Cadillac’s electric vehicle sales are increasing, and so is the number of electric nameplates it will have on sale — a combination brand leaders say will push Cadillac to be the bestselling luxury EV brand in the U.S. this year.
John Roth, vice president of global Cadillac, said that projection comes as the Lyriq midsize crossover gains market momentum and as General Motors’ luxury brand prepares to welcome three new EVs in greater numbers this year — the compact Optiq, the three-row Vistiq and Escalade IQ large SUV.
Lyriq sales more than tripled in the U.S. last year to 28,402. A Cadillac spokesperson said the brand excludes Tesla from its luxury competitors because of recent pricing decisions and will measure itself against EVs from brands such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
“Lyriq is doing what we expected it to do,” Roth told Automotive News ahead of the NADA Show in New Orleans.
Its sales performance “speaks volumes to where we’re headed with a Tier 1 luxury brand like Cadillac,” Roth told reporters this month when unveiling the high-performance V-Series badge on the Lyriq. “As we add the other models to the lineup and really fill out the portfolio and having a key vehicle in each one of the luxury EV segments, the upside is just tremendous for the brand.”
The first Optiq deliveries began in January, Roth said, with the Vistiq set to follow.
Cadillac is holding in-person training sessions starting this month in Las Vegas for dealership employees so they can sell the expanded lineup to customers, Roth said. Dealership sales employees now will have more choices to present to customers beyond the Lyriq, which had been Cadillac’s only EV.
The Lyriq has a conquest rate of 76 percent for Cadillac, and more than half of those buyers are new to GM, Roth said.
Jack Weidinger, chairman of the Cadillac National Dealer Council, told Automotive News before the NADA Show that Cadillac soon will have attractive EVs in a range of segments and price points, from roughly $50,000 for the Optiq to $150,000 for the Escalade IQ.
“I think that buyers are going to flock to them,” said Weidinger, owner of Weidinger Auto Group and dealer principal of North Bay Cadillac in Great Neck, N.Y.
Roth said Cadillac has not delivered any Celestiq ultraluxury electric sedans. Cadillac opened the design process in 2023, allowing buyers to personalize materials and finishes of their vehicles so that no two would be alike. The hand-built Celestiq will start around $340,000 before customization.
