GM returns to Europe with a fully electric SUV
Already in spring, it was clear that about six years after selling Opel, General Motors was looking to return to Europe with an all-electric line-up. Now, another curtain has been lifted. The first new vehicle to be sold in Europe is the Cadillac Lyriq.
The luxury SUV can already be reserved online in Switzerland, with prices starting at 82,000 francs (just over 85,000 euros). The 102 kWh Ultium battery pack and two Ultium drive units provide a range of about 530 kilometres. First deliveries are scheduled for April or May next year.
“Today General Motors is joining Europe’s electrification journey by launching our all-electric, direct-to-consumer Cadillac business in Switzerland with plans to expand to 5 additional markets in Europe over the next couple of years, with Sweden and France next,” writes Jaclyn McQuaid, President and Managing Director, General Motors Europe in a statement on the Cadillac website.
So, the American carmaker plans to expand its presence in Europe to Sweden, France and three other countries in the next two years, with electric cars only. There is no word yet on what the other three countries will be. Insiders have long expected the first markets for the re-entry to be Nordic countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. If Germany makes the list remains to be seen.
It will also be interesting to see, how the Lyric does in Europe. In the USA, the electric car is not a big seller. The company sold only 3,018 units of the Lyriq in the last quarter. That was more than twice as much as in the second quarter (1,348 units). Overall, GM delivered 4,257 Ultium-based BEVs in Q3 (including the GMC Hummer EV Pickup/GMC Hummer EV SUV).
There is no official information yet about what other electric models GM will bring to Europe. What is clear is that the company is looking to its Cadillac models in Europe directly via the company website and various flagship stores, similar to Tesla. One such “Cadillac City” is located in the heart of Zurich, where customers can see and test drive the vehicle.
Despite the European market entry, the production of the vehicles remains in the USA, more precisely in Tennessee.
GM has been preparing to come back to the European markets since 2021 and confirmed the move earlier this year. The first step was taken in November 2022, when McQuaid was appointed President and CEO of GM Europe and set up her office in Zurich. The manufacturer had left Europe in 2017, when it sold Opel to PSA, which later became Stellantis. A return to the old continent could obviously help GM increase sales.
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