The public debut of Cadillac’s first all-electric model has hit a snag in the form of the fast-growing coronavirus epidemic. A splashy (aren’t all reveals splashy?) unveiling scheduled to take place April 2 is now scrapped, Bloomberg reports.
The article, which (strangely) positions the cancellation as a major blow for General Motors CEO Mary Barra, notes that the automaker has yet to come up with a fall-back plan for the model’s debut.
Riding atop GM’s third-generation modular electric architecture and powered by unique batteries developed with help from LG Chem, the Lyriq is the first of many EV Cadillacs to come. Don’t forget about the frustratingly named Celestiq, as well as the huge, Escalade-sized EV SUV expected by mid-decade.
Per Bloomberg, “Cadillac is reevaluating plans for rolling out the Lyriq now that it won’t be introduced at the canceled April 2 event in Los Angeles, according to a spokesman.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the growing coronavirus threat last Wednesday. As you’ve come to learn, big public events that prompt loads of air travel are looked down upon during an outbreak; similar concerns put the kibosh on this month’s Geneva Motor Show. That leaves GM with the possibility of unveiling the Lyriq in New York next month, though the likelihood of that auto show going ahead grows fainter with each passing day. New York State has also declared a state of emergency, and coronavirus cases are on the rise.
Should all avenues be cut off by disease, the Lyric still has one virus-free venue to turn to: the internet. Some automakers took advantage of online debuts after Geneva. Whatever GM decides, it certainly has time — the Lyriq isn’t expected to go on sale until 2022.
[Image: General Motors]
It’s a good thing – less overexposure for another ugly Cadillac that’s not due for two years. Does Mary Barra like the taste of champagne or what?
Lyriq came down with a case of the uglies
For decades, the mfrs have lived under the delusion that auto shows and splashy reveals actually help them. These days, only Tesla seems to benefit from its reveals.
It is an attractive vehicle. If they put the popular 3.6l in it they will be popular. However, as an EV it will be a bust like any vehicle that is not a Tesla.
Oh No! So we will be denied the thrill of the unveiling of a vehicle that will be unveiled three or four more times before it reaches the dealers in two years or more? The Horror!!
What’s the point of revealing car that will debut in 2022?
Generate hype and pump the stock today.
I had longed for the day when Cadillac would go back to giving its vehicles actual names …..
But the weirdly spelled Lyriq and Celestiq were not the names I envisioned.
“The article, which (strangely) positions the cancellation as a major blow for General Motors CEO Mary Barra”
First reaction upon reading the Bloomberg article: Either David Welch is delusional, or someone else wrote the headline…
BUT… if you tie this to February investor conference where Barra and Suryadevara were claiming the stock is undervalued, it sort of makes sense.
From the Bloomberg article: “Worse yet, the boost GM shares got when she made the case the company can compete with Tesla Inc. was short-lived.”