Cadillac Made An Unexpected Lyriq Design Decision

Aug. 23, 2020 11:51 AM ET by Jay Traugott Electric Vehicles / 11 Comments

It remains to be seen whether it was the right one.

The Cadillac Lyriq represents a significant turning point for GM's luxury brand. As Cadillac's first-ever all-electric model, the Lyriq will be entering a competitive segment alongside the also upcoming Audi Q4 e-tron, Fisker Ocean, and even the Nissan Ariya. Already there's the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model Y, but it won't remain sans serious rivals for long. Set to go on sale for the 2023 model year, the Lyriq was first shown earlier this month as a pre-production prototype, though Cadillac says the design is about 85 percent done. In other words, don't expect drastic changes between what you see now and what will be sold. But it turns out the Lyriq won't have something that's kind of become synonymous with modern EVs, a "frunk".

Cadillac Society reports that the Lyriq's design chief, Jamie Brewer, has confirmed the front trunk cargo area will not be where an internal combustion engine is normally found.

Instead, Cadillac prefers not to "split up" the total cargo space and will instead maximize cargo volume at the rear behind the seats. Sound familiar? It should because this is exactly how cargo space is managed in combustion-engined vehicles. The Lyriq's total cargo volume still remains unknown as Brewer could not provide any final specs.

Sized in between the current Cadillac XT5 and XT6 crossovers, the Lyriq's slick rear hatch design is almost station wagon-like and is expected to offer a generous amount of cargo space. That's all fine and good, but there's still one question without an answer: what will be found under that fairly long hood.

Certainly not a combustion engine and the Lyriq already rides on a new EV architecture where the battery pack is located in the center beneath the floor, just like most new EVs. Therefore, it's reasonable to expect to find the electric motor itself under the Lyriq's hood, just as is the case with the Chevrolet Bolt and the upcoming Bolt-based crossover. This design layout can provide owners with a sense of combustion vehicle familiarity, and this could come in handy amongst those still somewhat hesitant to take the EV plunge.

We'll be learning a lot more about the Cadillac Lyriq in the months ahead. It's expected to go arrive in dealerships in late 2022 and will be priced from below $60,000.

Source Credits: Cadillac Society

Cadillac Made An Unexpected Lyriq Design Decision

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