At a special event on Wednesday, General Motors touted its ambitious electric vehicle plans, which largely hinge on the success of cutting-edge new technologies that could cut costs by enabling widespread platform and parts sharing. At the center of this will be GM's Cadillac brand, which the automaker has appointed to spearhead its aggressive push into electric propulsion. Cadillac's next flagship sedan, the Celestiq, will be a sumptuous low-volume, hand-built EV assembled at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant.

But before that car materializes, Cadillac will introduce a battery-electric crossover utility vehicle, the Lyriq, for sale as a 2023 model. Granted, the Lyriq won't be the first new GM EV to reach the market; several others - including a second-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV, a Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle), and the GMC Hummer electric truck - will precede it.

It's still destined to be a pivotal model for General Motors, as it could set the tone for the rest Cadillac's planned transition to 100% electric propulsion - something that could happen by the end of the decade.

The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq will be a mid-size two-row crossover with seating for five, and GM's second EV to rely on the automaker's new electric vehicle architecture, after the GMC Hummer. There are no official images of the model as of yet, but Motor Trend describes the Lyriq as having a wide stance and an "expressive" fascia replete with a backlit faux grille, accompanied by dramatic, functional air inlets.

Inside the Lyriq, the compact powertrain and floor-mounted battery pack have allowed for a cavernous, open-feeling cabin, and befitting a vehicle of the future, the dash is dominated by a massive, 34-inch curved LED screen serving both the instrumentation and infotainment functions.

The Cadillac Lyriq will be unveiled on April 2nd, and the concept that's being shown is unusually close to what the production version will look like, GM says, being some 95 percent production-representative. It will be more than a full year between unveiling and the start of production in late-2021 or early-2022, ahead of Cadillac's flagship Celestiq electric sedan.

We're positively buzzing.