General Motors has officially announced its return to the European market, where it was not present since it sold its Opel subsidiary to PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) in 2017, with the Cadillac Lyriq. The North American group will begin its reconquest through Switzerland since its new European headquarters is located in Zurich.
Sales of the electric SUV will open on October 6, with a starting price of 82,000 Swiss francs (that is, about 85,199 euros at the exchange rate). Cadillac plans to expand to five additional countries over the next two years, starting with France and Sweden, although a detailed roadmap has not yet been released.
After Cadillac, General Motors is also expected to reintroduce other brands such as Hummer or Corvette, both independent of GMC and Chevrolet respectively. It is interesting to note that, in the absence of confirmation, rumors also point to a possible return of Chevrolet with an exclusively electric range.
The American company’s business model will be very similar to that of Tesla, with online sales and a limited number of physical stores. Its first experience center is planned to open in Zurich. On the other hand, it will also offer products and services under its new Brightdrop brand.
The Cadillac Lyriq will go on sale in Switzerland on October 6
The Cadillac Lyriq will be a rival to proposals such as the Audi Q8 e-tron, the BMW iX, the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, the Tesla Model X, and the Volvo EX90. The maximum autonomy of the Lyriq is 502 km EPA thanks to the use of a 100 kWh capacity battery pack made up of twelve modules.
Regarding charging, the Lyriq can reach a peak of 19.2 kW in alternating current, recovering 84 km EPA in one hour, while in direct current it reaches 190 kW, adding 122 km EPA in 10 minutes.
“European customers are switching to electric vehicles at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world, and General Motors is investing $35 billion through 2025 in electric and autonomous vehicle technology to be a major driver of the transformation of our industry,” explained Jaclyn McQuaid, president of GM Europe, last year.
“Our flexible Ultium platform and the breadth and depth of our electric vehicle portfolio enable General Motors to offer customers in Europe a variety of products and services to support their lifestyles while contributing to a zero future. ” accidents, zero emissions, and zero congestion .”
