On Monday, GM announced its direct-to-consumer sales of the Cadillac Lyriq will start March 23 in France, said GM spokeswoman Chiati Sen. France is the third market in Europe where GM is launching the direct-to-consumer Cadillac business. Last year, GM said it would start EV sales in Switzerland on Oct. 5 “with plans to expand to (five) additional markets in Europe over the next couple of years, with Sweden and France next.”
Germany will be included, too , Sen said, but she did not provide a starting sale date there. GM said it expects deliveries of the vehicle in Europe to start in the first half of this year.
GM has said it will be selling only the Lyriq luxury and sports AWD models in Europe with the starting price of the Lyriq in Switzerland at about $92,200. That price includes taxes and fees and the vehicle comes standard with a leather package, performance tires and a 22 kilowatt charging device. Sen did not provide the starting price for France.
Last fall, GM said it was opening Cadillac City in Zurich, which is a “new experience center … to provide an elevated, more personalized, luxury experience and foster a community around Cadillac EVs.” Cadillac City is 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) and allows customers to see the Lyriq, test-drive it and customize their personal vehicle. As the Detroit Free Press reported last November, GM is also taking the Lyriq to Australia and New Zealand. GM said it will sell a right-hand-drive Lyriq in both markets as a 2025 model. GM is currently taking registrations of interest for Lyriq and will announce the start of sales in that region later this year, said Cadillac spokeswoman Stephanie Obendorfer.
GM launched the Lyriq, which uses GM’s Ultium propulsion system, in 2022. It is assembled at Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee. GM has said it plans for the right-hand-drive variant to also be made at Spring Hill.
GM CEO Mary Barra first talked about returning to Europe in May 2022. Europe is the second largest EV market in the world behind China, analysts said. GM remains committed to an all-electric lineup by 2035 with plans for Cadillac and Buick to offer all-electric lineups by 2030.
GM CEO Mary Barra at the Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles on May 2, 2022.”About five years ago, we sold our Opel business to what is now Stellantis and we have no seller’s remorse from an internal combustion business,” Barra said during an appearance at the Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles in May 2022. “But we are looking at the growth opportunity that we have now, because we can reenter Europe as an all-EV player. I’m looking forward to that.”
GM left Europe — after nearly 90 years there — when it sold its German Opel and United Kingdom Vauxhall brands in 2017 for about $2.2 billion. Opel and Vauxhall had been losing money for 16 consecutive years. The sale freed GM to focus and invest in vehicles for North America and China, markets where GM has historically made profits. Exiting Europe allowed GM to develop EVs and self-driving cars.
In November 2021, GM first announced plans to reestablish its presence in Europe with a mobility startup business that includes its EV and autonomous vehicles along with innovative software, autonomous technology and freight and logistics services.
GM said it has significantly expanded its operations in Europe by growing its customer and technology-focused teams, announcing a European Design Centre based in the UK, and grow its IT innovation hub in Ireland.
