Electric vehicles may not represent the present for most of America, but they are the future. The industry agrees; of the two luxury brands represented in this comparison test, Genesis says it will launch only electric models after 2025, and Cadillac promises an exclusively battery-powered lineup by 2030.
Neither manufacturer is new to electrification—Cadillac dabbled in plug-in performance with the overpriced but sneaky-good ELR last seen as a 2016 model, and Genesis recently released a battery-powered version of the G80—but neither has offered a dedicated EV. Enter the Cadillac Lyriq and Genesis GV60, a pair of critically important electric SUVs that offer a glimpse of what we can expect from these companies’ electron-fed futures.
When we look back at this pair toward the end of the decade, will they represent fumbled first attempts or the beginnings of something special?
INTERIOR APPOINTMENTS SEPARATE THE PREMIUM FROM THE PEDESTRIAN.
The Lyriq is the first Cadillac built on GM’s Ultium electric vehicle architecture, versions of which underpin GMC’s new Hummers, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, and the upcoming electrified Chevrolet Blazer. Our test vehicle was just the second example to roll off the production line—VIN002, to be exact. More on that shortly.
The Lyriq comes to market with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive trim badged 450E. The 450 designation represents 450
