“Supersize me!”
» Supersize me, in French.
It was the title of an American documentary (2004) devoted to junk food at McDonald's.
This could be the slogan for the return to France of Cadillac, the famous luxury brand of the American automobile giant 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 tonnes on the scale.
The trait of a French designer
Fortunately for its future customers, the “clean vehicle” stamp allows it to benefit from an exemption from the “tax on mass in running order” (TMOM, which also takes into account fuel, different liquids, the driver, etc.), the famous “weight penalty” which penalizes the heaviest thermal vehicles.
Pretty but bulky bodywork designed by Frenchwoman Magalie Debellis, and monstrous 528 horsepower engine!
On arrival, to offer an estimated range of 530 km, the Lyriq is equipped with a huge battery (designed by GM) of 102 kWh, as much as the largest Teslas.
In short, a worthy representative of the “American Way of Life.”
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VIDEO.
The underside of Renault's new electric R5
But is it still fashionable on this side of the Atlantic, at a time when manufacturers, Renault in the lead, with its brand new electric R5, are betting heavily on the success of their small city cars?
“The Lyriq measures 5 m, indeed, but it doesn't at all give the impression of a 5 m vehicle when you see it,” assures Jaclyn McQuaid, managing director of General Motors Europe.
Same thing when you get behind the wheel.
Its specific platform allows it to be very maneuverable and, in the mountains for example, it sticks to turns.
It could attract customers who were thinking of a smaller vehicle.
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Firm suspensions to adapt to the French
Big vehicle, big personality, we might add, in a shorthand that resembles automobile advertisements of the past century more than those of today.
“Loud, proud”, the Lyriq “is not made for someone who wants to blend into the landscape”, continues Jaclyn McQuaid.
The car is positioned in the segment of electric luxury vehicles, which General Motors and Cadillac believe has a strong future in France.
The XXL SUV, manufactured in the United States in Tennessee, has been updated for the European market.
Its suspensions, in particular, have been made firmer to meet the habits of French motorists.
Cadillac will open tricolor orders on March 23 for direct sale on the brand's website, then via a
showroom in the heart of Paris, in 2024. No price has been announced, but the Lyriq is priced at 916,000 crowns in Sweden, where it is already on sale, or around 82,000 euros.
XXL on the outside and inside.
In the cabin, we will find, in particular, a huge 33-inch curved screen.
“Cadillac has always been at the forefront of technology and innovation,” says Jaclyn McQuaid.
General Motors, it is true, was a pioneer in electric vehicles with the Chevrolet Bolt, but has since struggled to transform the experiment.
Launched in 2022, the Lyriq has sold around ten 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 continent?
At a time when Paris, for example, is banning SUVs, considered cumbersome, from its city center... “Too big to fail,” say the Anglo-Saxons.
Too big to fail (go bankrupt)?
Not sure if the financial concept also applies to automobiles…