2024-08-27 19:24:39
“Try me!” » Make me taller, in French. It is the title of an American documentary (2004) devoted to junk food at McDonald’s. This could be the context for the return to France of Cadillac, the famous brand of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM).
After years of absence, since GM left Europe in 2017 with the sale of Opel to PSA (now Stellantis), the Cadillac brand presents its new electric model, the luxurious Lyriq. An XXL SUV. Five meters long, 2.7 tons on the scale.
Character of a French designer
Fortunately for your future customers, the stamp “clean vehicle” allows you to benefit from the exemption from the “tax on the license in operation” (TMOM, which also takes into account fuel, different liquids, drivers, etc.) , the famous “certain weight” which penalizes the heaviest hot vehicles.
A beautiful but massive bodywork designed by the French lady Magalie Debellis, and a monstrous 528 horse engine! When it arrives, to provide the intended range of 530 km, the Lyriq is equipped with a large battery (manufactured by GM) of 102 kWh, like the largest Tesla. In short, a worthy representation of the “American Way of Life.” »
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But is it still fashionable on this side of the Atlantic, at a time when manufacturers, Renault in the lead, with its new R5 electric range, are betting a lot on the success of their small city cars? “The Lyriq 5 m roads, indeed, but it is not at all for the display of a 5 m car when you see it,” assures Jaclyn McQuaid, managing director of General Motors Europe. The same thing when you get behind the wheel. Its specific platform makes it very maneuverable and, in the mountains for example, it stays on the turns. It can attract customers who are considering a small vehicle. »
Delays tend to be consistent with French
A great car, great character, we might add, in short it resembles the car ads of the last century rather than today. “Loud, proud”, Lyriq “is not for someone who wants to blend into the landscape”, continues Jaclyn McQuaid.
The car is positioned in the segment of electric luxury cars, which General Motors and Cadillac believe has a strong future in France. The XXL SUV, made in the United States in Tennessee, has been updated for the European market. Its suspension, in particular, has made it difficult to meet the trends of French drivers.
Cadillac will open tricolor orders on March 23 for direct sales on the brand’s website, then through a Showroom in the heart of Paris, in 2024. No price has been announced, but Lyriq is priced at 916,000 crowns in Sweden, where it is already on sale, or around 82,000 euros.
XXL outside and inside. In the cabin, we will see, in particular, a large 33-inch curved screen. “Cadillac has always been at the forefront of technology and innovation,” said Jaclyn McQuaid. General Motors, it is true, was a pioneer in electric cars with the Chevrolet Bolt, but it has tried to reverse the trend.
Launched in 2022, the Lyriq has sold around a thousand copies in the United States and 5,000 units in China, where it is also manufactured. Will it appeal in France and on the old computer? At a time when Paris, for example, is banning SUVs, considered dangerous, from the center of its city … “It is too big to fail,” said the Anglo-Saxon. Too big to fail (go bankrupt)? Not sure if the financial proposal also applies to cars…
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