 5003 x 1977 x 1637 mm and a wheelbase of 3094 mm. Currently, only the rear-wheel drive version, i.e., a single motor, is available. It uses a permanent magnet motor with a maximum power of 255 kW (about 347 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 440 N·m. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 6.9 seconds, and it has a CLTC range of over 650 km with a 95.7-degree battery pack.
As a luxury mid-sized SUV, the LYRIQ’s advantages in being an electric platform are reflected in its 5-meter length and almost 3.1-meter wheelbase. However, its power does not seem to be as powerful as other models in its class. For example, NIO’s dual-motor series can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 4 seconds, and IDEAL ONE’s 6.5 s acceleration is available at a price of 338,000 RMB. Of course, LYRIQ will also launch a dual-motor version in the future with an acceleration of about 5 seconds, but what about the price?
Besides power, the most critical concern for electric vehicles is battery life. So, how far can this 95.7 kWh battery pack go?
In LYRIQ’s official North American promotion, its range is claimed to be 300 miles, about 480 kilometers. Of course, EPA has not provided the final test results. Assuming a range of 480 kilometers, the energy consumption of the vehicle is about 20 kWh per 100 kilometers. Although it uses a single motor, it is already an impressive achievement for a mid-sized SUV over 5 meters long.
You can also look forward to our subsequent real-life range tests for verification.
Nowadays, there are hardly any mid-sized pure electric SUVs that can achieve this level of energy consumption. However, General Motors tends to be relatively conservative in promoting electric vehicle range, so the actual range should exceed the advertised range.
But, with a 6.9-second acceleration, most people’s daily use requirements can be met, and I believe many NIO owners have “light mode” options with a 9.9-second acceleration. Similarly, a range of about 500 kilometers is also the mainstream range of electric vehicles.
So what are the other highlights of LYRIQ?The appearance of LYRIQ is undeniably futuristic, and when I saw it at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, it was still a concept car. However, the production version of LYRIQ retains the same appearance as the concept car, with its signature “tear-eye” headlights that instantly identify it as a Cadillac. The importance of appearance to a car is self-evident, and this is undoubtedly a plus for LYRIQ.
In the car, LYRIQ features a 33-inch panoramic OLED display, with impressive specs – 8960 x 1320 resolution, maximum brightness of 850 nits, 1.2% reflectivity, 3375 zoning backlights, and 271 PPI. The only small drawback is that it is not equipped with Qualcomm’s next-generation 8195 chip, but instead uses the current mainstream 8155 chip. Nevertheless, this hardware is generally maintained at a first-class level.
In terms of intelligence, LYRIQ is equipped with the latest generation of Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system. Super Cruise has actually been available in China since 2018, but it was only available in the top-end CT6 models, which limited its popularity. However, Super Cruise has already been fully validated in North America, creating a record of 11 million accident-free miles.
Speaking of specific capabilities, Super Cruise covers approximately 320,000 kilometers of high-precision mapping in China, including highways and city expressways. It can perform driver assistance functions such as adaptive cruise control, automatic lane changing, and lane centering.
Despite its unremarkable functions, Super Cruise has a killer feature in terms of user experience – it is an “L2 that can be used hands-free.” Using a powerful driver attention monitoring system, it delivers an assisted driving experience that allows the driver to temporarily pilot the vehicle without hands on the wheel. This product detail is still unique in the industry.
It should also be noted that, like the Ideal ONE, SAIC-GM has included Super Cruise as standard on LYRIQ, so there is no additional cost – this is very considerate.Back to prices, users who place orders before the end of April next year will enjoy pre-sale benefits, including 10,000 kilometers of public charging credits, daily random mileage rewards from the app check-in, free specific body colors, and priority delivery rights.
Finally, LYRIQ will be sold through direct sales, making the experience more transparent and friendly compared to dealer-based sales. Is the nearly 440,000 CNY LYRIQ the right choice for you?
A Solid Foundation
Compared with other luxury brands, LYRIQ’s product strength cannot be achieved without the support of the General Motors’ Ultium platform. On October 15th this year, SAIC-GM-ULTIUM Powertrain Co., Ltd. (SGUP) officially started production in Shanghai Pudong Jinqiao, which means that GM’s pure electric platform is now manufactured in China domestically.
In fact, SAIC-GM and Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center have participated in the development of the Ultium platform’s underlying architecture, technical standards, test verification, and domestic manufacturing. The domestication rate of the platform’s components has also reached 95%, making the Ultium platform more adaptable to the domestic market.
The Ultium platform has three core advantages: flexibility, intelligence, and safety.
Firstly, flexibility. The Ultium platform can accommodate 2 cells, 2 modules, and 3 battery packs, and is equipped with seven driving combinations consisting of three sets of electric drive systems. Regarding the battery, the Ultium platform has demonstrated enough flexibility. It supports different cell packaging forms and chemical materials. For example, in terms of cell packaging, it can be square or pouch-shaped. Except for ternary lithium, iron phosphate batteries can also be used, resulting in lower costs. This allows the Ultium platform to meet the requirements of various vehicle models.
Secondly, intelligence. The Ultium platform also has a black technology feature – the wireless battery management system (wBMS). This makes GM the first car manufacturer to adopt a wireless battery management system. What are the advantages?
In simple terms, the wireless battery management system uses a wireless communication module to communicate with each battery module to simplify the battery pack’s interior structure and detect each module to improve safety.
According to official sources, the Ultium platform can reduce 90% of the wiring harness in the battery pack, effectively increasing the space utilization rate of the battery. This means that more cells can be packed into the same volume battery pack, thereby increasing the range. Because of the lack of wiring harness, the fault rate of the battery pack is reduced, and production efficiency is also higher.
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In addition, the wireless battery management system cooperates with General Motors’ new generation VIP electronic architecture, which is more convenient for system management and OTA upgrades.
Finally, in terms of safety, the AUTEN platform provides 7 layers of protection, including a real-time intelligent monitoring system, nano-level aerospace material aerogel, patented designs for safety valves and exhaust channels, anti-arcing design, integrated independent liquid cooling system, and aerogel fireproof blankets.
With the AUTEN platform, General Motors aims to launch 30 pure electric vehicles worldwide by 2025, of which more than 20 models (including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and Hummer brands) will enter the Chinese market. Thanks to deep localization, more than 10 domestically produced models will be available.
Through LYRIQ and the AUTEN platform, we can clearly see General Motors’ determination to transform towards electrification. As a century-old car manufacturer, can General Motors win a place in this new revolution?
Conclusion
At present, there are few traditional luxury brands that can compete with LYRIQ. The EQC, e-tron, and iX3, which are in the same price range, are all old platforms with converted gasoline engines, and there are certain differences in all aspects. Compared with new forces, LYRIQ can only be said to be keeping up with the trend in intelligence, but as a luxury brand in vehicle engineering, driving feel, and chassis tuning, it is likely to have advantages. We have already seen this on the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which is also a traditional American luxury brand. These are not reflected in the data.
If the price of the LYRIQ can be reduced, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the pure electric luxury market! We also hope that the Chinese market can have more “IQ” models, providing consumers with more choices.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.