Here at TTAC World Headquarters, we’re all in lockstep agreement that Cadillac’s electric vehicle naming strategy is both awesome and timeless. Names like Lyriq and Celestiq defy any and all attempts at derision and joke-making.
With that lie out of the way, let’s move on to the next addition to the brand’s EV stable: Symboliq.
Cadillac Society recently uncovered the new addition to the growing lineup in the electronic bowels of a Swiss patent office. General Motor applied for the name on July 22nd.
While Caddy’s EV ambitions came into clearer focus this month, the names applied to the next three models remained cloaked in haze. This helps break up the clouds a bit.
The name “Lyriq” is bound for Cadillac’s first all-electric model, a midsize crossover due for a reveal later this year, with production following in 2021. Celestiq is reserved for a hand-built, ultra-high-end halo car. Elsewhere in the plan, a small, more attainable crossover will capture eco-conscious buyers in the XT4 arena, while a three-row EV crossover will tempt those who’d otherwise consider an XT6.
Meanwhile, the Escalade stands to gain a clean-running sibling. Might we suggest the name Diaboliq?
Sure enough, a quick perusal of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s listings shows Symboliq and Cadillac Symbolic among the automaker’s recent applications. And not only that — “Optiq” is there, too.
Optra? No. Optiq. This Cadillac’s all American, thank you very much.
Unfortunately, none of these applications reveal exactly which model the name will land on. And GM’s still missing one of the five. Regardless, it’s clear that the automaker’s not easing up on the development throttle, despite the new challenges and pressures posed by the pandemic. The company aims to introduce 20 EV models by 2023, with the briefly mothballed Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Detroit serving as GM’s green nerve center and dedicated EV production base.
The first of the Cadillac crowd, the Lyric, is destined for an August 6th reveal.
[Image: General Motors]
Good job Cadillac. People have been longing for years for names to return to your cars and you manage to give them names that make people miss the letters and numbers.
They’ll go back to the original names soon enough. I’m sure there will be a Model Sixtiq eventually.
This. May as well keep the current naming structure. It won’t matter.
Never understood why Cadillac and Lincoln were the only two auto brands criticized for no model names. Yet with all other luxury brands it’s perfectly acceptable.
I dont mind numbers so long as they are like BMWs of old. First number is the model, second is the engine size. They screwed that up too though.
“Cadillac Society”
Cadillac has a society?
Yes. They play Bridge every Tuesday after taking in the Blue Plate Special down at the Piccadilly or Morrison’s cafeteria.
Neptune Society was the first thing I thought of :)
It’s an underground society, for obvious reasons. All three members are desperate to remain anonymous.
Barf. GM has jumped the shark with Cadillac.
There’s the TTAC Commentariat spirit towards Cadillac we all know and love.
How so? How are they any different than other luxury auto brands?
They aren’t as good
No one is going to buy their over priced electric cars. Selecting names from ebonics is going to sell cars? GM can’t even spell, and they expect you to buy their car? This is even worse than when they moved headquarters to NYC, and as Bob Lutz pointed out, having a bunch of metrosexuals standing around looking at a Cadillac was going to sell cars?
Cadillac has “jumped the shark”. An embarrassment. Can’t compete in gasoline cars. So goes all in trying to catch Tesla. Fail.
Proving that Cadillac is still run exclusively by marketing people who have zero knowledge of the history of Cadillac, and zero knowledge of cars, car buyers, 2020 media, the auto business, etc.
You can just see the marketing types brainstorming names “Well, we’ve decided that all these vehicles need to end in ‘iq,” so now we need to figure out some names that end in ‘iq.\'” “What should we get for lunch today?”
Yeah, marketing is a big part of selling products. Nothing new there. Also, coming up with something interesting and unique is also part of marketing. So again, you’re right. Lastly, today’s younger buy doesn’t care about Fleetwood and DeVille and Seville. Those names are irrelevant. So how does a new naming concept suggest zero knowledge of cars, buyers, 2020 media (you mean left with lying loons?) and the auto business? But Cadillac is damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
I’m going with renaming the Escalade the “Balleriq”.
Joking aside, I see what they’re trying to do, and you know what? I think it’s a good move. Yes, these names are silly, but if the vehicles are good, it won’t really matter. I mean, who thought something called “Model S” would be the car that finally broke the Mercedes S-class’ stranglehold on rich car buyers?
Caddy has zero cred anymore, and any cred it earns will be as an upscale EV maker. Blow it all up and start from zero.
That, or administer the Jesus Juice and wave goodbye.
This isn’t starting from zero though. They’re in negative numbers before they get out of the gate.
Titaniq was already taken, I’m guessing.
For Cadillac’s EV, “Sparky De Ville”
If Buick gets an EV, “Electric 225”
Cadillac (Cadillaq?) seems bent on self-destruction. The brand may not exist in 5 years.
The brand will still exist. It’ll just be in the hands of a Chinese company that actually treats it like the luxury brand it ought to be.
The way it’s going for them, they may not exist in five years anyway. Case in point: any of their products not named “Escalade.” I mean, seriously…a Cadillac sedan with a four-banger truck engine? WTF…might as well go for broke and try something new.
If they can offer compelling Tesla-fighting product, I think they may have something to build on long-term.
This is getting embarrassing. Somebody in that conference room needs to speak up.
Why is it embarrassing? I think they are very unique clever sophisticated names. What’s wrong with them? So Corolla and Imprezza are ok with you? They ditch names, it’s stupid. They come up with new names, it’s embarrassing. They can’t win.
Up next: Lowiq and zeroiq.
Coloniq, Psychotiq, and… Geriatriq.
Pathetiq
I wonder if the low end models will have a lot of Plastiq?
That will be reserved for Cadillaq Cateriq.
Vehicles are becoming more generiq – which will see a further uptiq as manufacturers commonize on electroniq and electromagnetiq drive components. So naming/branding/USP needs to be more uniq… uneeq… uneeiq. [This is why luxury emblems are already dinner-plate sized.]
New tech, new rules – these could turn out to be nice – and relatively successful. [Quiet smooth surge of limitless torq is right in line with historiq Cadillaq attributes.]
The problem with this naming scheme is that it assumes people aren’t morons. Im pretty sure its a play on the electrical current equation I=Q/t (get it now?).
in reality, most people are like the TTAC B&B and will be too dumb and uneducated to get it. So yeah, its doomed for failure.
And yet here you are
Just passing through. Thanks.
Don’t let the screen door hit you…
Snob
“Snob” for knowing a basic mathamatical equation?? OK, Thanks!!!
No, for this…
“most people are like the TTAC B&B and will be too dumb and uneducated to get it”
But, I guess you’re “too dumb” to understand that
Ah, that’s what’s been wrong with Cadillac all these years…they are just too smart for people.
Cadillac has been saying for years that their most advanced car was just over everyone’s head, the Cimarron
I’ll rebadge my CTS-V to ‘OHViq’ and carry on exulting in the sound of money exploding.
“Here at TTAC World Headquarters”
Where is “Here”? It is interesting to mention that in his weekly Rant column Peter did not complain about names and predicted that they will be okay if product is right.
What???, no Cadillac “Pubic”?
The problem is with the company name itself. Motors was the worst general ever. He lost big time at the battle of Vega Run where his troops overheated and 10’s of thousands were left dead at the side of the road. He was again embarrassed at The Cimarron where he sent in an embarrassingly inferior force. His 8-6-4 strategy was a disaster. In fact, he was so bad, he lost several divisions including those led by Olds and Pontiac. Why would you name a company after a guy like that?
Because in 1948 the General’s design commanders, Harley Earl and Franklin Quick Hershey repurposed the fins off a P-38 and forever changed the automotive styling battleground with his 4-wheeled rocket ships
Cadillac ditches names and goes with alpha numeric like every other brand and everyone complains. Cadillac gets creative and develops new names for a bunch of new products and everyone complains. You people are nuts.
The names don’t resonate with people and the cars have been lackluster for years. If they get the cars right, people will start to come back but they haven’t really earned the benefit of the doubt here so people will look at it like this