Cadillac dealers are preparing for EV rollout

General Motors has done a great job advising its brands' dealerships, including Cadillac stores, on how to prepare for the rollout of more electric vehicles as the brand's lineup transitions away from internal combustion, said Inder Dosanjh, chairman of the Cadillac National Dealer Council.

"They're much further ahead than other manufacturers as far as installing the chargers, the training," said Dosanjh, CEO of Dosanjh Family Auto Group in the San Francisco Bay Area.

GM has said it aims to have a fully zero-emission light-vehicle portfolio by 2035, led by Cadillac and Buick, which plan to eliminate internal-combustion offerings by 2030.

In 2020, Cadillac offered to buy out any of its more than 800 U.S. Cadillac dealerships that did not want to sell the brand's future EVs. More than one-third of its dealerships opted to leave the brand, Cadillac executives have said. Buyout agreements ranged from $200,000 to the seven digits range.

Cadillac provided clarity to dealers early in the process and also gave them the option to walk away, Dosanjh said.

"One thing Cadillac did, they were very clear: 'Look, this is where we're going, this is what our goal is, and if you want to be a Cadillac dealer, this is what you need to do.' The dealers who didn't want to meet that demand, they got bought out. Dealers who are in the brand, they know what the requirements are," he said. "I think such a clarity from Cadillac from the start really helped the whole process."

Cadillac started selling the Lyriq electric midsize crossover last year, and production of its flagship, hand-built Celestiq electric sedan will begin in December. The Celestiq, which will start in the low $300,000s, is intended to compete against ultraluxury brands such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

The Lyriq "is just an incredible car. I think we're going to attract a lot of Tesla buyers," Dosanjh told Automotive News.

"And the future lineup, the electric lineup, is just incredible. We're in the right spot. It's a good time to be a Cadillac dealer."