General Motors is returning to Europe with an electric Cadillac, Bloomberg reported.
The automaker reportedly said on Thursday it was taking orders for the battery electric Lyriq sport utility vehicle in Switzerland with deliveries to start in the first half of 2024. Over the next two years, the brand plans to launch electric models in Sweden, France and three more European countries.
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Bloomberg noted GM had kept a low profile in the region for the past years, importing only a small number of vehicles. In 2017, the company sold off Opel and Vauxhall to what is now Stellantis, following two decades of losses.
The new owner pushed the brands – whose models are based on its own platforms including EVs – back into profit in less than a year.
GM will first sell the Lyriq, a midsize SUV powered by the manufacturer’s Ultium batteries with an estimated range of 530km (329 miles) per charge, Bloomberg said.
The starting price of CHF82,000 (US$89,705) is roughly the same as premium German electric SUVs such as BMW’s iX3 and Audi’s Q8 e-tron.
Bloomberg said GM plans to sell its Cadillac EVs directly to European consumers via its websites and flagship stores, including one in downtown Zurich. The models will be imported from the US plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
The report added Cadillac plans to offer a complete range of fully electric models in Europe by the end of this decade.
Deliveries of the Lyriq started in the US last year and, in the third quarter, Cadillac sold 3,018 Lyriq EVs, more than double the previous quarter.
