General Motors have a pleasant problem in its hand; pre-orders for the luxury electric crossover filled up in just over 10 minutes. Media houses previously reported 19 minutes, but the American automaker issued a correction.
For buyers who don’t mind waiting, the other 2023 trim levels are still available for pre-order. However, if you must get your hands on the Debut Edition, GM promises to make it available through its dealership network, starting in the summer of 2022.
GM did not reveal how many people made the refundable $100 deposit, the company even says the edition is limited, but it is safe to assume GM did not open up millions of slots. Some dealers, however, speculate there were only 1,500 vehicles available.
If you want to make comparisons, Tesla racked up 41,000 reservations on the first day for its Cybertruck electric pickup truck and 250,000 before the end of the week. Unofficial estimates put the total reservations so far above one million. Similarly, Ford attracted 44,000 pre-orders in two days.
The few lucky people who got in can expect their deliveries in the second quarter of 2022, which is about nine months away in the most optimistic scenario. The Debut Edition comes with a 100.4 kWh battery estimated to give 300 miles on a single charge. The battery will charge up to 19.2 kW on AC and accept up to 190 kW on DC.
The single-rear-wheel mounted motor will produce 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque.
Inside the Lyriq, a 33 inch diagonal advanced LED display integrates with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The display will support Google Maps, apart from giving access to the settings. Other touches include an AKG Studio 19-speaker audio system that GM says is exclusive to Cadillac, a heated steering wheel, and fronts passenger seats that will give you a massage.
The electric car has an illuminated Black Crystal Front Grille Cadillac Crest emblems, and exterior door handles on the outside. It also has a full-glass roof for times you prefer to watch the skies.
To improve your safety on the road, the Lyriq has Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Rear Park Assist, Safety Alert Seat, HD Rear Vision Camera, Vehicle Diagnostics, Teen Driver, Rear Seat Reminder, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Zone Steering Assist, Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Following Distance Indicator, Front Pedestrian Braking with Bicyclist, Detection HD Surround Vision and Vision Recorder, Rear Camera Mirror with Washer, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, Rear Pedestrian Alert, Reverse Automatic Braking, and Side Bicyclist Alert.
The base version starts at about $60,000. It will be interesting to see how things move from the apparent pent-up demand for GM’s Lyriq.