It’s official: Cadillac to launch in Australia from 2024

Luxury car maker Cadillac – owned by US car giant General Motors – has announced it is due to begin selling in Australia from 2024 at fixed prices through its website or from two retail locations to be established in Melbourne and Sydney.

As with its sister brands Chevrolet and GMC, distribution of the vehicles is due to be managed under the General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) banner locally – though the Cadillac line-up is set to be exclusively electric for the Australian market, and they won't be sold in GMSV dealers.

The battery-powered 2025 Cadillac Lyriq large SUV is planned to be the first model to go on sale, manufactured in right-hand drive from the factory in the US.

It may be followed by a series of other models – the Optiq mid-size SUV, Celestiq sedan, Escalade IQ full-size SUV, and a future model known as the Vistiq – though these have yet to be announced by the automaker.

It marks the company's return to Australia after an absence of more than half a century – and 15 years since the most recent credible attempt to bring Cadillac back to Australia fell through in 2009 after the onset of the Global Financial Crisis.

MORE: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq quick drive

Gone are the days of big lazy V8 engines that have long been associated with the brand, with the new Cadillac Lyriq set to be the first fully-electric vehicle sold in Australia by a General Motors brand.

The Cadillac Lyriq is based on GM's 'Ultium' electric-car architecture – the same technology that underpins the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV – with all Australian models at launch to initially come with all-wheel drive.

Unlike the entry-level US-market Lyriq – which uses a single electric motor sending 255kW and 440Nm to the rear wheels – the Australian launch model is planned to use dual electric motors to produce 373kW and 610Nm, powered by a 102kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

The Lyriq can be recharged using a 190kW DC fast charger, or a 19.2kW AC charger.

Dimensionally, the Lyriq is 5005mm long, 2207mm wide (with mirrors), 1623mm tall, and has a 3094mm wheelbase. Weight is listed at 2774kg.

Cadillac claims there is also an Australian connection with the car, with the iconic sound of a didgeridoo "layered into the Lyriq's exterior sound".

At this early stage, GM hasn't confirmed driving range for Australia, nor has the company locked in final trims and specifications for Australia ahead of the model's launch in late 2024.

However, while local certification is planned be completed prior to its Australian launch, US EPA testing – which is more stringent than the WLTP testing used in Europe, and common in Australia – lists a driving range of 494km for the all-wheel-drive variant.

Independent testing by US publication Car and Driver found the AWD Lyriq was only able to reach a distance of 354km while driving at a sustained 120km/h.

Local testing and evaluation by General Motors engineers is scheduled to begin almost immediately, though the company has ruled out a local suspension tune.

Cadillac says a nappa leather interior is slated to be standard across all launch models, with heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats, tri-zone climate control, ambient lighting, a panoramic glass roof with power sunshade, and a 16.5-inch 9K LED infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with a matching 16.5-inch digital instrument cluster to make a 33-inch double-wide display.

Australian-market vehicles are also planned to be fitted with a 19-speaker AKG Studio surround sound system with active noise cancellation.

As with the Chevrolet Corvette, right-hand-drive models are scheduled to be manufactured by General Motors in the US, though at the company's Spring Hill plant in Tennessee.

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up – as well as the forthcoming GMC Yukon – will continue to be remanufactured to left-hand drive to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Melbourne, after the vehicles are shipped to Australia.

Pricing for the Cadillac Lyriq will be announced closer to the model's scheduled launch next year, though it's expected it will be a direct competitor to the BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQC, which are priced from approximately $130,000 and $140,000 respectively before on-road costs.

Speaking to a media roundtable at the announcement, company executives wouldn't be drawn on right-hand-drive production numbers or sales targets, however they did confirm market research was conducted in Australia to gauge knowledge and interest in the brand prior a decision being made about the company entering the local market.

Drive first broke the news of Cadillac's likely return in December 2022 after trademark filings for the Lyriq were discovered, and just two months before a right-hand-drive prototype was spied in the US.

However executives from the company told media the decision to enter the Australian market was being discussed as early as 2015.

As mentioned, General Motors says it intends to adopt a 'direct-to-consumer' model for the Cadillac model range, which means cutting out dealerships and selling vehicles – at fixed prices – either via its website or at one of two retail locations located in Melbourne and Sydney.

Details of aftersales support and servicing haven't been announced yet.

If all goes as planned, this will be the third time General Motors has attempted to relaunch the Cadillac brand in Australia in recent years – after exiting the local market in 1969.

In 2008, Cadillac was on the verge of announcing its return here when General Motors pulled the plug due to financial stress caused by economic downturn – with 89 right-hand-drive vehicles already in the country being shipped to New Zealand to be sold, and dealership signage sent to Detroit. Though Drive understands a very small handful of Cadillac CTS sedans were sold to Australian customers at the time and weren't exported.

It's understood GM was again planning to launch Cadillac in Australia by 2020, with those plans were thought to be postponed due to dwindling sales and the eventual axing of the Holden brand.

The 2025 Cadillac Lyriq is due to go on sale in 2024, with the first customer deliveries expected late in the year.