Cadillac is coming back to the Irish market, which it last abandoned in 2009. General Motors, which has owned the Cadillac brand since 1909, has essentially abandoned the European market over the past decade, selling its Opel and Vauxhall brands to Stellantis Group, and withdrawing Chevrolet from European shores.
More recently, though, some higher-end GM models have returned. Although it’s not sold in Ireland (yet) you can buy a Euro-spec Chevrolet Corvette mid-engined sports car, and they will even make you one in right-hand drive.
Now, Cadillac is making a proper European comeback, looking to take on the luxury grandeés of BMW and Mercedes with an all-EV lineup based around three models — the Lyriq, a large luxury SUV which rivals the likes of the BMW iX and the Audi Q6 e-tron; the Vistiq, which is even larger and boxier, and sort of a rival to the Volvo EX90; and the Optiq, a compact EV crossover.
Cadillac has partnered with Belfast-based Charles Hurst Group, and through a €1 million investment is bringing Caddy back to Irish buyers, with a Dublin-based showroom.
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Lasse Grundstroem, chief commercial officer for GM Europe, said: “Ireland’s forward-looking sustainability vision and tech-savvy customer mindset are a perfect match for our all-electric portfolio. With Ireland now our fifth European market, this launch marks another exciting milestone in Cadillac’s expansion across the continent.”
For those who are interested, the Lyriq will be the first new Cadillac to arrive here, and yes, it will come with right-hand drive. It’s a big, luxurious five-seat SUV, with a range of around 530km and a high-performance 520hp four-wheel drive system. The battery can be charged at up to 190kW on DC power, and if you really want one, there’s a high-performance version with 606hp.
The Lyriq is based on General Motors ‘Ultium’ electric car platform, which has been widely praised on the far side of the Atlantic, and inside, there’s a plush cabin with a massive 33-inch curved touchscreen (a single unit, rather than two screens mounted side-by-side) behind the steering wheel.
Cadillac says that it sees the shift to electric power as an ideal moment to reintroduce itself to European buyers, as brand snobbery counts for much less in this new market, a point rather proven by the rise and rise of Chinese car makers.
The last time Cadillac launched in Ireland, things didn’t go so well. Despite the brand’s near-legendary global status - Cadillac often markets itself as ‘the standard of the world’ - the big CTS saloon and the Saab 9-3-based BLS didn’t endear themselves to Irish buyers.
In 2007, Cadillac mustered just four Irish registrations between the two models, and in 2008 it was relegated to ‘other marques’ status.
The combination of a petrol-heavy lineup at a time when diesel was gaining in popularity, alongside some less than stellar cabin quality, kept Cadillac well and truly away from Irish shopping lists, even if the big CTS was actually quite decent to drive.
Things might be different this time around. Charles Hurst group operations director, Jeff McCartney, said: “Committed to an all-electric future, Cadillac leads in design, craftsmanship, and innovation and is successfully winning new customers around the world for its powerful performance, luxury and pioneering technology.”
