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Cadillac Reveals New Design Language with Electric Lyriq

By Rain Noe - August 7, 2020

in Cars

In addition to the environmental benefits, electric cars are a great thing for exterior automotive design; with the exception of the Toyota Prius, it's generally understood that the visual language of electric should be clean and uncluttered. Even the stodgiest design manager knows that electric means they have to give their team wide latitude to reinterpret the brand in a sleek, modern way, with minimal surface changes compared to the "I spazzed out on CAD" lines of your average new petrol-powered car.

This week Cadillac unveiled their Lyriq electric concept, which The Drive has learned is "80 to 85 percent production-intent." And compared to the dated, conservative look of their current line-up, the Lyriq is a breath of fresh air:

I find the design a tad derivative--in particular, it borrows some of the best lines of Range Rover's Evoque and Velar--but within the context of Cadillac and where they were going, I see these efforts as a positive development in need of some minor refinements. It's no Tesla killer nor e-tron competitor, but the new direction at least demonstrates that Cadillac is trying to stay in the fight.

As for the 15-20% that won't make it into production, I'm really hoping the designers give that grille and rear three-quarter panel a second pass.

They've got plenty of time--the Lyriq isn't scheduled to roll out until 2022.

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simon a.

4 years ago

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It always surprises me: are these people aware they are designing electric cars?
To me it looks they design a combustion engine car and glue a plastic grill to it.
There should be so much freedom in design here!

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Eric Strebel

4 years ago

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The grill could definitely use some work....looks like it has braces on.

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Chris Haar

4 years ago

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What a nice Range Rover they've made a year too late!

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Anders H

4 years ago

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Kudos for trying, but this is a case of too little too late. Or when it comes to design, its a bit too much. The overall shape and proportions are ok, but derivative, while the detailing is all over the place and shows a lack of confidence and direction usually associated with Chinese EV start-ups. The design is just one part of this proposition, and GM has a rather impressive track record of failing without learning, especially with their EV efforts. Judging by the predicted launch date of 2022-23, I'm pretty sure this will be another failure.

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