Cadillac coming to the UK with two EVs by end of 2024

Cadillac is officially returning to the UK by the end of this year with a plan to offer a range of all-electric models built in right-hand drive. Starting with the Lyriq and smaller Optiq crossovers, both will bring the iconic American brand back into the fray amongst established European manufacturers.

Jaclyn McQuaid, Cadillac’s European Chief told Auto Express “We’re coming to the UK, and we’ll be here later this year.” She confirmed that after years of inactivity in Europe, General Motors is coming back with a vengeance. 

Typically limited by the few global right-hand drive markets, Cadillac has often sighted complexities in production and legislation that would often skew the figures with such relatively limited volumes. In response, McQuaid continued: “We did already announce right-hand drive for Australia, and we’ll be bringing those same cars to the UK.”

What’s different this time around is down to the new electric platform that GM has developed to underpin this new generation of products. McQuaid said: “The Ultimum platform allows this changeability, which allows us to be much more flexible when it comes to right or left-hand drive. The way that the wiring architecture sits and the electric powertrain elements means this isn’t a problem any more.”

“When you look inside the vehicle, the 33-inch screen is equally shaped left to right so it makes things much easier for us to switch between. A lot of innovation went into pushing the brand forward and having more of a global presence, and having right-hand drive is an important aspect of that.”

These first two models are both based on this same set of Ultimum components, and will offer a crossover body that’s longer and lower compared to many obvious competitors. The Lyriq is the first of these, and is able to offer a 300-mile range from its 102kWh battery pack. Peak power from the dual-motor setup is around 400bhp, and is already on sale in Europe for just over £70,000 in Germany. 

But the bigger seller is likely to be the smaller Optiq, which is somewhere in size between the Audi Q4 and Q6 e-tron models, offering a similar 300-mile range and dual-motor setup. Local prices have still yet to be confirmed, but testing is already underway in the UK to help tune these cars for specific European tastes.

Sales in the UK will commence via an agency model, with ‘Cadillac Cities’ acting as hubs in major urban areas as a space to see, drive and configure their models before delivery. And the good news is that there’s even more on the way as Cadillac’s range of pure EVs continues to grow for its ambitions to have a much bigger global footprint. 

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