Cadillac could build 200K Lyriq EVs annually based on demand

Cadillac could build nearly 200,000 Lyriq electric crossovers annually depending on customer demand, executives said Monday before the first 2023 Lyriq rolled off the production line at Spring Hill Assembly.

The plant in Tennessee can support output of just under 200,000 vehicles per year. Today, the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 and the GMC Acadia internal combustion crossovers are also built there. They will be built alongside the Lyriq for now.

"We have a progressive ramp-up, but we have the ability to flex based upon customer demand," said Rory Harvey, vice president of global Cadillac. "And customer demand for the Lyriq is absolutely huge."

General Motors eventually plans to add production of upcoming electric vehicles to the plant, GM President Mark Reuss added.

"The agility … is inherent in the production system," he said. "We have some pretty hot crossovers that come out of this plant, too, with the XT5, XT6 and Acadia. Lots of legs on those."

Cadillac plans to open orders for the Lyriq on May 19. Reservations for the crossover were booked in about 10 minutes late last summer when the Lyriq debuted.

"The Cadillac Lyriq sets the standard for the future of Cadillac and marks another major milestone in GM's commitment to an all-electric future," Reuss said in a statement Monday.

GM's luxury brand has 240,000 "hand-raisers" for the Lyriq, Harvey said. Cadillac defines a hand-raiser as a consumer who shows interest in the midsize crossover. Cadillac did not disclose the number of reservations it booked for the Lyriq.

"We have yet to tell how many of those hand-raisers will translate into customer orders, but the amount of demand at the moment is absolutely huge," Harvey said last week.

In 2020, GM said it would invest $2 billion in the Spring Hill plant. The automaker, along with its battery partner LG Energy Solution, is investing $2.3 billion to build an Ultium battery cell plant nearby. The battery plant is slated to open in 2023.

The Spring Hill manufacturing complex is GM's largest facility in North America, consisting of a vehicle assembly plant, metal stamping plant and an engine plant. It has built more than 4.5 million vehicles since it opened in 1990.