Until the new Cybertruck, Tesla’s model line-up spelt out S3XY. Now, Cadillac has debuted a clever naming structure of its own, but its one is a little more wholesome.
Cadillac is marketing its new electric SUVs in China as being the members of the LOVE series, with the word formed from the first letter of each vehicle’s name in the order of its launch there.
The LOVE vehicles comprise the Lyriq, already on sale in China and due in Australia late in 2024, as well as the smaller Optiq, three-row Vistiq, and the flagship Escalade iQ.
The latter three have yet to be locked in for Australia, though General Motors has filed to trademark each of their names.
Evidently, Cadillac is only using its electric SUVs for its acronym, as including the flagship Celestiq would make it CLOVE.
The brand has also trademarked the Ascendiq and Lumistiq names in the US, which could be Cadillac’s rumoured electric sedans.
The approximately 5m-long Lyriq will be positioned here as a rival for the BMW iX, while the Optiq is around 4.8m long and therefore more of a competitor to the likes of the Tesla Model Y.
The Vistiq is a three-row SUV slotting in above the Lyriq, serving as a rival to the Volvo EX90, while the Escalade iQ will sit at the very top of Cadillac’s SUV range.
All four line up neatly with Cadillac’s existing combustion-powered XT4, XT5, XT6 and Escalade SUVs.
The Lyriq will spearhead Cadillac’s return to Australia as an electric-only brand later in 2024, and will be available through a “reimagined luxury direct-to-consumer experience” with two “Cadillac Experience Centres” in our market: one in Melbourne, and one in Sydney.
But more will come, and indeed more products will come, though executives wouldn’t confirm which vehicles will follow the Lyriq.
Executives at a recent reveal event in Melbourne made multiple mentions of Cadillacs selling in “exclusive volumes”, though newly appointed GM Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala was enthusiastic about the brand’s chances.
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“It’s going to do incredibly well here,” said Ms Bala, saying Cadillac will appeal to luxury car buyers who want to stand out and who consider themselves trendsetters.
Despite all the talk of “exclusive volumes”, Ms Bala said pricing of the Lyriq wouldn’t be lofty.
“It’ll be priced competitively inside that mid-sized SUV [segment],” said Ms Bala, confirming the Lyriq will battle similarly sized electric SUVs from European luxury brands like the BMW iX.
Ms Bala most recently served as director of global product planning and product strategy for Cadillac, which saw her play a central role in the luxury brand’s transition to being electric-only by 2030.
Cadillac hasn’t officially sold vehicles here since the 1960s, but did come tantalisingly close to returning to Australia in the 2000s, only to have a global financial crisis and its parent company’s bankruptcy pull the rug out.
MORE: Cadillac locked in for Australia in 2024: Everything you need to know
