2023 Cadillac Lyriq AWD trim makes 500 hp, tows 3,500 lbs
With the Cadillac Lyriq Debut Edition heading for first deliveries this summer, the luxury automaker got opened up a tiny bit about what's coming during an Instagram Q&A session. It appears that before the year is out, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive Lyriq will enter production, putting 500 battery-electric horsepower on the road. That is a healthy bump over the 340 hp produced by the single motor in the rear-wheel-drive Debut Edition, and puts the Cadillac in the same performance league as the 480-hp Ford Mach-E GT and 516-hp BMW iX xDrive50. Cadillac didn't mention a torque figure for the AWD crossover — the RWD makes 325 pound-feet — but said it will be able to tow 3,500 pounds. Based on the information Cadillac has released so far, that figure beats the single-motor version's tow rating of 0 pounds.
The single-motor trim made some noise, too, however. Previously, Cadillac had only stated a range estimate of more than 300 miles for the RWD model. During the Q&A, the company gave a more favorable EPA estimate of 312 miles on a full battery. The AWD trim, assumed to get the same Ultium pack with 100 kilowatt usable capacity, can be expected to shave a few miles off that number. With DC fast charging capability up to 190 kW, the Lyriq is able to replenish about 75 miles in 10 minutes. On a Level 2 charger, the battery refills roughly 54 miles per hour plugged in.
Order books for the production run that follows the Debut Edition open in two weeks, on May 19. The automaker said it's received more than 230,000 "expressions of interest" in the Lyriq. If Cadillac converted half of those hand-raisers into buyers, Lyriq sales would nearly match last year's sales of Cadillac's full model line in the United States. Even at a 10% conversion rate, the Lyriq would mean a roughly 20% boost. Further trims will go on sale in the fall, with deliveries predicted for next year.
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